The Yen’s
3% Rebellion
The yen surged from near ¥164 to ¥158.34 per dollar as traders pointed to official intervention. We examine the BOJ’s policy decision, the limits of currency defense and the history stretching back to the postwar ¥360 rate. Today’s edition includes ten new reports, four selected stories from July 31 and Tsuchiya Koitsu’s Summer Moon at Miyajima.
Four Stories to Read First
Yen and BOJ, intelligence reform, Hayabusa2, school shelters
Four Selected From July 31
Kumamoto rescue, typhoon, population, minimum wage
Today’s News: 14 Stories
10 new reports + 4 selected from July 31
The Yen’s 3% Rebellion: Intervention Shock Meets the BOJ’s Credibility Test
The yen surged from near 164 to 158.34 per dollar. We examine the suspected intervention, the BOJ decision and the yen’s history since the postwar ¥360 rate.
Japan’s New Intelligence Brain: What the 700-Person Bureau Can—and Cannot—Do
Japan launches a roughly 700-person National Intelligence Bureau and begins work on its first national intelligence strategy. A deep look at its powers, limits and democratic test.
Threading the Needle at 18,000 km/h: Hayabusa2’s 400-Meter Torifune Flyby
JAXA’s Hayabusa2 passed about 400 meters above asteroid Torifune, setting a solar-system flyby record and demonstrating precision navigation for planetary defense.
The Gym That Becomes a Lifeboat: Two-Thirds of Japan’s School Shelters Still Have No Air Conditioning
Japan has cooled almost every public-school classroom, but 66.9% of elementary and junior-high gym buildings designated as disaster shelters still lack air conditioning.
The Moment a Bubble Chooses a Side: RIKEN Rebuilds the Mechanics of Cellular Shape
RIKEN and Purdue researchers recreated spontaneous membrane blebbing in cell-sized liposomes, revealing three physical controls over cellular shape and polarity.
A Pipeline Through Memory: Fukushima’s Fourth FY2026 Treated-Water Release Begins
TEPCO has begun Fukushima Daiichi’s fourth ALPS-treated-water discharge of fiscal 2026, a monitored 7,800-cubic-meter batch carrying the history of the 2011 disaster into the Pacific.
The Stage Crosses the Sea: Kabuki’s New Global Life in Cinemas, Workshops and Streams
The Japan Foundation is carrying Kabuki to seven countries and streaming seven performances in 119 countries—a new digital chapter in the theatre’s 400-year history.
Beyond the Golden Route: How L’évo and 29 Regional Pioneers Are Redrawing Japan’s Travel Map
L’évo in mountain Toyama wins the top honor in the first Forbes JAPAN Destinations of the Year, leading 30 regional ventures that ask tourism to preserve more than it consumes.
The Price Is Not the Company: Japan Rewrites the Boardroom Test for Takeovers
METI says boards need not automatically endorse the highest takeover bid—but every departure from price must be tested against cash flows, risk and a credible standalone plan.
When the City Becomes the Gallery: Maebashi’s 500-Meter Experiment
Maebashi’s first international art festival will turn a compact downtown into an 80-day exhibition—and test whether culture can leave a shrinking city more inhabited.
Kumamoto After a Second Night: Rescue Stops With Every Aftershock, Then Begins Again
Rescuers pushed through a second night at a paper mill, commercial sites and damaged homes, withdrawing with each aftershock and returning when conditions allowed.
Powerful Typhoon Dolphin Turns West: How to Read the Forecast for Japan
The rapidly intensifying storm threatens the Ogasawara region and could affect western Japan, but the forecast still contains major uncertainty.
The Same 120 Million, Moving in Opposite Directions: Japan Crosses a Demographic Boundary
Japan’s citizen population has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, while the foreign-resident population has reached a record.
The ¥55-an-Hour Line: Japan’s Minimum-Wage Benchmark Rises to ¥1,176
The national council recommended a ¥55 increase in the weighted-average minimum wage, lifting the benchmark to ¥1,176 per hour.
15. Today’s Art Choice
Tsuchiya Koitsu / Shin-hanga / Miyajima
The Moon Is Printed in Layers: Tsuchiya Koitsu’s Miyajima Nocturne
Tsuchiya Koitsu’s 1936 Summer Moon at Miyajima turns an ancient shrine and famous tourist view into a masterclass in printed darkness, layered light and modern shin-hanga collaboration. We trace the image’s depth through the work of artist, publisher, carver and printer.
Read the Art Choice →