The Cannes Film Festival opened this week with three Japanese films nominated for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d'Or, including 'Sheep in the Box' directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, 'Nagi Notes' directed by Koji Fukada, and 'Suddenly Feeling Unwell' directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Japan has approved the application of public health insurance to a regenerative medicine product using iPS cells to treat Parkinson’s disease, marking the world’s first practical use of iPS cell-based regenerative medicine.
The National Red Cross Convention held on May 12 honored people involved in Red Cross activities across Japan. Empress Masako, serving as honorary president, attended the event alongside other female members of the Imperial Family, including Crown Princess Kiko, who serves as vice honorary president.
Three men, including 22-year-old Sakuya Murakami from Takatsuki City in Osaka Prefecture, were arrested on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury after allegedly spraying a man in the face with what is believed to have been bear repellent and attempting to steal his backpack on a street in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Prefecture, in April.
Thick black smoke billowed across an expressway in Fukuoka on May 11th after a fire broke out beneath an elevated section of the road, temporarily blocking visibility for drivers and forcing a partial road closure.
Several Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a special fraud operation in Indonesia have been detained, after a report from the family of a Japanese woman believed to have been trafficked led authorities to uncover the operation.
Damage caused by 'spring bears' emerging from hibernation is increasing across Japan, with sightings now being reported even near major tourist destinations, while those involved in hunter training warn of growing challenges in cultivating new bear hunters.
A tornado-like whirlwind was spotted on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture on May 11th, with dramatic footage capturing the swirling gust as it moved through a port area while lifting seawater into the air.
As rice planting season gets underway, a rare seasonal sight known as the “Upside-Down Hyono Mountain” has appeared in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, where the image of Mount Hyono is reflected on the surface of flooded terraced rice fields.
As ferries cut across the open waters between Wakayama and Tokushima during the Golden Week holidays, passengers aboard the Nankai Ferry found themselves enjoying a slower pace of travel far removed from Japan’s notorious highway congestion.
The House of Councillors' settlement committee convened on May 11th with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in attendance, as lawmakers continued debating the government's response to the worsening situation surrounding Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Takaichi returned to Japan after visits to Vietnam and Australia during the Golden Week holidays, securing agreements with both nations to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals and enhance cooperation on energy security, as Tokyo seeks to counter China’s economic pressure and navigate instability in the Middle East.
Brand rice variety Yumepirika was being planted one after another in rice paddies in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, as rice planting work accelerates across Japan ahead of the autumn harvest, with attention now turning to how much this year’s new rice will cost.
A crack was found in the cover surrounding the high-pressure turbine at Kansai Electric Power’s Mihama Nuclear Power Plant No. 3 reactor in Mihama, Fukui Prefecture, following a steam leak that occurred last week, the utility said.
Changes are emerging within PTAs that support children's school lives as growing numbers of dual-income households make it increasingly difficult for parents to participate in traditional school activities.
The Japanese government has ordered an urgent response to growing concerns over a new artificial intelligence system developed by U.S.-based Anthropic that could potentially be exploited for cyberattacks targeting financial institutions and critical infrastructure.
Foreign acquisition of Japanese land has become a growing topic of debate in recent years, and now the trend is reaching Ashiya, one of the Kansai region’s most prestigious residential areas, where soaring property prices are increasingly being linked to demand from wealthy Chinese buyers.
Bloomberg reported on May 11th that SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son held discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron regarding investment in AI data centers in France.
A tanker carrying approximately 45,000 kiloliters of crude oil from Azerbaijan arrived in Japan on May 12th, marking the first time Azerbaijani crude has reached the country as the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues.
Major snack manufacturer Calbee will switch the packaging of some of its products to black-and-white designs as instability in the Middle East disrupts the procurement of printing ink and other materials.