[updated 20:40 p.m.] Typhoon No. 6 is disrupting transportation across Japan on June 2nd as it moves north past southern Kyushu after lashing Okinawa and Amami, with airlines canceling hundreds of flights, rail operators announcing service suspensions, and highway authorities warning of possible road closures as heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas spread from western Japan toward the Kansai, Tokai and Kanto regions. The storm is expected to make its closest approach to the Kansai region from the night of June 2nd through the morning of June 3rd before continuing northeast along Japan's Pacific coast.
[updated 17:17 p.m.] A Level 4 Flood Danger Warning has been issued for the Hiroto River and Sakatani River in Miyazaki Prefecture after water levels reached the flood danger threshold, raising concerns over possible flooding caused by levee failures or river overflows.
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.
A fire broke out at a temple in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, on June 1st, leaving a resident monk with minor burns, destroying his home, and spreading into a nearby mountainside.
Emperor Naruhito visited the Iwabuchi Floodgate on Tokyo's Arakawa River by boat on June 1st, inspecting one of the capital's most important flood control facilities.
A week has passed since police publicly named and sought the arrest of a suspect in the murder of a mother and daughter in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, yet his whereabouts remain unknown despite more than 350 tips from the public. Investigators continue an extensive search of the area surrounding the crime scene as efforts to locate the suspect intensify.
One of Kyushu's most distinctive dining destinations, the underwater restaurant Manbo in Yobuko, Saga Prefecture, has temporarily closed after 43 years in operation as construction advances on a new and modernized replacement scheduled to open this autumn.
A veteran hunter with 42 years of experience has become the first person hired by Hokkaido as a "Government Hunter," a newly created role aimed at strengthening bear control measures and improving public safety.
Kansai Airport has completed its first large-scale renovation since opening, 24 additional stores, including a Universal Studios Japan outlet, marking the theme park's first airport store in Japan.
Osaka City will stop accepting new applications for its special-zone minpaku program on May 29 as complaints over noise, garbage disposal and other issues involving guests continue to increase.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 1st, urging Iran to demonstrate maximum flexibility in its ongoing discussions with the United States and expressing hope that an agreement on the nuclear issue can be reached as soon as possible.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi strongly rejected accusations that Japan is embracing "new militarism," describing such claims as false while delivering a speech at a major regional security conference in Singapore on May 31st.
World-renowned musician YOSHIKI is betting on Hokkaido wine as Japan's next global export success story, joining a growing list of international figures and industry leaders who see the island as one of the world's most promising emerging wine regions.
As Japan's shrinking youth population continues to reshape the education sector, a girls' high school in Kyoto has announced plans to become coeducational beginning next academic year.
Former XG producer SIMON, whose real name is Junho Sakai, received a suspended prison sentence on June 1st after being convicted of using cocaine.
The annual Gatalympics festival was held on the mudflats of the Ariake Sea in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, drawing about 1,400 participants from 13 countries and regions who battled through a series of unique mud-based events while becoming thoroughly covered in mud.
Food price increases in Japan are accelerating, with the number of products subject to higher prices this year potentially reaching 20,000 items as rising costs linked to tensions in the Middle East spread through supply chains and place additional pressure on household budgets.
Mr. Akazawa Ryosei, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), said after a Cabinet meeting on June 2nd that Japan expects to secure the crude oil it needs in June through alternative procurement and previously approved reserve releases, without deciding on a third round of state oil reserve releases in May, while also stressing that naphtha supply is expected to remain at levels close to a normal year.
A black-and-white version of Calbee's popular Kappa Ebisen snack has appeared on supermarket shelves in Tokyo as concerns over the supply of printing materials linked to Middle East tensions ripple through Japan's food industry, while more than 1,000 food products are set to become more expensive in June.
As Japan grapples with rising energy costs linked to the prolonged crisis in the Middle East, the government is urging businesses and households to improve energy efficiency, placing renewed attention on a futuristic manufacturing model known as the "dark factory."
Toyota Motor will suspend production at 13 domestic factories on June 3rd as Typhoon No. 6 approaches Japan, with the company prioritizing the safety of employees and contractors as severe weather is expected to affect a wide area from western to eastern Japan.
The Japan Housing Finance Agency announced on June 1st the interest rates that will apply in June for Flat 35, Japan’s long-term fixed-rate housing loan program.
ENEOS Holdings, Japan's largest oil refiner, is accelerating its push overseas as it seeks to raise the share of revenue generated outside Japan from roughly 20% today to 50% in the future, according to President Tomohide Miyata, who outlined the company's growth strategy in an extended interview that was not fully aired on TV Tokyo's World Business Satellite (WBS).
SoftBank Group announced on May 31st that it will build a data center in France dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), with total investment potentially reaching approximately 14 trillion yen.