The Japan Times in May 1976 carried news of a riot in which one person died.
Japan Times 1976: Disappointed hot-rod fans kill cameraman
Fifty years ago, a Kobe riot turns deadly; 25 years ago, a dictator’s son slips into Tokyo Disneyland.
The news of Gen. Douglas MacArthur came as a surprise to the Japanese public and was covered from a variety of angles.
Japan Times 1951: Truman ousts Gen. MacArthur
U.S. President Harry Truman dismissed the key player in Japan’s postwar recovery 75 years ago this month.
A portrait of Hiraga Gennai painted by the artist Nakamaru Seijuro in 1886, currently at Waseda University Library in Tokyo.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Mar 23, 2026
An island tale of myth, desire and the wisdom of laughter
A journey from Japan’s oldest myths to Edo eccentric Hiraga Gennai, who discovers the absurdity and humor at life’s core.
The traditional umbrella has played a part in many Japanese tales.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Mar 6, 2026
The long, humble history of the umbrella
From ancient courts to Meiji streets, the umbrella shelters commerce, faith, folly and fragile human longing.
The front page of The Japan Times on March 3, 1976, carries the news of a terrorist attack in Sapporo.
Japan Times 1976: Bomb explosion in Sapporo claims 2 lives, injures 85
A note left after the terrorist attack at a government building cited “imperialists” as the target.
The front page of The Japan Times on Feb. 6, 1976, carried the first of many stories aiming to get to the bottom of the Lockheed bribery scandal.
Japan Times 1976: Lockheed paid Kodama $7 million to win deal
This month 25 and 50 years ago saw the beginnings of stories that would go on to become significant historical moments.
After a busy couple of weeks on the public lecture circuit, German-born physicist Albert Einstein took a few days of relaxation on Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyajima island.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jan 20, 2026
When Einstein came to Hiroshima
Einstein saw Hiroshima before it was history — not a symbol but a place, quiet and charming.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival