A commercial for the "Horiemon AI School" began airing nationwide in taxis on May 20th, as part of a promotional push ahead of the upcoming AI Utilization EXPO.

Japan has traditionally not practiced tipping, but signs of change are emerging amid an unprecedented boom in inbound tourism.

A growing number of credit card fraud cases in Japan has been linked to a shadowy underground labor network, where Chinese nationals are suspected of stealing Japanese consumers' card data.

There has been a major development in the so-called "Trump tariffs" negotiations, in which Japan is also involved. The United States and China, which had been imposing more than 100% tariffs on each other, agreed on May 12th to reduce those tariffs by 115%.

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced has that the Kuroshio Large Meander, a phenomenon that has lasted for 7 years and 9 months, is expected to come to an end. The agency is urging people to stay updated, noting that changes in the Kuroshio Current may affect both fish species and fishing grounds.

Greater Bay Airlines, which resumed regular flights between Sendai and Hong Kong last December for the first time in 13 years, currently operates four round trips per week. However, starting this week and continuing through the end of October, the airline will reduce that to three weekly round trips due to declining travel demand. The number of flights to Tokushima will also be cut. What is behind this sudden downturn?

Nissan Motor has decided to cut nearly 20,000 jobs globally as it struggles with worsening business performance.

A growing number of people report experiencing physical and mental fatigue after Japan's Golden Week holiday, a phenomenon often referred to as "May sickness."

A 30-year-old Vietnamese man has been arrested for allegedly stealing 22 high-end bonsai trees worth a total of 670,000 yen from a garden center in Akishima, Tokyo.

AI is beginning to transform how people shop online, with a growing number of users turning to tools like ChatGPT instead of traditional search engines such as Google. According to e-commerce consultant Tomoyuki Mochizuki, this trend is especially noticeable among younger consumers in Japan.

The current global standard for measuring time is based on the oscillation of cesium atoms. Its margin of error—just one second every 60 million years—might seem sufficiently precise, but for one Japanese physicist, it is not enough.

Japan recorded a current account surplus of 30.3771 trillion yen in fiscal 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance, continuing a long-standing trend of strong income from trade and overseas investment.

Today, we travel through Japan’s mountains to experience spring at its most iconic site, Mount Fuji, and its stunning surroundings! From local food to scenic views—all in a 2-day journey. (Solo Solo Travel)

A civic group based in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, that collects and analyzes footage from the Pacific War, released 15 pieces of rare video to the press on May 10th. The footage includes scenes of kamikaze aircraft crashing into a U.S. aircraft carrier, as well as aerial shots of Japanese villages attacked by American forces.

While most groping incidents in Japan occur on crowded trains, recent reports indicate that live music venues are also becoming hotspots for these crimes.

The Kanda Festival, one of Edo’s three great festivals, reached its peak on May 11th as more than 200 mikoshi paraded through the streets of central Tokyo before converging on Kanda Myojin Shrine.

Toyota Motor announced on May 8th its earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2026, projecting a 1.0% year-on-year increase in revenue to 48.5 trillion yen, but a 34.9% decline in net profit to 3.1 trillion yen.

Nagoya is on the verge of a major transformation. Over the next decade, the cityscape is expected to undergo a dramatic shift as large-scale redevelopment projects reshape its urban core. The focus is on three key districts—Meieki, Sakae, and Kanayama—each developing in a way that highlights its own unique strengths.

An 86-year-old man was arrested for attempting to burglarize an apartment shortly after his release from prison, admitting he had spent 200,000 yen on horse racing the same day he was freed.

The Tokyo District Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former vice president of Nihon University who sought damages over alleged power harassment by board chairperson Mariko Hayashi in the wake of a drug scandal involving the university’s American football team. The court ruled on May 9th that Hayashi’s conduct did not constitute power harassment.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, who is set to retire in June, gave an interview in Tokyo on May 8th, where he expressed a positive stance toward Japan’s potential bid to host future Olympic Games, saying such a move would be "highly welcomed" if the conditions are right.

Scholars affiliated with the Science Council of Japan formed a symbolic human chain in front of the National Diet building on May 8th, calling for revisions to the government’s proposed reform bill targeting the council’s structure, as deliberations enter their final phase in the Diet.

Panasonic Holdings announced on May 9th that it will cut around 10,000 jobs globally as part of a major restructuring effort aimed at strengthening its management foundation for long-term growth.

The Japanese government’s long-anticipated pension reform plan is at risk of being significantly watered down, as the core proposal to raise the basic pension appears to have been dropped from the bill currently under deliberation in the National Diet.

As NTT Docomo and KDDI move to raise their mobile phone fees, SoftBank has also revealed it is considering a similar hike.