Keisei Electric Railway has suspended online seat reservations for its Skyliner express service connecting central Tokyo with Narita Airport after a cyberattack potentially exposed up to 3.37 million personal information records, with no indication of when the booking system will resume operations.
A crowd of 2,300 people dressed as Santa Claus marched through Tokyo's Shibuya district in the rain on November 15 as part of a charity event aimed at supporting children battling serious illnesses in Japan and those unable to receive adequate medical care overseas.
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako released young fish into Osaka Bay on November 15 during a national marine conservation event, where around 100 fishing boats flying colorful flags welcomed the imperial couple with a parade despite rainy weather.
Japanese singer and actress Kyoko Koizumi has launched a forest restoration initiative aimed at planting 3,000 acorn-producing trees in the mountains of northeastern Japan, hoping to create a richer habitat for bears and other wildlife following a sharp increase in bear attacks across the country.
A series of thefts at public bathhouses across the Tokyo metropolitan area has been linked to a large organized Chinese theft ring suspected of using hundreds of duplicate locker keys to steal cash and replace credit card IC chips while customers are bathing, leaving victims unaware that their cards have been compromised.
An artwork installed in Kyoto's historic Takase River has been broken in half during an autumn art festival, with organizers expressing anger after discovering that the sculpture had suffered further damage despite already being found broken two days earlier.
Japan's tourism industry is undergoing a major shift one year after China urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, with Chinese visitor numbers falling sharply and businesses in Osaka struggling to recover lost revenue, while Kyoto has successfully attracted more Western tourists through a strategy aimed at reducing its dependence on the Chinese market.
Two shrine maidens performed an elegant dance holding branches of red maple leaves in front of Nachi Falls at the World Heritage-listed Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, on November 14, as part of an annual autumn festival expressing gratitude for the blessings of nature.
Enjoy sweeping aerial views of Hokkaido on a helicopter flight from Ishikari Heliport to central Sapporo, offering a bird's-eye perspective of the landscape and urban scenery along the route.
The number of people taken to hospital after being injured by deer in and around Nara Park has reached a record high in 2026, with foreign tourists accounting for more than 70% of cases, prompting warnings about the dangers of approaching the wild animals during their autumn mating season.
The Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper identified its correspondent detained in Russia on espionage allegations as Yuki Imai on November 12, one month after his arrest by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), with no indication of when he might be released.
Russia's Foreign Ministry on November 11 defended the government's unilateral decision to place the local subsidiary of Japan Tobacco (JT) under the management of a Russian company, describing the move as a countermeasure against what it called Japan's "blatantly hostile actions."
The Japanese government is considering formally allowing exceptions to its longstanding ban on bringing nuclear weapons into the country during national emergencies, as part of revisions to its three key national security documents scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
The latest Godzilla film, "Godzilla-0.0," has surpassed 3 billion yen in box office revenue in Japan and is a huge hit in North America.
Japan's Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament reached its halfway point on November 15 with five wrestlers sharing the lead after eight days of competition, as yokozuna Onosato and ozeki Kirishima maintained their strong championship challenges while fellow yokozuna Hoshoryu suffered another damaging defeat, leaving him with four losses in a tournament marked by repeated upsets among the highest-ranked competitors.
A winter seafood festival at Kasumi Fishing Port in northern Hyogo Prefecture is drawing visitors eager to enjoy Matsuba crab, a prized seasonal delicacy from the Sea of Japan, with a lively competition challenging participants to eat a crab worth 15,000 yen in just five minutes.
A new Japanese slang term describing children and young people addicted to the instant stimulation of social media has been nominated for Japan's 2026 Buzzword of the Year, drawing attention to growing concerns that endless short videos are undermining concentration, disrupting sleep, and creating addictive behavior among adults as well as children.
The Hands Shibuya store, a longtime landmark in one of Tokyo's busiest shopping districts, will close on November 15 after 48 years in business, marking the end of nearly half a century of retail history as the store holds a final clearance sale offering discounts of up to 80% on cosmetics and other products.
A Japanese startup founded at Osaka University is preparing to begin clinical trials of a brain-computer interface in 2027, aiming to enable patients with severe physical disabilities to communicate and operate electronic devices using only their thoughts, with commercialization targeted for around 2030.
Japan's recent stock market recovery has prompted warnings against excessive optimism, with investors urged to remain disciplined and avoid chasing short-term gains before there is clearer evidence that the market has established a sustainable upward trend.
Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average closed 322.99 points higher, or 0.53%, at 61,142.35 at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, November 13, recovering from the previous day's decline but surrendering most of its early gains as investors weighed renewed pressure on the yen, rising government bond yields, corporate earnings and uncertainty surrounding the global technology industry.