Shigeo Nagashima, one of Japan’s most iconic postwar figures and known as "Mr. Pro Baseball," has died at the age of 89, it was learned on June 3rd. A native of Chiba Prefecture, Nagashima helped define an era of professional baseball and became a national hero.

Shibuya’s once-in-a-century redevelopment is entering its final phase, according to a new announcement by Tokyu Corporation. The massive overhaul of the Shibuya Station area began in earnest with the opening of the Shibuya Hikarie skyscraper in 2012 and has since involved major upgrades to the station and surrounding pedestrian infrastructure.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry convened a panel of experts to discuss Japan’s national energy policy, focusing on how to address the expected rise in electricity demand driven by the spread of artificial intelligence and other technologies. A central topic was the energy consumption of data centers, which has raised growing concerns.

As the number of groping incidents tends to rise in the summer months, maid café workers and local students gathered in front of JR Akihabara Station in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward to raise awareness and call for the elimination of such crimes.

Women over the age of 50 in Japan are now spending an average of 138,569 yen a year on maintaining their health, reflecting a growing societal shift from treatment to prevention. This figure, revealed in a recent consumer spending analysis, highlights how personal investment in wellness is becoming a lifestyle priority for many.

A joint patrol was conducted in Okinawa City by local police and the U.S. military over the weekend, the second such operation following a similar patrol in April, as part of efforts to prevent further incidents after a U.S. serviceman was arrested in connection with the assault of a woman.

Amid mounting financial strain and work reform policies, Japan’s university hospitals are struggling to maintain the quality of their medical research, threatening the future of healthcare in the country. A recent survey of approximately 3,000 physicians working in university hospitals revealed that 60% spend less than five hours a week on research, with 22% reporting zero research time. The main reason: they are simply too busy with clinical duties to conduct research.

A young sushi chef from Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, has taken center stage in a nationwide competition to crown Japan’s top conveyor belt sushi artisan. The event, known as the All-Japan Conveyor Belt Sushi MVP Championship, brings together 13 elite chefs from across the country to compete not only in sushi-making technique but also customer service and performance skills.

Japan has officially abolished both penal servitude and imprisonment without labor, replacing them with a newly introduced 'custodial sentence' system. This marks the first major reform of the country's penal code since it was established in 1907.

Opposition parties submitted three bills to the Diet on May 30th seeking to introduce a system allowing married couples to retain separate surnames—a topic that returned to parliamentary deliberation for the first time in 28 years.

JR East Japan's group company has come under suspicion for overcharging labor costs in a government-commissioned project, claiming 65 people were working on a project while on 3 were involved.

SoftBank has teamed up with Intel and the University of Tokyo to establish a new semiconductor memory development company in Japan focused on artificial intelligence applications. Named SAIMEMORY, the new firm aims to develop cutting-edge memory chips with enhanced performance and lower energy consumption.

A gas cylinder recovered from the scene of an explosion in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward bore a stamp indicating it was manufactured in November 1964, according to investigative sources. The blast, which occurred on May 27th at a construction site, injured 10 people.

A visiting family in Tokyo’s Asakusa district was left shaken after witnessing a sudden outburst by a foreign tourist who punched their car and made aggressive gestures in the middle of the road.

Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family and now living in the United States, has given birth to her first child, the Imperial Household Agency announced on May 30th. The agency stated that the birth was disclosed during a press conference after some media reports surfaced, despite their intention to allow Komuro to live in a quiet environment following her departure from the Imperial family.

Ten months after the release of Japan’s redesigned banknotes, an unusual detail has caught the public’s eye: the letter F on the new bills appears oddly rounded.

Okinawa Prefecture announced during a meeting with the tourism industry on May 27th that it is aiming for its annual tourism revenue to exceed 1 trillion yen for the first time in fiscal 2025, and plans to introduce a lodging tax during fiscal 2026.

Sharp announced on May 29th that it will release new models of its AQUOS smartphone series equipped with generative AI, with sales beginning in late June or later. The lineup will include both high-end and basic models.

Concordia Financial Group, which will change its name to Yokohama Financial Group in October, is seeking to reinforce its identity as a strong regional bank group centered on Yokohama Bank. President Tatsuya Kataoka, who also serves as head of Yokohama Bank, discussed the strategy behind the rebranding, the group's structural reforms, and its ambitions for stronger financial performance during a joint interview with Nikkei Financial.

Every year, the “Salaryman Senryu” competition captures the mood of the times through humorous verse, and this year’s top ten results were announced on May 29th.

"Please let me die with dignity." This was a social media post believed to have been written by a woman suffering from ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, before she was killed in 2019 at her own request. The case, in which two doctors were arrested and tried, ignited a national debate on euthanasia in Japan—specifically, the ethical and legal implications of assisting the terminally ill to end their lives.

Concerns are growing among Japanese students following reports that the U.S. government under the Trump administration has ordered a halt to new bookings for student visa interviews, potentially impacting those planning to study in the United States.

Prime Minister Ishiba met with Montenegrin Prime Minister Spajic in Tokyo on May 28th during the latter’s official visit to Japan, marking what both leaders described as a historic occasion.

Japan’s leading industrial and electronics firms are accelerating efforts to commercialize next-generation batteries, with Toyota, Toshiba, TDK, and China’s CATL unveiling advanced technologies that promise breakthroughs in performance, safety, and supply chain resilience.

NTT Docomo is set to acquire major online bank Sumishin SBI Net Bank as it prepares to enter the banking sector, marking a significant shift for the mobile carrier as it looks to catch up with rivals in the growing financial services space.