News On Japan

First baby deer of Reiwa era born in Nara

May 08 (NHK) - The first baby deer of the new Japanese era of Reiwa has been born at a park in the ancient capital of Nara.

The wild deer that inhabit areas in and around Nara Park are designated a natural treasure by the government. Each year at this time, a local conservation group keeps pregnant does at the "Rokuen" deer shelter in the park to help them safely deliver their young.

On Tuesday morning, a member of the group confirmed the birth of the first fawn of the Reiwa Era.

The female fawn is 54 centimeters long and weighs 3,000 grams.

Reporters were allowed into the shelter to watch the newborn, which was in apparent good health, running around or resting in the shade of a tree.

The conservation group says births will peak toward next month, and about 200 new deer are expected, as in most years.

The baby deer will be shown to the public at the facility starting on June 1.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A professional women’s golf tournament scheduled to begin on July 17th in Miyagi Prefecture was canceled after a bear was spotted on the course, as bear-related incidents continue to mount in northern Japan.

For the first time in 27 years, since the 118th prize in 1998, both the Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize were left without a recipient, marking only the sixth instance in the prize’s history that such a decision has been made.

A host club operator in Nagoya has been arrested for allegedly threatening a female customer at her home in an attempt to collect about 1 million yen in unpaid club bills. This marks the first such arrest in Japan following the enforcement of revised regulations on the adult entertainment industry.

Nissan Motor announced on the evening of July 15th that it will end vehicle production at its key Oppama Plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, by the end of fiscal 2027. Company President Ivan Espinosa held a press conference at 5 p.m. to explain the decision.

About 300 railway enthusiasts gathered near JR Ōmiya Station in Saitama City around 3 a.m. on July 13th, creating chaos that escalated to the point of police intervention.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Saitama Prefectural Police have discovered several million yen in cash during a search of the home shared by the wife and second son of Chizuo Matsumoto, the former Aum Shinrikyo cult leader who was executed in 2018, according to interviews with people involved in the investigation.

In Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, a traditional thread-spinning craft used to produce strings for the koto and shamisen continues to be practiced using silk drawn directly from cocoons.

In Tokyo’s Shibuya district, the issue of people drinking alcohol outside convenience stores—known as “konbini drinking”—has already erupted into a full-fledged summer spectacle. Foreign visitors have begun gathering in Center Gai, bottles in hand, despite a ban on nighttime street drinking in place since October 2024.

A 52-year-old newspaper deliveryman was killed in the early hours of July 12th after being attacked by a bear in a residential area of Fukushima Town, Hokkaido.

A Tokyo court has sentenced Manabu Wakui to 15 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of a woman on the grounds of a high-rise condominium in Shinjuku Ward in May 2024. The Tokyo District Court ruled that Wakui carried out the attack to satisfy a personal grudge without first exhausting legal channels, stating that his actions could not be justified as revenge.

A Chinese man detained at an Osaka police facility has filed a lawsuit against the Osaka Prefectural Government, claiming that he was forcibly taken to an interrogation room despite refusing to participate and had his right to remain silent violated.

A vending machine equipped with a surveillance camera has been installed inside Aeon Mall Kyoto Katsuragawa as part of a new agreement between the Kyoto Minami Police Station and the mall operator to deter criminal activity and enhance regional security.

A 55-year-old company employee has been arrested for allegedly placing stones on the tracks of the Meitetsu Komaki Line in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, disrupting train operations.