Yumi Asada - News Producer
Yumi Asada
News Producer
Latest
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Japan’s Takaichi secures historic supermajority in landslide election victoryFeb 9, 2026Japan’s conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi swept to a landslide victory in a snap election on Sunday, marking a historic turnaround for her party, which had been hemorrhaging voter support in recent years — until she stepped to the helm. -
Drumstick diplomacy for Japan and South Korea as leaders bang out K-pop hitsJan 16, 2026The leaders of Japan and South Korea staged a surprise drum session on their first day of talks in Japan, smashing out K-pop hits in a loud and unconventional display of diplomacy between a self-confessed metalhead and an aspiring novice. -
Japan’s prime minister joins female lawmakers in fight for more toilets in parliamentJan 1, 2026Japan’s prime minister has joined more than 50 of her fellow female legislators to push for more ladies’ toilets in parliament, saying recent increases in women’s representation have led to long queues for the bathroom. -
Why the weirdest sea level changes on Earth are happening off the coast of JapanDec 22, 2025In recent years, a major ocean current changed its path in two crucial ways. Now parts of the sea are rising, other parts are falling, ocean temperatures are breaking records — and Japan’s iconic fishing industry is in trouble. -
‘On bear patrol’: Inside Japan’s fightback against a surge of deadly bear attacksDec 11, 2025A surge of bear attacks in Japan has sparked alarm, with some hunters saying the situation is reaching emergency levels -
Japan rattled by 7.5-magnitude earthquake, authorities warn of aftershocksDec 9, 2025A magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast on Monday, injuring more than two dozen people and prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people. -
Bear enters Japanese supermarket, pounces on customer, as nationwide toll reaches new highOct 8, 2025A bear rampaged through the sushi section of a supermarket in central Japan Tuesday, the latest in a series of attacks that have pushed this year’s death toll to a record high. -
Hackers halt production at Japan’s biggest brewerSep 30, 2025Japan’s biggest beer maker Asahi Group says it has suspended orders and shipping services in the country after a cyberattack brought its production operations to a standstill. -
AI have a dream? A fringe party in Japan wants a chatbot penguin to be its leaderSep 19, 2025After years of threatening to upend industries around the world, artificial intelligence could soon enter the corridors of power, if a fringe political party in Japan gets its way. -
Japan’s panda capital is losing its pandas. What comes next?Jul 10, 2025Pandas have fueled the Japanese town of Shirahama’s tourism industry for decades. But the town’s zoo has to send its last four bears to China ahead of an expiring lease, plunging the future of Japan’s “panda town” into limbo. -
US Marine sentenced to 7 years over sexual assault in JapanJun 25, 2025A US Marine has been sentenced to seven years in prison, after he was convicted of strangling and sexually assaulting a woman in Okinawa last May, a Japanese district court told CNN. -
• Video 1:00Video Food tech entrepreneur talks about the need for innovation 1:00May 23, 2025SusHi Tech Tokyo, one of the Asia’s largest startup conferences, is a gathering of entrepreneurs and investors from around the world. Oishii CEO Hiroki Koga speaks to CNN about the importance of technological innovation. -
A sinkhole swallowed a truck driver in Japan. It’s expanding and residents are worriedJan 31, 2025Japanese authorities have asked hundreds of residents near Tokyo to evacuate as a sinkhole at an intersection grew to more than 40 meters wide, hampering rescuers racing to reach an elderly truck driver whose vehicle was swallowed by the hole. -
Death sentence for Chinese knife attacker who stabbed Japanese mother, childJan 24, 2025A Chinese man who carried out a knife attack in eastern China last June that wounded a Japanese woman and her child and killed a bus attendant trying to protect them has been sentenced to death, according to a Japanese official. -
Japan’s scenic hot springs town restricting tourists amid fights over the best photo spotsDec 27, 2024Ginzan Onsen, a popular Japanese hot spring town known for its scenic snowy views, has begun limiting entry to day trippers during winter peak season. -
Tokyo government gives workers 4-day workweek to boost fertility, family timeDec 6, 2024The Japanese capital is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees, in its latest push to help working mothers and boost record-low fertility rates.
About
Yumi Asada is a Field Producer for CNN, based in Tokyo, responsible for breaking news coverage and producing key stories in the region for TV news, digital, social channels and feature shows.
She has covered a range of subjects; from politics to social issues, including U.S.-Japan relations, political instability in Japan, demographic crisis and the world’s longest serving death row inmate, now acquitted.
Asada has a passion for photography and frequently contributes images to digital stories.
Before joining CNN, Asada was a producer for Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Tokyo bureau for over 20 years. She has produced TV, radio news and current affairs programs, and covered major news events such as the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
She has also co-produced several documentaries such as Japan’s new frontline in Okinawa, Japan’s loneliness epidemic and female sumo wrestlers challenging traditions surrounding the ancient sport. She has received several awards including the New York Festivals International Film & Television Awards for Japan’s child abduction issue and Australia’s Eureka Environmental Journalism prize for investigating Japan’s whaling industry.
Asada graduated from Doshisha University in Kyoto and studied International Relations at University of California, Santa Cruz.
