Tokyo is preparing to allow hunting of Asian black bears for the first time in about 20 years, with a proposed hunting season from November through February and an annual capture target of around 34 animals in parts of the Tama region, including Hachioji.
Typhoon No. 18 (Soudelor) formed near the Truk Islands on August 19 and is forecast to strengthen as it gradually turns northwest, potentially approaching the Ogasawara Islands before moving toward Okinawa or the Pacific coast of western Japan.
A fire broke out at Sairinji temple in Saga city on the morning of August 18, engulfing the building in flames and prompting the dispatch of 10 fire engines and two ambulances, with no injuries reported so far.
Princess Aiko attended the opening ceremony of an international conference on semiconductor physics on the morning of August 17, expressing condolences for those killed in the Kumamoto earthquake and torrential rain in Chiba Prefecture before addressing researchers from around the world.
A 77-year-old man charged with attempted murder has gone missing after apparently leaving a hospital in Hakodate, Hokkaido, where he had been admitted for medical treatment, prompting prosecutors and police to search for him.
A 77-year-old hunter from Sunagawa, Hokkaido, who won a Supreme Court ruling overturning the revocation of his firearms license, filed a damages lawsuit against the national government and Hokkaido on August 17 after discovering that one of four seized hunting rifles had been destroyed years earlier without being returned to him.
All Nippon Airways has come under criticism over a new three-tier domestic fare system introduced from May 19, with complaints over seat assignments and reports that some passengers booked on the cheapest fares were unable to board their scheduled flights, prompting ANA to consider changes as it seeks to improve the profitability of a domestic network where about 60% of routes are in the red.
Nagoya City has begun individual consultations with disability advocacy groups over accessibility plans for the proposed wooden reconstruction of Nagoya Castle's main tower, as the two sides remain divided over how people with disabilities should be able to move between floors.
After 10 p.m., the clouds that had covered the sky above Shirakoma Pond gradually began to clear, revealing countless stars and the Milky Way rising vividly over the mountain lake in Nagano Prefecture's Northern Yatsugatake range.
About 10,000 fireworks illuminated the Kumano-nada Sea in brilliant colors on August 17 as the Kumano Grand Fireworks Festival was held in Kumano, Mie Prefecture, drawing about 80,000 spectators, according to organizers.
Hyogo Prefecture has been placed under a system requiring central government approval for new borrowing after its debt repayment burden exceeded a nationally defined threshold, raising concerns that worsening finances and higher interest rates could push the prefecture closer to serious fiscal distress.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic agenda came under fresh pressure on August 18 after weaker-than-expected growth figures exposed the fragility of Japan’s recovery, sharpening the political stakes around the Bank of Japan’s next rate decision, the weak yen, and the government’s plan to cut the consumption tax on food.
The United States dropped 49 mock atomic bombs across Japan in the closing weeks of World War II, killing around 400 people as American air crews practiced the techniques later used in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid held its first official soccer school in Hokkaido in August, bringing about 90 young players from across Japan to Urakawa, a town of roughly 11,000 people in the Hidaka region, with organizers now considering opening a permanent residential academy there as early as 2028.
Japanese researchers are developing a lithium-air battery that uses oxygen from the atmosphere to store and generate electricity, promising nearly five times the capacity of conventional lithium-ion batteries at less than half the weight and potentially opening the way to far longer electric vehicle driving ranges.
Japanese anime merchandise is enjoying a surge in popularity in China, where adults who grew up watching Japanese animation are increasingly spending on Gundam plastic models, Mini 4WD cars, figures and other character goods, helping fuel a rapidly expanding market known as the "goods economy."
Shizuoka Prefecture has regained its position as Japan's leading producer of first-flush tea, overtaking Kagoshima Prefecture for the first time in two years as favorable weather and growing demand for matcha helped boost production.
Tokyo stocks fell sharply on August 19, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,326.42, down 3.2%, its lowest finish since August 4, as renewed selling in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares combined with rising bond yields, higher oil prices and geopolitical concerns to trigger a broad risk-off move.
Real estate company Rewrite has built a business around properties that owners struggle to give away, sometimes listing them for just 1 yen in a strategy that produces virtually no immediate profit but can generate lucrative deals years later through referrals and repeat customers.
Pan Pacific International Holdings, the operator of Don Quijote discount stores and other retail businesses, posted net profit of 110.1 billion yen for the year through June 2026, up 21.6% from a year earlier and exceeding 100 billion yen for the first time.
JA Zen-Noh Niigata decided on August 18 to set its advance payment for standard Koshihikari rice from the 2026 crop at 18,500 yen per 60 kilograms of brown rice, about 40% lower than a year earlier as inventories continue to build.