Nippon Steel is projecting a larger net loss than previously expected for the fiscal year through next month due partly to a fire that broke out at a plant in Muroran, Hokkaido, last December. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/06/companies/nippon-steel-net-loss/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #nipponsteel #us #steel #hokkaido #china
A month of heavy snowfall has revived Japan’s ski resorts after a slow start to the season, drawing renewed interest from Americans and other overseas visitors in search of fresh powder. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/ski-season-heavy-snow-visitors/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #snow #tourism #wintersports #hokkaido #meteorologicalagency #niseko #hakuba #us
Japan’s Winter Olympic team may compete under one flag, but it reflects a surprisingly wide mix of climates, regions and hometown cultures. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/olympics/2026/02/04/japan-olympic-athlete-regions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #olympics #2026milanocortinaolympics #teamjapan #hokkaido #niigata #nagano #aichi #miyagi
A popular annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo on Wednesday, showcasing 210 ice and snow sculptures across three venues. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/sapporo-snow-festival/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sapporo #hokkaido #snow #tourism #festivals
Electoral candidates in a Hokkaido district are braving the cold to get their messages out before the Feb. 8 election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/japan/politics/hokkaido-4-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #ldp #sanseito #cdp #komeito #hokkaido #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #nuclearenergy #energy #restarts
More than 2 million visitors are set to descend on Hokkaido’s capital for the Sapporo Snow Festival. Here’s how to enjoy the wintry event like a local. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/01/31/sapporo-snow-festival-2026-guide/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #sapporo #snowfestival #hokkaido
Heavy snowfall across northern Japan and the Sea of Japan coast continued to disrupt transportation on Monday, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/japan-snow-cold-front/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #snow #hokkaido #sapporo #aomori #niigata #rail
Residents in Hokkaido appear to be pushing back against a controversial megasolar project near the Kushiro Wetlands by donating land to a local environmental trust. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/kushiro-donation-megasolar/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hokkaido #kushiro #animals #birds #energy #endangered #environment #renewables #solar #wetlands
The Sea of Japan coast is in the middle of peak snowstorm season, but these tweaks to your wardrobe, home and more can keep you cozy until spring. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/01/22/lifestyle/snow-winter-cold-preparation-tips/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #lifestyle #snow #clothing #hokkaido #seaofjapan
Candidates in Hokkaido for the snap election set for Feb. 8 will have to brave subfreezing temperatures to campaign, while a snowstorm on election day could mean a low voter turnout. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/japan/politics/snow-election-hokkaido/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #hokkaido #sapporo #2026lowerhouseelection
The Sea of Japan side of Honshu is likely to be hit by heavy snowfall, while Hokkaido and parts of Japan’s Pacific coast could also be affected. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/japan/science-health/snow-sea-japan-honshu-hokkaido/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #hokkaido #snow #tohoku #honshu #chugoku #hokuriku #niigata
The probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8-8.5 occurring along the Chishima Trench off the city of Nemuro in Hokkaido within 30 years has risen to around 90%, according to a Japanese government panel. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/megaquake-probability-nemuro/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #earthquakes #disasterpreparedness #hokkaido #nemuro #notopeninsula
Police have arrested the operator of a bar in a town in Hokkaido after the body of a woman who had been reported missing on Dec. 31 was discovered inside the establishment’s wall. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/13/japan/crime-legal/hokkaido-hidaka-murder/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #hokkaido #hidaka #disappearance
A Sapporo court on Friday ordered the government to pay ¥1.1 million in damages to the mother of a Ground Self-Defense Force member who died by suicide in 2012. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/09/japan/crime-legal/sdf-government-lawsuit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #sdf #gsdf #bullying #hokkaido #japanesecourts #suicide
With only about 1,000 Dosanko Japanese horses to be found in Japan, a horse park in Osaka Prefecture is protecting and raising the breed while letting visitors experience riding them. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/08/japan/horse-park-protection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #osaka #animals #horses #hokkaido
Japan is set to begin another round of screening for locations seeking to develop integrated resorts including casinos, following Osaka’s approval in 2023. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/29/japan/new-casino-resort-site-selection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #casinos #tourism #osaka #hokkaido #tokyo #localgovernment
A 5-year-old boy has died after becoming trapped in an escalator at a ski resort in Otaru in Hokkaido. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/29/japan/hokkaido-ski-resort-boy-death/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #ski #hokkaido #otaru #japanesepolice
The United States has informed Japan of its hope to additionally use heavy weapons, such as antitank missiles and rocket launchers, in training at Ground Self-Defense Force firing ranges. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/us-heavy-weapons-use-gsdf/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #us #usjapanrelations #okinawa #gsdf #defense #rockets #missiles #defenseministry #hokkaido #miyagi #yamanashi #shizuoka #oita
Local governments and fishery operators in Japan have sprung into action after lush seaweed and seagrass beds throughout the country turned barren. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/22/japan/japan-seaweed-forests-conservation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #fish #fishing #oceans #climatechange #hokkaido #chiba #kanagawa
Japan has lifted a special advisory for further earthquakes and tsunamis in the Hokkaido and Sanriku coastal areas, though people are still urged to maintain vigilance in the wake of Dec. 8’s magnitude 7.5 temblor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/16/japan/japan-quake-advisory-lifted/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #earthquakes #meteorologicalagency #geology #tohoku #hokkaido