News On Japan

Princess Akiko Returns from Bhutan

TOKYO - Princess Akiko of the Mikasa family returned to Japan on Tuesday morning from her visit to Bhutan.

Princess Akiko arrived at Haneda Airport on a commercial flight from Bhutan via Thailand on the morning of the 12th following an informal visit, at the invitation of Princess Kesang Choden of Bhutan, a cousin of King Jigme Khesar. Princess Akiko departed Japan on the 5th and paid a courtesy visit to King Jigme Khesar on the 9th.

The meeting was shared on social media by the King, who posted photos of the occasion.

During her visit, Princess Akiko traveled to the capital Thimphu, Paro, and Punakha, where she visited a restoration center for Tibetan Buddhist art, as well as temples and museums.

This was Princess Akiko's first visit to Bhutan. She had met with Princess Kesang Choden, who is dedicated to the preservation of Buddhist art, last year in Kyoto, where they had the opportunity to exchange views on the traditional cultures of their respective countries.

Source: 日テレNEWS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 25 had left four people dead and six others missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures by September 22, as the storm moved away from Japan and the extent of flooding and landslide damage across the Kanto region became clearer.

Transport disruption from Typhoon No. 25 continued across Chiba Prefecture on September 22 even as flights and major highways returned toward normal, with entire sections of the JR network remaining suspended for the day and all Narita Express services canceled because of flooding, landslides and damage to railway infrastructure.

Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

Japan's Asian Games campaign continued across a packed Day 4 schedule on September 22, with the women's badminton team securing another medal, the women's basketball team completing an unbeaten group stage, and Japan adding a historic bronze medal in mixed air rifle shooting as several of the host nation's biggest medal opportunities moved into the evening.

Japan collected another 12 medals on Day 3 of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 21, with 17-year-old swimmer Shin Ohashi and karateka Kakeru Nishiyama winning gold, while the host nation also advanced strongly in women's volleyball, baseball, soccer, handball and hockey.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

People aged 65 and older accounted for a record 29.6% of Japan's population in 2026, the highest proportion among major countries worldwide, while the number of elderly people in employment also reached an all-time high as Japan marked Respect for the Aged Day on September 21.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture on September 20, touring exhibits that recreate famous scenes from Studio Ghibli films and posing for a photograph with the character No-Face.

Police in Kanagawa Prefecture have rearrested four teenagers on suspicion of murdering a 17-year-old high school student who died after being assaulted in Sagamihara in August.

Drinking parties remain a lively part of social life in Kansai even as younger generations increasingly turn away from alcohol and izakaya bankruptcies rise at a record pace, with customers describing the gatherings less as occasions to drink heavily and more as opportunities to maintain friendships, meet new people and build connections across generations.

Anonymous and fluid criminal groups known in Japan as "tokuryu" are adopting increasingly elaborate tactics, including a scheme in which elderly victims are persuaded to hide cash inside refrigerators before thieves enter their homes, as authorities struggle to combat networks whose members often have no direct contact with one another.

A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men.

Copper roofing has been stripped from Shinano-no-miya Shrine in Oshika Village, Nagano Prefecture, leaving the wooden structure exposed in the latest of a series of similar thefts reported at shrines across the prefecture.

A popular Tokyo nightclub hostess and influencer known as Yamatorino, who says she generated more than 200 million yen in sales during a single month, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine with her boyfriend at their home in Roppongi.