Six airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and Air Do, will move the baggage check-in deadline for domestic flights at Haneda Airport to 30 minutes before departure from September 1.
The conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel may be entering a more dangerous phase, with Tehran appearing increasingly willing to initiate attacks rather than merely respond to US strikes, while disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz threaten oil and liquefied natural gas supplies worldwide.
Kumamoto residents struggling to recover from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake were forced to halt cleanup work on August 3 as the temperature in Kumamoto City reached 40.3 degrees Celsius, adding a second life-threatening disaster to communities already devastated by the quake.
A 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a male relative in the abdomen with a small chainsaw in a parking lot in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture.
An ancient zelkova tree believed to be about 800 years old toppled at Suzume Shrine in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, on August 1, with no injuries reported.
A 39-year-old woman visiting the coast of Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, with her family died on August 2 after a falling rock struck her in the head near the Yodo sea cave.
A fire was reported near Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward on August 3 after emergency services received multiple calls about black smoke rising from the area.
All 54 frog species found in Japan have been brought together for a special exhibition at the Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Natural History in Kainan, Wakayama Prefecture.
Tokyo's public bathhouses raised their adult admission fee by 50 yen to 600 yen on August 1 as operators struggle with rising fuel and other costs, prompting concerns that some customers may reduce their visits.
Geisha and maiko in Kyoto's Gion district made their traditional rounds on August 1 to express gratitude to teahouse proprietors, teachers and others who support them throughout the year as part of the annual Hassaku observance.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States intervened to buy yen because of its strong relationship with Japan, describing the action as a sign of friendship and pledging that Washington would always support the country.
Japan and the United States conducted coordinated yen-buying intervention in the foreign exchange market to curb the currency's excessive decline, with Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama expected to announce the move on August 3, according to people familiar with the matter.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the yen is undervalued, making an unusually direct assessment of the currency and signaling that Washington is unwilling to accept excessive weakness.
A high school student in Nagano Prefecture who had been unable to speak in unfamiliar places or in front of strangers because of selective mutism found the confidence to use his voice through three years of training with his school's competitive soba-making club.
Watch the Men's highlights between Japan and USA of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 in Ningbo Beilun (China)!
Cosplayers representing 10 countries and regions visited Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura and Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa on July 29 ahead of the World Cosplay Summit, one of the world's largest cosplay events, which opens in Nagoya on July 31.
A 29-year-old Osaka University researcher is developing technology to produce sugar from carbon dioxide in the air, seeking to create a faster and more sustainable source of livestock feed as population growth, extreme weather and poor harvests raise fears of future food shortages.
Business sentiment among Japanese companies operating in China deteriorated in the first half of 2026, with 44% reporting that conditions had worsened or somewhat worsened as tensions between Japan and China weighed on corporate confidence.
Tokyo stocks surged on July 31, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 64,362.02, up 2,494.59 points, as a sharp rebound in Asian semiconductor shares and strong U.S. technology earnings outweighed caution over the Bank of Japan’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged while warning that inflation risks remain tilted to the upside.
The yen surged in foreign exchange trading on July 30, briefly strengthening into the 157 range against the dollar, as Japan's top currency official declined to rule out the possibility of coordinated intervention with the United States.
The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at around 1.0% on July 31, warning that higher crude oil costs and the weaker yen could push up prices across a broad range of consumer goods.