The Japan Times Archives

From wartime to the Occupation

During World War II, as The Japan Times reported on the unfolding events under strict censorship, it was hard to detect from daily headlines that Japan was losing the war. Under pressure from the military, the newspaper's name was changed to The Nippon Times on Jan. 1, 1941.

Outbreak of the Pacific War (Dec. 8, 1941)

To capture the major significance of this event in a proper headline typeface, the JT editor-in-charge at the time resorted to a wooden typeface used for advertising. This typeface, which only had 1 block per character and, as such, letters could not be used twice, resulted in this historic headline.

MacArthur Special(Aug. 3, 1946)

Following the war's end and during the Occupation, the coverage of Gen. Douglas MacArthur words and actions increased

Postwar Japan

In 1952, Japan regained sovereignty, and in 1956, the paper's name reverted back to The Japan Times. In times of accelerated economic growth, the paper's pages during the 1960s carried a large amount of economy-related content.
Today, The Japan Times is not only delivered as a printed newspaper, but also in real-time via our website and numerous social media channels.

Suicide of novelist Yukio Mishima(Nov. 26, 1970)

Yukio Mishima, an internationally renowned author, called on 1,000 members of the SDF to join him in an uprising to revise the Japanese constitution. Failing in his mission, he shocked the nation by committing suicide on the roof of the Eastern headquarters of the Self-Defense Forces.

Obama visits Hiroshima(May 28, 2016)

Barack Obama made history as the first sitting American president to visit Hiroshima.

Life & Culture

The Japan Times has presented a wide range of Japanese culture-related special features covering areas such as contemporary Japanese film and music, as well as more traditional aspects of Japanese culture, such as kabuki, ukiyo-e and the tea ceremony.
Although in its early days, The Japan Times was often introducing local culture to foreign readers for the first time, more recently, its features acknowledge a familiarity with Japan's customs and arts. Ryuichi Sakamoto and Perfume are among the globally recognized trail-blazers that The Japan Times has interviewed.

Onoe Kikugoro VI (Dec. 27, 1931)

In a special photo issue published in December 1931, a full-page photo is carried of the kabuki actor, the Onoe Kikugoro VI.

Interview with Yayoi Kusama (March 7, 2004)

Many now-famous Japanese artists have gained recognition in Japan after attracting overseas attention. Yayoi Kusama is one such artist.

Natural Disasters

The Japan Times has been a valuable source of essential information for the foreign community during natural disasters such as earthquakes. Soon after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, a staff writer typed a special bulletin for foreign visitors who had been evacuated to the Imperial Hotel, which was, at the time, across the street from The Japan Times headquarters. Similarly, following the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, disaster relief information was published for foreign residents. When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Tohoku region in 2011,The Japan Times utilized its digital presence to convey up-to-the minute information and the real voice of the people in the disaster-hit areas

Extra on the Great Kanto Earthquake (September 7, 1923)

Special Edition on the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 13, 2011)

Others

Unrealized 1940 Tokyo Summer OIympics (Sept. 12, 1936)

The 1940 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in Tokyo, but they were canceled after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. It would not be until 24 years later that the Olympics were held in Tokyo.

New discoveries: English translations of Eiji Yoshikawa during wartime

It had been known that the first English translations of Eiji Yoshikawa's work appeared in 1956. However, it was recently discovered that The Japan Times carried a series of the English translation of“Shinpen Chushingura”by Yoshikawa, titled“The Vendetta of Ako,”between 1942 and 1943. The story was a fictional account of a real-life band of samurai who avenged the death of their master.