Japan

Ryoshin Takagi, 96, lost his mother and grandmother to cadmium poisoning in Toyama Prefecture. In 1971, he was a key figure in the first major legal victory against industrial polluters in Japan, a case that helped shape the country’s environmental legislation.

During Prime Minister Rahman’s visit to Bangladesh, the aim is to become a “long-term economic partner”. The focus is on several strategic sectors, including energy, information technology, railways, infrastructure and deep-sea ports.

She was eight months old when the atomic bomb destroyed her city. Ten years later, she met the co-pilot of the Enola Gay and realised she no longer wanted revenge. In Milan, she told her story to over 300 young people from Sant’Egidio: “You must know what happened, so that it never happens again”.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the event, the ‘Nagasaki ’45’ pavilion is hosting an exhibition on ‘the legacy’ of Dr Takashi and his wife Midori, a descendant of the hidden Christians who died in the blast. A graphic novel by cartoonist Nathalie Fourmy recounts their story of faith and hope. Paola Marenco: a message that is highly relevant in today’s world.

At the meeting currently taking place in the city of St Francis, the High Priest of Tendai Buddhism, Sugitani Gijun, recalled how, following the example of the initiative launched by John Paul II 40 years ago, leaders of all faiths have also been gathering annually on Mount Hiei since 1987 to perform the same gesture. “Economic and political globalisation is losing momentum; we are continuing the globalisation of religions for peace.”

The Japanese MMX mission is designed to bring samples from one of Mars’ moons back to Earth by 2031, the same year that materials collected on the moon by China’s Tianwen-3 mission are also expected to return. India and South Korea are investing in new technologies, infrastructure, and satellites. The commercial importance of space is growing.

While the overall population continues to decline, the Japanese capital saw a slight reversal. In 2025, 857 more births were reported than in the previous year. Initiatives under consideration include AI-powered matchmaking services and a programme that encourages couples to share their wedding pictures on social media.

About 1.55 million Japanese hold loans with at least three creditors, the greatest number in 12 years. The rising cost of living and wages that fail to keep pace are driving more and more people to go into debt for daily expenses. Online loans are making access to credit easier, while requests for assistance are also on the rise.

KonohaFest, scheduled for 3 and 4 October in a suburb of the city, was targeted. Stalls, games, food and anime character costumes were shut down early. A fundamentalist group vandalised stalls and attacked participants, including families. The government has remained silent.

The 20th edition of the Asian Games is kicking off in Nagoya, Japan, featuring 43 sports and 469 events, including five new disciplines: mixed martial arts, teqball, padel, surfing, and virtual taekwondo. The Games blend tradition with innovation, but an approaching typhoon threatens to disrupt the schedule.

Miruo Nakano, a Buddhist priest from Aichi, Japan, has been combining French songs, “chansons”, with sutras for more than 25 years to convey the value of peace to new generations. A survivor of the bombing of Nagoya, he channels into his singing war memories and the grief of losing his son.

Japanese authorities have asked this city in Ibaraki Prefecture to start a preliminary survey into the feasibility of establishing a nuclear waste site in its territory. The local mayor has expressed support, but some residents have already protested. Only four sites have agreed to submit to the selection process, which is said to take 20 years.