A mobile battery being used to charge a smartphone caught fire inside a JR Yamanote Line train on the evening of July 20th, injuring five passengers and temporarily suspending services on multiple lines, including the Yamanote and Saikyo lines.

What would you do if the rent in your neighborhood doubled in just a few years? That scenario is already unfolding in northern Okinawa, where the opening of Jungle Leisure Okinawa is driving unexpected changes in the local housing market.

The results of the House of Councillors election held on July 20th have been finalized, with the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito winning a combined total of 47 seats, falling short of the 50 needed for a majority in the upper chamber.

In this segment of Mōsate Wakaran—a series that revisits questions and lingering uncertainties from viewers of Mōsate and Mōsate Premium—we take a closer look at the recent meteoric rise of AI stocks.

Nissan Motor will shut down its historic Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture by the end of fiscal 2027, closing a facility that helped launch the Datsun Bluebird in 1961 and played a pivotal role in Japan’s personal car boom.

Today, we’re diving deep into one of Tokyo’s wildest hidden burger gems—Burger Factory, run by a passionate young Japanese couple with a love for American food culture.

Japan's Environment Ministry on July 19th transported soil generated during decontamination efforts in Fukushima Prefecture—following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster—to the front garden of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo's Nagatacho district.

Tokyo police have arrested seven men in their 20s on suspicion of abducting and confining a man in Itabashi Ward for three months beginning in January, subjecting him to repeated beatings that left him with injuries requiring six months to heal.

A male high school student was arrested for attacking two women with a hammer in the women’s restroom at JR Chiba Station.

The average price of newly built condominiums in Tokyo's 23 wards reached an all-time high in June, highlighting the continued rise in urban property values.

Canadian convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard has announced it is withdrawing its acquisition proposal for Seven & i Holdings, citing a lack of constructive engagement.

Mitsubishi Corporation has announced plans to acquire part of Norway’s Grieg Seafood, investing approximately 150 billion yen in the deal. The Japanese trading house already owns Cermaq, the world’s fourth-largest salmon farming company, and expects the acquisition to boost its annual production from around 200,000 tons to 250,000 tons—elevating it to the second-largest producer globally.

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced at 11 a.m. on July 18th that the Kanto-Koshin, Hokuriku, and southern Tohoku regions appear to have entered the post-rainy season period.

Two university students previously arrested for stealing around 70 items from the Osaka-Kansai Expo site have been rearrested on suspicion of stealing additional merchandise, including the highly sought-after black version of the Myakumyaku mascot.

Japan welcomed 21,518,100 foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, exceeding 20 million at the fastest pace ever, according to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on July 16th. The surge was driven by increased travel during the Chinese New Year holiday and cherry blossom season, resulting in a 21% year-on-year increase.

For the first time in 27 years, since the 118th prize in 1998, both the Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize were left without a recipient, marking only the sixth instance in the prize’s history that such a decision has been made.

SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son announced at a corporate event in Tokyo that the company aims to create 1 billion autonomous AI agents in-house by the end of this year. These agents are designed to operate independently without human instructions.

The video features mainly the latest Gran Class seating and service in 2025. (Solo Travel Japan)

A growing number of consumers in Japan are falling victim to fake online ads that falsely claim endorsements from well-known companies and universities. In one such case, a licensed psychologist in Nagoya paid approximately 4,500 yen for an "AI robot dog" that turned out to be little more than a cheap toy resembling something from the Showa era.

The government has launched a new command organization under the Cabinet Secretariat to oversee foreign resident policies, aiming to strengthen responses to crimes and nuisance behavior involving foreigners.

Nissan Motor announced on the evening of July 15th that it will end vehicle production at its key Oppama Plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, by the end of fiscal 2027. Company President Ivan Espinosa held a press conference at 5 p.m. to explain the decision.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided to support Rakuten Group’s development of a next-generation generative AI base model, according to reporting by TV Tokyo. Rakuten is expected to begin developing a large language model in August with 700 billion parameters—one of the largest in Japan.

A major farming corporation based in eastern Japan, Butai Farm, known for using robotics to grow lettuce and supplying pre-cut vegetables to 7-Eleven stores, has announced a new strategy to promote agriculture that can compete in Asian markets.

A key gauge of long-term interest rates temporarily rose to 1.595 percent, marking the highest level in nearly 17 years since the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers collapse.

A recent survey by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) has revealed that business leaders view wage hikes as the most effective policy response to rising prices, ahead of the July House of Councillors election. The findings reflect growing concern among corporate executives about the impact of inflation outpacing wage growth, and highlight a preference for structural solutions over short-term subsidies.