Japan's women's soccer team defeated Nigeria 3-1 in the final match of the Group C preliminary round on the sixth day of the Paris Olympics, July 31. With two wins and one loss, earning six points, Japan secured a spot in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive tournament.
The Hachinohe Sansha Festival, which boasts a history of approximately 300 years and is recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, began on July 31 in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture.
Japan secured a top spot in Group D of the men's soccer first-stage league on the fifth day of the Paris Olympics, July 30. The team achieved this with a 1-0 victory over Israel, marking their third consecutive win. In the quarterfinals, Japan will face Spain, the second-place team from Group C.
14-year-old skateboarding sensation Ren Yoshizawa scored 272.75 points to claim the gold medal in the women's street final at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Japan advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's soccer competition at the Paris Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Mali on the second day of the event, July 27. With this win, Japan has accumulated six points from two consecutive victories in Group D of the first round.
The Kawauchi Festival was celebrated Sunday on the Kozagawa River, which flows through Kushimoto and Kozagawa in Wakayama Prefecture.
The 33rd Summer Olympics in Paris officially commenced with an opening ceremony held on the Seine River in the city center on the 26th (27th Japan time).
A dinosaur fossil found in a stratum dating back approximately 110 million years (Early Cretaceous) in Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, has been identified as a new genus and species of the small carnivorous dinosaur family Troodontidae, which is closely related to birds.
A massive mural of siblings Hifumi and Uta Abe, who are set to compete in judo at the Paris Olympics and aim for consecutive gold medals, was unveiled on July 26 in their hometown of Kobe.
In Kiyosato, Hokkaido, cherry salmon are making their way back from the Sea of Okhotsk to rivers to spawn as the breeding season approaches. These fish are showcasing their powerful jumps, attempting to scale a waterfall approximately 2.5 meters high.
The annual 'Nachi no Ogi Festival' took place at the World Heritage site Kumano Nachi Taisha in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, on July 14.
On July 7, Tanabata, an event will be held in central Osaka where approximately 40,000 LED-lit spheres will be floated down the Okawa River, creating an illusion of the Milky Way. The blue lights will shimmer on the water's surface, evoking a starry night sky.
The 'Summer Jumbo Lottery' tickets, offering a combined first prize and bonus of 700 million yen, went on sale on July 8. They will be available nationwide until August 8. The first prize of 500 million yen will have 24 winners, and the bonus prize of 100 million yen will have 48 winners. The second prize of 1 million yen will have 2,400 winners.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the World Heritage registration of the 'Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range,' an event was held on July 6 in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture. The event featured participants walking along the stone-paved Kumano Kodo trail illuminated by bamboo lights.
A ceremony for the Japanese team participating in the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 26, was held on the 5th at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 in Tokyo with the attendance of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino. Misaki Emura, the flag bearer and a female saber fencer from Tachihi Holdings, expressed her determination by stating, 'I will carry the awareness and responsibility of representing the nation, and fight with integrity to the very end.'
On July 5, geisha and maiko from Kyoto's Gion district participated in the 'Ochi-do' ceremony at Yasaka Shrine in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. The event, held to pray for the improvement of their performing arts skills and for good health during the summer, takes place annually in early July as the excitement of the Gion Festival builds up toward the Yamahoko Junko parade on July 17.
Land prices, a benchmark for property valuation used in inheritance tax declarations, have seen significant changes this year. Shibuya, currently undergoing extensive redevelopment, has ranked second nationally for the first time.
The Cambodian railway company Royal Railway has purchased retired express train cars from JR Hokkaido and is currently refurbishing and conducting trial runs in preparation for operation.
The Japanese yen sharply declined Wednesday in the foreign exchange market, reaching the late 160s against the dollar, according to major banks. This marks the weakest level for the yen in 37 and a half years since December 1986, the start of Japan's bubble economy.
A traditional ceremony to banish evil and pray for good fortune, known as the 'Bamboo Cutting Ceremony,' was held on June 20 at Kurama Temple in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward. During the event, men dressed as warrior monks struck down green bamboo, symbolizing a giant serpent, with mountain swords.
Previously unpublished photos believed to show Koshien Stadium (located in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture) under the occupation of the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Allied Forces after World War II have been found.
The Japan Gymnastics Association unveiled the uniforms for the national team that will compete in the Paris Olympics on June 11. The uniforms were designed by renowned fashion designer Hiroko Koshino.
Former President of Presance Corporation, Shinobu Yamagishi (61), who was acquitted of embezzlement charges, has filed a lawsuit seeking 770 million yen in compensation from the government, claiming illegal interrogation by the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (71) announced on the 12th her intention to run for a third term in the gubernatorial election scheduled for July 7, with the official campaign period starting on June 20th.
The YOSAKOI Soran Festival, held over five days in early summer in Sapporo, concluded on Sunday. Approximately 25,000 performers from 255 teams, both domestic and international, showcased their dynamic dances at 15 venues, including Odori Park.