Japan's Meteorological Agency announced on June 7th that the rainy season is believed to have begun in the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions, marking the seasonal shift to wetter weather across a broad area of the country.
Expectations for Japan are unusually high heading into the 2026 World Cup, with the team now aiming not merely to reach the knockout stage but to finally break through the Round of 16 and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.
At Futamigaoka Farm, operated by Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido, the people caring for the cattle are not livestock farmers but inmates serving prison sentences. Through daily work raising cattle, they are learning responsibility, empathy, and the value of life as Japan marks one year since the introduction of a new correctional system that places greater emphasis on rehabilitation.
A medium poodle named Rokuta, a member of Hiroshima's Wanpato Squad neighborhood patrol program, and his owner, Eri Toya, have received a letter of appreciation after helping locate a missing elderly woman in Fuchu Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, while on a routine patrol walk.
A 60-year-old unemployed man has been arrested and indicted for allegedly stealing water meters from apartment complexes in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in what police believe was a scheme to sell the devices amid soaring copper prices and a growing nationwide wave of metal thefts.
A 16-year-old boy accused of carrying out a deadly home invasion in Tochigi Prefecture has been re-arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery-murder involving the two sons of a 69-year-old woman who was killed during the attack, police said.
Residents in Nara Prefecture are celebrating after UNESCO's advisory body recommended the archaeological complex known as the Asuka-Fujiwara Ancient Capitals for inscription as a World Heritage site, bringing the historic birthplace of Japan's ancient state one step closer to international recognition.
Japan could face a more active typhoon season than usual in 2026, with private weather forecaster Weathernews predicting around 28 typhoons to form during the year—above the long-term average of 25.1—and warning that approximately 14 could approach Japan, increasing the risk of weather-related disruptions across the country.
Tourists are once again taking to the waters of the Kitayama River along the borders of Wakayama, Mie, and Nara prefectures, where a popular traditional rafting experience recreates the historic practice of transporting mountain timber by raft from Kitayama Village downstream to Shingu City.
A newly formed tropical depression in the South China Sea could bring another round of heavy rain to western Japan as it interacts with the seasonal rain front, meteorologists have warned, only days after Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) caused widespread damage across the country.
The Japanese government approved its 2026 Environment White Paper at a Cabinet meeting on June 5th, warning that a record-high 50,000-plus bear sightings recorded nationwide during fiscal 2025 have become a serious threat to public safety while also highlighting growing concerns over Japan's aging hunting population and the need to train a new generation of hunters.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faced intense questioning in the House of Representatives Budget Committee on June 4th over allegations surrounding defamatory campaign videos, telling lawmakers she had not verified newly released audio published by Weekly Bunshun because she had no intention of becoming a paid subscriber to the magazine's online service.
Major meat processor Itoham announced on June 5th that it will launch a new lower-priced product line next month as companies continue to grapple with rising costs driven by inflation and instability in the Middle East.
A panel exhibition held in Sapporo this year has reignited debate over what many experts and Ainu activists describe as a new form of discrimination—one that denies the Indigenous status of the Ainu people and seeks to reinterpret the history of discrimination they endured in Japan.
Beneath Tokyo Skytree, in a research laboratory owned by preeminent martial arts enthusiast Mitsunari Tokugawa, a forbidden experiment is underway. Using cutting-edge science and technology, the experiment aims to create a clone from the corpse of legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto and resurrect him in the present day.
The Japan national football team has begun its pre-World Cup training camp in Monterrey, Mexico, as players prepare for the tournament under challenging conditions, including temperatures exceeding 33 degrees Celsius.
Japan is grappling with worsening shortages of naphtha-derived materials three months after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arguing that the country's problem is not a lack of supply but a breakdown in distribution, while opposition parties are urging the government to intervene against suspected hoarding and speculative stockpiling.
Former Mie Governor and Liberal Democratic Party Policy Research Council Special Adviser Eikei Suzuki has called for a stronger government role in Japan's energy policy, arguing that the country's heavy dependence on Middle Eastern oil is the result of decades of market-driven procurement and that rising energy prices now pose a greater threat than supply shortages.
The battle over the Strait of Hormuz is triggering a new economic shock across Asia, with rising oil prices and a flight to safe-haven assets such as the US dollar and gold weakening currencies throughout the region.
Corn farmer Wataru Hikosaka in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, says concerns continue to mount as soaring fertilizer prices linked to tensions in the Middle East add to the challenges facing growers already dealing with typhoon damage.
A court is set to hand down its verdict on August 28th in the trial of former Momuri president Shinji Tanimoto and his wife Shiori, who are accused of violating Japan's Attorney Act by illegally referring clients of the retirement agency service to lawyers.
Japan's household spending fell for the fifth consecutive month in April, highlighting continued pressure on consumers as rising prices and growing concerns over instability in the Middle East weighed on household budgets.
Japan's largest electronics retailer, Yamada Holdings, and Osaka-based Edion announced on June 5th that they have agreed to integrate their businesses, creating a group with annual sales of approximately 2.5 trillion yen as competition in the consumer electronics industry intensifies and companies seek new ways to boost growth in a shrinking domestic market.
Japan's real wages rose 1.9% in April from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth and the longest stretch of positive gains in about five years as this year's spring labor-management wage negotiations began feeding through into workers' paychecks.