News On Japan

Last trains to leave earlier in and around Tokyo

Jan 19, 2021 (NHK) - Train services in greater Tokyo are scheduled to end earlier at night starting from Wednesday, due to a state of emergency declared in the region over the spread of the coronavirus.

Twenty-five railway operators in and around Tokyo are moving up the departure times of their last trains by up to half an hour.

At East Japan Railway's Shinjuku Station, workers held up placards on Tuesday morning to remind commuters about the schedule change.

Revised timetables for nighttime trains are now posted at platforms, along with posters bearing the times of the last trains.

JR East says its final trains will leave about 10 to 30 minutes earlier on 11 lines, including the Yamanote loop line in Tokyo. Shinkansen bullet trains will not be affected.

Shinjuku stationmaster Moriyama Hidehiko said some people may not be able to transit to other railway lines because of the schedule changes. He said he wants people to check the timetables on websites and other means.

Shorter train operations are likely to continue while the state of

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A bear that injured four people in Fukushima City escaped despite efforts to capture it using tranquilizer darts and box traps, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain on high alert.

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 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.

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

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 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.

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.

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.