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.
A shrine in Gunma Prefecture has used a high-pressure cleaning drone to wash Japan's largest statue of Daikoku, cutting a maintenance job that previously took two to three weeks to just one day while reducing costs to around one-tenth of the conventional method.
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.
An anti-organized crime convention was held in Osaka City, bringing together police, government officials, and business representatives to reaffirm their commitment to eliminating organized crime groups, as authorities warned that shrinking yakuza organizations are increasingly cooperating with loosely organized criminal networks involved in fraud and robbery.
A 50-year-old woman accused of forcing her housemate to sew her own lips shut with a needle and thread admitted all charges at her first court hearing on November 11th, as prosecutors played disturbing audio recordings of the threats used to coerce the victim during an incident in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, in June 2026.
Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is launching its winter season events on November 13, featuring one of the largest food festivals in the park's history, with more than twice as many menu items as last year and opportunities for visitors to dine alongside popular characters.
Tokyo's Toshima Ward announced on November 11th plans to impose administrative penalties of up to 20,000 yen for street smoking and littering, extending its smoking ban to heated tobacco products as complaints about public smoking and illegal dumping continue to rise.
The ginkgo-lined avenue at Hiroshima Shudo University in Hiroshima City has reached its peak autumn color, transforming the campus into a golden landscape as trees display their brilliant yellow leaves.
A woman was seriously injured in a wild boar attack in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, as sightings of unusually large boars increase across the Kansai region, with some weighing nearly 150 kilograms and capable of running at speeds of 45 kilometers per hour.
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 mayor of Awa City in Tokushima Prefecture and two other people have been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the municipal government of 3.5 million yen by inflating the cost of a city contract to cover vehicle repair expenses arising from an accident caused by the mayor, prompting police to search city hall on November 10th.
Rare 360-degree cockpit footage has been released showing the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Blue Impulse aerobatic team performing a special exhibition flight over Aichi Prefecture on September 19, 2026, to celebrate the opening of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Japan enjoyed a dramatic day of international sporting success on November 14, with the national soccer team defeating Brazil 3-2 in Singapore and the country's baseball squad advancing to the Asia Professional Baseball Championship final, while the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament developed into a seven-way contest for the lead.
During typhoon season a Japanese river can climb several levels of alert and carry a heavy load of sediment within a few hours. The country follows both strands through the storm as it happens, rather than piecing the picture together once the water has dropped.
Japan now has only one sea otter remaining in captivity following the death of Kira, an 18-year-old female at Toba Aquarium in Mie Prefecture on November 5th, leaving 22-year-old Mei as the country's last surviving aquarium sea otter after a population that once exceeded 100 animals steadily declined.
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.
The resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on November 12 following allegations involving a woman suspected of links to Chinese intelligence has raised concerns in Japan over the potential impact on semiconductor investment, financial markets and the yen, as uncertainty surrounding the American AI chipmaker threatens to disrupt the global technology industry.