Japan's environment and weather authorities have issued heatstroke alerts for a record 19 prefectures for July 15, warning that dangerous heat is expected to create an extremely high risk of heatstroke, including the first such alerts this year for the Kanto region.
Japan’s political agenda on June 29 centered on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s attempt to connect economic growth, national security and technological resilience, as the government moved toward a long-term economic blueprint while also responding to China’s expanded export controls and preparing a revision of Japan’s Arctic policy.
Artificial intelligence is being rapidly adopted by local governments across Tokyo, with municipalities using the technology for crime prevention, public services, and disaster management.
A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.
Japan's public bathhouse industry is being reshaped by the sauna boom, with a growing number of "next-generation bathhouses" succeeding in tripling customer spending and returning to profitability even as many traditional neighborhood bathhouses struggle with rising costs and aging facilities.
A medium poodle named Rokuta, a member of Hiroshima's Wanpato Squad neighborhood patrol program, and his owner, Eri Toya, have received a letter of appreciation after helping locate a missing elderly woman in Fuchu Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, while on a routine patrol walk.
As Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) struck Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd, the storm became the first major test of Japan's newly introduced disaster weather warning system, revealing both the benefits of earlier evacuation calls and the challenges local authorities faced in helping residents understand and respond to the new alerts.
Japan is facing a growing transportation dilemma. While a record number of foreign visitors in 2025 has fueled congestion and traffic jams in major cities and tourist destinations, many rural communities are grappling with the opposite problem: shrinking populations and aging residents are making it increasingly difficult to maintain public transportation services.
Japan's population stood at 123.05 million in 2025, according to preliminary results from the national census released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, marking a decline of 3.097 million people over the past five years.
Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disorder that makes bones fragile and prone to fractures, Toshiya Kakiuchi built a company with a mission to transform both the physical and emotional barriers faced by people with disabilities.
Japan will begin rolling out a major overhaul of its disaster weather information system from the afternoon of May 28th, reorganizing warnings and advisories to make it easier for residents to understand when they should evacuate.
Deep in the mountains of Ayabe in Kyoto Prefecture, 74-year-old Kazuyoshi Watanabe continues living alone in the isolated settlement of Koya, which has been reduced to a single resident after a stroke left the left side of his body partially paralyzed, despite the village having no supermarkets, convenience stores, or even vending machines.
A 78-year-old man who drove off a brown bear by punching it in the nose has recounted the terrifying ordeal, as an unusual surge in spring bear sightings continues across Japan, including in the Kanto region and Tokyo.
As ferries cut across the open waters between Wakayama and Tokushima during the Golden Week holidays, passengers aboard the Nankai Ferry found themselves enjoying a slower pace of travel far removed from Japan’s notorious highway congestion.
As Japan’s entire baby boomer generation enters the late-stage elderly bracket, the country is approaching what experts call the 'Great Inheritance Era' — a period marked by a sharp rise in asset transfers after death.
Fraud cases involving criminals impersonating police officers are increasing across Japan, with a new tactic emerging in which fake arrest warrants are mailed directly to victims' homes.
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.
North Safari Sapporo, a private zoo in Minami Ward, Sapporo, which closed in September 2025 over unauthorized development, remains home to hundreds of animals as its operator disputes a planned removal order while emphasizing animal welfare concerns.
This is behind the counter in Japan at Eiraiken, a small machi-chuka, or Japanese style Chinese restaurant, tucked away in a quiet Yokohama neighborhood. (Paolo fromTOKYO)
Water shortages are worsening across Japan amid what meteorologists describe as 'once-in-30-years' low rainfall, with riverbeds exposed, reservoirs falling to record lows, and dry conditions fueling a renewed surge in influenza infections.
A prolonged spell of dry weather has led to water shortages and even a “red river” in parts of Japan, with farmers and public facilities sounding alarms as reservoirs shrink and temperatures climb in the Kanto region.
As Japan’s population ages, the number of people working while caring for elderly parents is increasing, with about 100,000 people nationwide leaving their jobs each year due to caregiving responsibilities, revealing deep structural barriers to balancing work and family care.
A building in Owariasahi, Aichi Prefecture, was engulfed in intense flames on January 18th after firefighters received a call shortly after 5 p.m. reporting that a house was on fire.
A car rammed into a police officer during a traffic violation crackdown in Kishiwada, Osaka, on January 7th, with the vehicle continuing to drive while the officer clung to the hood, prompting police to investigate the case as attempted murder.
An elderly woman died in Tokyo after choking on mochi during the first three days of the New Year, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.