The 2026 Japan Toy Awards have been announced, with an innovative board game that allows players to experience investing while having fun taking the top prize in the Games and Puzzles category.

Japan's labor ministry will revise its guidance on overtime from September 1, moving away from a uniform recommendation that workplaces keep overtime within 45 hours a month and placing greater emphasis on whether employers have adequate measures in place to protect workers' health.

Tokyo stocks rebounded on August 20, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,216.79, up 890.37 points, or 1.36%, as gains in U.S. equities, a sharp rally in South Korean semiconductor shares and easing global bond-market stress encouraged investors to buy back Japanese shares after two days of heavy selling.

Plans to bring Shinkansen service to Shikoku have taken a significant step forward for the first time in 53 years, with the transport ministry beginning preliminary studies that could eventually cut travel times from Osaka to major cities including Tokushima, Takamatsu and Matsuyama to around 90 minutes.

Seven people were injured after a Toei bus and a trailer collided in Tokyo's Koto Ward shortly after 6 p.m., leaving the bus mounted on a central median.

Whistleblowers who expose suspected wrongdoing at companies and other organizations in Japan are increasingly finding themselves targeted by multimillion-yen damages claims, raising questions over whether the country's legal system adequately protects people who report misconduct.

A pond at Inokashira Park, a popular destination in Tokyo's Kichijoji area, has turned a striking matcha-like green, a phenomenon that has become particularly noticeable in 2026 and is believed to be caused by an accumulation of phytoplankton.

All Nippon Airways has come under criticism over a new three-tier domestic fare system introduced from May 19, with complaints over seat assignments and reports that some passengers booked on the cheapest fares were unable to board their scheduled flights, prompting ANA to consider changes as it seeks to improve the profitability of a domestic network where about 60% of routes are in the red.

Pan Pacific International Holdings, the operator of Don Quijote discount stores and other retail businesses, posted net profit of 110.1 billion yen for the year through June 2026, up 21.6% from a year earlier and exceeding 100 billion yen for the first time.

A playful young dolphin named Yuki at Kagoshima City Aquarium has become a social media sensation after videos showed her freely sliding along the poolside, spinning around and plunging back into the water while other dolphins followed their usual routines.

Japan's delegation for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held a team formation ceremony at a hotel in Tokyo on August 19, exactly one month before the competition opens, with wrestler Akari Fujinami pledging that the athletes would "fight through to the very end" on home soil.

JA Zen-Noh Niigata decided on August 18 to set its advance payment for standard Koshihikari rice from the 2026 crop at 18,500 yen per 60 kilograms of brown rice, about 40% lower than a year earlier as inventories continue to build.

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on August 19, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,326.42, down 3.2%, its lowest finish since August 4, as renewed selling in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares combined with rising bond yields, higher oil prices and geopolitical concerns to trigger a broad risk-off move.

Real estate company Rewrite has built a business around properties that owners struggle to give away, sometimes listing them for just 1 yen in a strategy that produces virtually no immediate profit but can generate lucrative deals years later through referrals and repeat customers.

Tokyo Metro has unveiled its new headquarters ahead of a full relocation at the end of August, featuring an open office design filled with route symbols, station names and other elements inspired by the subway network.

Tokyo is preparing to allow hunting of Asian black bears for the first time in about 20 years, with a proposed hunting season from November through February and an annual capture target of around 34 animals in parts of the Tama region, including Hachioji.

Typhoon No. 18 (Soudelor) formed near the Truk Islands on August 19 and is forecast to strengthen as it gradually turns northwest, potentially approaching the Ogasawara Islands before moving toward Okinawa or the Pacific coast of western Japan.

The bankruptcy of payment processing company Zento Shin has raised concerns over the impact on restaurants and other small and midsize businesses, while highlighting regulatory gaps in Japan's rapidly expanding cashless payment industry.

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate briefly rose to 2.945% as government bonds were sold on August 18, reaching a fresh high not seen in about 30 years as uncertainty in the Middle East pushed up crude oil futures and fueled expectations that inflation could accelerate.

Tokyo stocks rose on August 17, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 69,220.25, up 506.45 points, as buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares outweighed weaker-than-expected economic growth, rising bond yields and renewed concern over household spending.

An international meeting on Pacific bluefin tuna resource management reached agreement on August 18 to raise the catch quota for large fish in the western and central Pacific by 25% while reducing the quota for smaller fish by 6%, a shift that could eventually lower prices for the prized tuna used in high-end sushi and sashimi.

Princess Aiko attended the opening ceremony of an international conference on semiconductor physics on the morning of August 17, expressing condolences for those killed in the Kumamoto earthquake and torrential rain in Chiba Prefecture before addressing researchers from around the world.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic agenda came under fresh pressure on August 18 after weaker-than-expected growth figures exposed the fragility of Japan’s recovery, sharpening the political stakes around the Bank of Japan’s next rate decision, the weak yen, and the government’s plan to cut the consumption tax on food.

Japanese researchers are developing a lithium-air battery that uses oxygen from the atmosphere to store and generate electricity, promising nearly five times the capacity of conventional lithium-ion batteries at less than half the weight and potentially opening the way to far longer electric vehicle driving ranges.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming cyber warfare by enabling faster, automated and continuous attacks, raising concerns that governments and companies may struggle to detect and stop intrusions before serious damage occurs.