Dec 14, 2020 (WION) - Japanese business sentiment improved at the fastest pace in nearly two decades in October-December, a key central bank survey showed, a welcome sign for the economy as it emerges from the initial hit of the coronavirus pandemic.
A section of wall plaster and part of a roof eave were found damaged at Himeji Castle, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Hyogo Prefecture, on June 4th, with officials investigating whether strong winds from Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) were responsible.
Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) swept across Japan on June 3rd, bringing record-breaking rainfall, widespread flooding, landslides, transport disruptions, and powerful winds, while prompting Tokyo's first-ever issuance of a Level 4 danger alert under the country's new weather warning system. The storm also exposed challenges surrounding evacuation behavior, as many residents chose not to leave their homes despite official warnings affecting more than 1.6 million people across the Tokyo metropolitan area.
A body discovered in a river in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, has been identified as 42-year-old Kenji Oyama, the suspect wanted nationwide in connection with the murder of a mother and daughter last month, police announced on June 4th.
As Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) struck Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd, the storm became the first major test of Japan's newly introduced disaster weather warning system, revealing both the benefits of earlier evacuation calls and the challenges local authorities faced in helping residents understand and respond to the new alerts.
Flooding was reported around the popular tourist district of Oharai-machi in Ise City following the passage of Typhoon No. 6, with some businesses forced to clean up after floodwaters overflowed from a nearby river during the early hours of June 3rd.
A 20-year-old American man, identified as Higginbotham James West, has been missing since leaving a hotel alone in Kyoto at around 6 p.m. on May 29th while visiting Japan with his family, police said.
A 43-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly filming himself pouring a detergent-like liquid onto sushi at a Hama Sushi restaurant and posting the footage online, telling investigators he was seeking more views on social media.
As Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) struck Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd, the storm became the first major test of Japan's newly introduced disaster weather warning system, revealing both the benefits of earlier evacuation calls and the challenges local authorities faced in helping residents understand and respond to the new alerts.
Japan's total fertility rate, which represents the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, fell to a record low of 1.14 in 2025, underscoring the country's deepening demographic challenges.
A senior member of a Sumiyoshi-kai affiliated organization and two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of approximately 420 million yen in cash from a street in Tokyo's Ueno district in January 2026, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to 10.
A court has issued an interim ruling that the charge of robbery resulting in death applies in the case of a university student who died after a group assault in Ebetsu, Hokkaido.
A fire has destroyed Sasamasamune Brewery, a historic sake producer in Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, leaving the future of the nearly 200-year-old business uncertain after large quantities of sake and brewing rice were lost in the blaze.
A medical examiner testified that a university student who died after being assaulted in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, suffered repeated blows to the face and head, telling the court that the victim was likely struck dozens of times.
