Hikikomori is a dark term that describes people who stay holed up in their homes, or even just their bedrooms, isolated from everyone except their family, for many months or years. The phenomenon has captured the popular imagination with many articles appearing in the mainstream media in recent years, but, surprisingly, it isn’t well understood by psychologists.

Luckily, the days of needing to memorize phone numbers are over.

During the week of April 22, Switch and PlayStation 4 sales were extremely close in Japan. The two were at 8,042,166 units and 8,047,754 units sold respectively. Now that the latest data from Japan (via Famitsu) has come in, we can now say that Switch has reached another major milestone.

This week, Japanese railway company JR East showed off its new Alfa-X, a high-speed bullet train that is designed to achieve a top speed of 400kph, or 249mph, which would make it the fastest commercial train in the world. In day-to-day operations, the train would shuttle passengers at 360kph, or roughly 224mph.

As Japan celebrates a new emperor, a dwindling band of republicans renew their demand for change. By Nopporn Wong-Anan.

Japan will develop its first-ever computer virus by next March as a defense measure against cyberattacks, sources have said. The Defense Ministry is considering malware that can break into a computer system, hoping such a computer virus could work as a deterrent against cyberattacks, the sources said Monday.

Rakuten is considered the Amazon of Japan - like Amazon they started in the 1990's and have grown to dominate their countries online retail sales to become the #1 e-commerce site in Japan and among the world's largest by sales. They've just announced their plans to launch a new cryptocurrency exchange, Rakuten Wallet, along with plans to make using and spending cryptocurrency easier for the average Japanese consumer.

Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe has successfully created a man-made crater on an asteroid that altered the body's terrain in a historical first, the country's space agency said Thursday.

Twenty-five-year-old Sotaro Ito lives in a 9.46-square-meter apartment with a loft in the capital's retro-hip Koenji district...

Japan has an increasing percentage of young adults with no history of heterosexual vaginal intercourse. Public health experts at the University of Tokyo completed the most detailed analysis of national fertility survey data to date to understand trends in sexual experience over the past three decades. "Previous news reports about virginity rates among Japanese young adults were a bit sensationalist, only included never-married individuals, and did not distinguish virginity rates by age group," said Dr. Peter Ueda, an expert in epidemiology and public health and leader of the research project.

Fresh-faced 2-D spokesmodels follow years of anime girl recruitment posters. This brings a whole new dimension to War Games.

Japan's space agency wants to create a moon base with the help of robots that can work autonomously, with little human supervision. The project, which has racked up three years of research so far, is a collaboration between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the construction company Kajima Corp., and three Japanese universities: Shibaura Institute of Technology, The University of Electro-Communications and Kyoto University.

In the early morning of April 5th, Japan's spacecraft "Hayabusa2" detonated plastic explosives that were carefully placed on the surface of an asteroid. The goal was not to annihilate the asteroid but rather to help the scientists to collect new data to further the study. The researchers watched it happen from the mission control center located in Sagamihara, Japan. As the Hayabusa2 carefully carried out the project they called the Small Carry-on Impactor, the researchers were quietly observing from the station, looking very happy about how it was slowly unfolding.

Japan's space agency said an explosive dropped Friday from its Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully blasted the surface of an asteroid for the first time to form a crater and pave the way for the collection of underground samples for possible clues to the origin of the solar system. Friday's mission was the riskiest for Hayabusa2 because it had to immediately move away so it wouldn't get hit by flying shards from the blast.

Scientists hope samples from Hayabusa 2 will provide clues about origins of life on Earth

Japan’s environment minister has announced he will “in principle” oppose any new plans to build or expand coal-fired power stations, as further signs emerge of a dramatic energy pivot by Australia’s top export market for thermal coal. Guardian Australia reported in March that Japan had cancelled a large percentage of planned investments in coal-fired power, while Japanese investment vehicles were ditching coal projects and instead seeking to back large-scale renewable projects across Asia.

Japan Railways Group, the biggest railway and subway operator in Japan that is used by millions of Japanese individuals on a daily basis, is considering the integration of crypto assets like bitcoin as a payment option. According to ANN News, a mainstream commercial television news network in Japan run by TV Asahi Corporation, JR Group is currently planning to establish a cryptocurrency company, possibly an exchange in partnership with a major bank, to integrate cryptocurrencies.

Have you ever eaten wasabi? If you answered “yes” to that question, you are likely mistaken. Most sushi eaters—even in Japan—are actually being served a mixture of ground horseradish and green food coloring splashed with a hint of Chinese mustard. Worldwide, experts believe that this imposter combination masquerades as wasabi about 99% of the time.

New data shows Japanese citizens prefer whale watching to whale meat.

Japan is rethinking society for its growing old-age population, with specially-designed housing and jobs that can be shared.