On July 25, 2026, Toei Animation announced a new Galaxy Express 999 theatrical anime, with Rintaro (director of the 1979 film) drafting the story. Toei named no title, no release date and no director. Here is what the announcement actually says, and where fans outside Japan can watch the 1979 original in the meantime.
Stories our editors think you shouldn’t miss — hand-picked from our recent coverage.
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Imabari Shipbuilding posted 600.5 billion yen in fiscal 2025, and with Japan Marine United the group now sits at roughly 1 trillion yen, about $6.1 billion. The bigger news of July 23 was a deleted clause: LNG carriers are back in scope.
On July 24, 2026, Japan's chief cabinet secretary told ministers to speed up work on rules for foreign land purchases. Summer was already three-quarters gone. Meanwhile 20 to 40 percent of new apartments in three central Tokyo wards go to foreign buyers, the developers' association gave 40 million yen to the ruling party's funding body, and Japan holds no WTO reservation on land.
Japan's first Formula E night race had Nissan racing as a works team and Yamaha building the powertrain inside another team's car. Those roles are converging.
Famitsu's 40th-anniversary Miyamoto interview, read whole: Nintendo has been feeling like a preservation society, and film scripts now drive the release calendar.
NEC and Keio AI Center have developed a technique that turns ordinary smartphone video into a high-fidelity 3D model in as little as one minute. By pairing Gaussian splatting with its own AI, NEC cut generation time to one-tenth and taught the system to erase workers caught on camera. Commercial launch is targeted within fiscal 2027.
Tier IV, the company behind open-source self-driving stack Autoware, listed in Tokyo on July 22, 2026 and opened 7% below its offer price. How do you monetize software you give away?
Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island opened in Japan on July 24, 2026. One Tokyo multiplex gave it all ten screens and 41 showings, with 32 near sold out by 7 a.m. Why this cute-but-brutal series travels, and what fans abroad can actually get.
The July 2026 Henley Passport Index puts Japan second with visa-free access to 188 destinations, four behind Singapore. What that number is made of, why Japan waives visas for only 74 countries in return, and why just 17.8% of Japanese hold a passport.
On June 24, 2026, the UN's WP.29 forum adopted the first international standard covering Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems, with Japan serving as a co-chair. It takes effect around January 2027. Here is what the rules actually require, how much Japan really led, and why the US and China are not bound by them.
The complete NISA guide for foreign residents in Japan. 7 in-depth articles covering account setup, fund selection, departure procedures, iDeCo comparison, and home-country tax obligations. Includes US citizen PFIC guidance and strategies by length of stay.
02The most comprehensive English-language guide to Japan's health insurance system for foreign residents. Our 9-article series covers NHI, Shakai Hoken, private insurance, the 2027 visa renewal rule, My Number Card transition, how to see a doctor, insurance costs, maternity benefits, and what happens when you leave Japan. Everything you need to navigate healthcare in Japan — in one place.
03The complete pension guide for foreign residents in Japan. 3 in-depth articles covering the National and Employee's Pension systems, lump-sum withdrawal payments when leaving Japan, and social security agreements with 24 countries. Updated for the 2025 pension reform and the 2027 visa-renewal compliance rule.
