A late former professor at Asahikawa Medical University has won the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine for scientifically examining the proper way to blow the nose, extending Japan's streak of Ig Nobel winners to 20 consecutive years.
Night trains are making a comeback across Japan, with railway operators introducing new overnight services and even experimenting with overnight Shinkansen trains as demand grows for alternatives that combine transportation, accommodation and the experience of traveling through the night.
Tokyo police are investigating the possibility of a serial arson spree after six suspicious fires were reported within about two weeks in the same neighborhood of Adachi Ward, leaving an 81-year-old woman with burns and damaging homes, political party posters, a vending machine and a bicycle.
A 52-year-old restaurant operator was sentenced to 17 years in prison on September 4 for killing his former girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her in the abdomen and back with two kitchen knives at his home in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture.
A Chinese man who received a suspended prison sentence and had his driver's license revoked after striking four elementary school students while driving drunk in 2025 admitted at his first trial on September 3 that he repeatedly drove without a license while still on probation.
The Imperial Household Agency is considering holding a significantly scaled-down funeral for former Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, reflecting his wishes to minimize disruption to the lives of the public.
Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture has been formally selected as Japan's candidate for nomination as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, advancing a campaign that has continued for more than 30 years and aims to secure inscription in the summer of 2028.
Highway service areas around the Kanto region are becoming destinations in their own right, offering travelers everything from freshly harvested vegetables and popular regional restaurant dishes to baths, observation decks and family events during the busy summer vacation season.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry raised subsidies for aviation fuel used on domestic flights from September 3, doubling the support rate while ending subsidies for international flights.
Osaka City plans to tighten regulations on private lodging businesses, or minpaku, by generally prohibiting new operations in wooden and steel-frame apartment buildings where residents already live, following repeated complaints over noise and garbage.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on September 3 that the economic policy of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government should not be equated with conventional reflationary policy, after returning from the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in the United States and briefing the prime minister on the talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 2 that Japan bears full responsibility for the deterioration in relations between the two countries, defending Moscow's approach following criticism from Tokyo over his first visit to Etorofu Island in August.
The leaders of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito have agreed to abandon plans to merge their three parties, leaving the Centrist Reform Alliance effectively split.
The autumn red snow crab season has opened on the Sea of Japan coast, with the first auction at Kasumi Fishing Port in Kami, Hyogo Prefecture, recording a top price of 300,000 yen for a single crab on September 4.
The 20th FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup will be held in Berlin from September 4 to 13, 2026.
An autonomous ride-hailing service developed by British company Wayve launched in London on September 3, with the AI-powered technology also scheduled to begin trial operations in Tokyo by the end of 2026.
A disaster prevention experiment has shown how quickly a rain-soaked slope can collapse once visible cracks appear, highlighting the need for people in landslide-prone areas to evacuate before conditions become critical as the risk of disasters remains elevated through early next week.
Asahi Kasei has grown from its roots in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, into a global conglomerate with annual sales exceeding 3 trillion yen by repeatedly developing products and technologies that dominate their markets or occupy niches with few direct rivals.
The WoW Auction House can look chaotic when you first start using it. Hundreds of listings may appear for the same item, prices can differ dramatically, and a deal that looks excellent at first glance may not be a deal at all.
Tokyo stocks rebounded on September 4, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,020.94, up 806.46 points, or 1.26%, as buying returned to artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares after a Wall Street rally, while investors waited for U.S. jobs data and watched the yen, oil prices and Bank of Japan rate-hike expectations.
Household spending in Japan fell for an eighth consecutive month in July as consumers continued to economize on everyday purchases such as food and beverages while increasing spending on dining out, accommodation and in-game purchases.