The Japanese government has unveiled a draft target to replace between two and five nuclear reactors by the 2040s, marking the first time numerical goals for nuclear power development have been presented since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster 15 years ago.
A bear that injured four people in Fukushima City escaped despite efforts to capture it using tranquilizer darts and box traps, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain on high alert.
Bear-related incidents have occurred in quick succession in Fukushima and Akita prefectures, leaving four people injured in Fukushima while authorities in Akita are investigating a suspected fatal bear attack involving a woman in her 70s.
Security camera footage recorded at a factory around 6:30 a.m. on June 2nd showed a bear attacking and chasing an employee in Fukushima City before the animal went on to injure four people in industrial and residential areas and retreat to a factory site where authorities believe it remains.
A fire has destroyed Sasamasamune Brewery, a historic sake producer in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, leaving the future of the nearly 200-year-old business uncertain after large quantities of sake and brewing rice were lost in the blaze.
More than 400 flights were canceled across Japan on June 1st as Typhoon No. 6 battered Okinawa, shutting down airports, suspending public transportation, and prompting warnings that rail and air travel disruptions could spread to western Japan in the coming days. More than 130 cancellations have already been announced by JAL and ANA for June 2nd.
A large solar power facility built on a mountainside in Fukushima City is generating reflected sunlight for far longer than originally projected, with a city survey finding that glare at some locations lasted up to 53 minutes per day—more than ten times the maximum duration predicted by the operator.
A runaway horse collided with spectators during the traditional Soma Nomaoi festival in Fukushima Prefecture on May 24th, injuring six people, after the rider fell off during the race, causing the animal to bolt into the crowd.
Wakatakakage completed a remarkable comeback from major knee surgery and a fall to the lower divisions by winning his second top-division championship at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 24th, ending a 25-tournament wait for another Emperor's Cup.
Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.
Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.
Police searched the offices of a bus company on May 8th following a crash on the Banetsu Expressway in Fukushima Prefecture on May 6th that left one high school student dead and 20 others injured, with the driver of the microbus claiming he was not asleep at the wheel.
A steam leak was detected early on May 8th at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant's Unit 3 in Fukui Prefecture, prompting Kansai Electric Power to manually shut down the reactor.
Hokkaido Electric Power Co. said the restart of its Tomari nuclear power plant may be delayed from its original schedule after announcing on April 28 that completion of a seawall under construction at the plant is now expected to be around four months later than the initial target of three years from now.
Bear sightings are surging across northeastern Japan in an unusually early spring trend, prompting the fastest issuance on record of bear alerts in multiple prefectures including Aomori and Iwate. Incidents have already left a police officer seriously injured and a member of the Self-Defense Forces attacked.
Japan's weather agency and the Cabinet Office issued a 'Hokkaido-Sanriku Offshore Subsequent Earthquake Advisory' after an earthquake measuring upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck off Sanriku.
A bus carrying riot police from Nara overturned on the Joban Expressway around noon on April 5th in Ibaraki Prefecture while en route to Fukushima to provide security for an upcoming visit by the Emperor and Empress, leaving one officer with minor injuries.
The Hokkaido Shinkansen marked its 10th anniversary on March 26, as a town in southern Hokkaido known for its deep ties to tunnel construction put forward a bold proposal to build a second undersea tunnel to help achieve faster travel between Sapporo and Tokyo.
A final screening and award ceremony for the talent discovery audition Bishoujo Zukan AWARD 2026, known for launching actors such as Maika Yamamoto and Hinako Sakurai, was held in Tokyo on March 21st, where Ayano Enomoto, a 14-year-old second-year junior high school student from Fukushima and a member of the local idol group my coffret, was selected as the grand prize winner.
Authorities in Matsumae Town in southern Hokkaido conducted a brown bear response drill on March 18th, simulating a scenario in which a bear wanders into a residential area, as police, firefighters and local hunters worked together to confirm coordination procedures and response steps.
More than a decade after the nuclear disaster forced all residents of Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture to evacuate, solar panels are now spreading across the town, creating both opportunities and unease as reconstruction tax incentives attract energy projects to the area.
We are heading to a traditional Japanese onsen ryokan, deep in the snowy mountains.
Ski resorts in Japan are experimenting with sharply contrasting pricing strategies—from free weekday lift tickets to premium passes costing 33,000 yen—in an effort to revive a declining ski population and stimulate local economies, as operators seek new ways to attract visitors amid rising costs.
Tokyo Electric Power announced that it has restarted the reactor at Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, which had been halted shortly after its initial restart due to equipment problems.
With eight days remaining until votes are cast in the House of Representatives election, concerns are mounting over future strains on Japan’s power supply, prompting renewed attention to how political parties position their energy policies, particularly on nuclear power.