FamilyMart reported record earnings for the fiscal year ending February 2026 on April 8th, with operating profit rising 18% from a year earlier to 100.2 billion yen, driven by strong sales of rice balls promoted through advertising featuring Shohei Ohtani and successful food portion increase campaigns.

A citizens’ group advocating the preservation of Japan’s pacifist constitution held a large-scale rally in front of the National Diet on April 8th, drawing thousands of participants according to organizers, while similar events and street demonstrations were held across the country.

Three masked intruders broke into a luxury goods purchase shop in Hiroo, Tokyo, in the early hours of April 8th, stealing approximately 80 million yen worth of high-end bags and jewelry before fleeing the scene.

Tokyo Metro announced on April 8th that it has entered into a capital and business alliance with Fit, an operator of 24-hour unmanned gyms, investing 1.5 billion yen as part of efforts to diversify revenue beyond its core railway operations.

Japan by Food featuring Shizuka takes you deep into the heart of Kabukicho to witness the rebirth of an icon. (Japan by Food)

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Kihara said during a press conference that one Japanese national detained in Iran in January 2026 has been released on bail.

Rising tensions in the Middle East are raising concerns over potential disruptions to medical supplies in Japan, particularly due to uncertainty surrounding naphtha used in products such as gloves and gowns, with hospitals warning that a halt in supply could significantly impact medical care while authorities move to reassure that stockpiles are sufficient for the time being.

Japan’s long-term interest rates climbed to their highest level in roughly 27 years on April 7th, as concerns over rising inflation triggered a broad sell-off in government bonds.

A man in his 60s was arrested in the act after allegedly threatening a route bus driver with a knife while the vehicle was in motion in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward on April 7th.

With the full-scale rollout of Google’s “AI Overviews,” a new “zero-click era” is emerging in which AI selects a handful of optimal products from tens of thousands of options and effectively makes purchasing decisions on behalf of users, raising a critical question for companies: how can their products be chosen as AI-recommended options.

Tokyo has no shortage of great restaurants… but this one really surprised us. Tucked away in Akasaka, Keica is a modern fine dining restaurant where the chef blends Japanese techniques like fermentation, aging, and charcoal grilling with subtle Italian influences. (TabiEats)

Tokyo’s Ogouchi Dam, a key water source for the capital, has fallen to its lowest level since the Heisei era, raising concerns over potential water shortages as rising temperatures intensify pressure on supply.

The cost of entering university, from entrance examinations through enrollment, reached a record high for students who enrolled in private universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area in April last year, a recent survey has revealed.

A survey of industry participants indicates that rice prices are expected to decline over the next three months, reflecting a continued bearish outlook across the sector.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on April 6th that Japan is making arrangements for separate high-level talks with Iran in response to the worsening situation in the Middle East, as a deadline for negotiations set by U.S. President Donald Trump approaches.

As Japan faces a growing infrastructure crisis driven by aging water systems installed during the period of rapid economic growth, a new AI-driven solution is emerging to predict deterioration and prevent failures before they occur.

As the Iran conflict shows signs of prolonged escalation, Japan’s heavy reliance on Middle Eastern oil is driving a sharp surge in naphtha prices—an essential raw material for plastics—forcing manufacturers to implement unprecedented price hikes of over 30% while raising concerns that widespread cost increases and potential shortages across food packaging, medical supplies, and daily goods could intensify from May onward if supply disruptions persist.

The Japanese government has established a plan to secure sufficient oil through early next year by utilizing alternative routes and procurement methods, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global energy flows, prompting full-scale efforts from May to secure alternative sources of crude oil.

A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of obstruction after allegedly spreading a liquid and setting it on fire at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo on April 3rd.

A new ordinance imposing fines on littering and mandating trash bin installations at businesses took effect in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on April 1st, as authorities seek to tackle a surge in street garbage following a rebound in tourism.

Toyota Motor has begun selling two vehicle models manufactured at its U.S. plants in Japan, marking a shift toward so-called "reverse imports" as part of efforts to improve trade relations between Japan and the United States.

Posts using vegetable and broccoli emojis—commonly seen on social media—are in fact coded messages referring to cannabis, as authorities warn that such disguised posts are contributing to a rapid increase in drug use among young people.

A private survey released on April 3rd found that roughly one in five high school students in Japan has encountered information believed to be linked to so-called “dark part-time jobs” on social media, as job listing platforms and authorities move to counter the spread of such illicit recruitment using artificial intelligence.

A coalition of more than 40 countries, including the United Kingdom and Japan, issued a joint statement regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked, calling for the restoration of stable maritime operations along one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.

The Japanese government approved a bill to revise the Civil Code on April 3rd, paving the way for wills to be created using computers and smartphones instead of requiring handwritten documents.