News On Japan

Tokyo 3rd in list of 'most attractive' cities

Dec 12 (NHK) - A Japanese think tank has ranked Tokyo third in its list of the world's most attractive cities. The Institute for Urban Strategies has given Japan's capital the same spot for the past 5 years.

The top ranking went to London, which has occupied that position for 9 years running. New York held onto second place.

The gap from the top two down to Tokyo has widened.

The assessment uses 70 indicators in 6 categories to rank 48 major cities.

The categories are economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility.

In the economy and cultural interaction categories, Tokyo stayed in fourth place. It kept its third-place ranking for research and development.

But in terms of livability, it dropped one spot to twelfth.

Japan's capital is languishing near the bottom of the rankings when it comes to work-style flexibility.

It ranked forty-first on that measure, which looks at how easy it is for people to do their jobs remotely.

The institute says companies need to adopt a more open-minded approach.

Two other Japanese cities are on the list. Osaka ranked thirty-third. That's down four notches. And Fukuoka came in at forty-third, down one place.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A passenger car was captured speeding across the frame from left to right by a security camera just moments before a fatal crash in Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, that claimed the lives of four vocational school students.

A fire broke out on the evening of April 25th on an electronic billboard attached to the Yodobashi Camera commercial complex in front of JR Osaka Station, prompting a large emergency response. No injuries were reported.

Organic fluorine compounds known as PFAS—suspected to be harmful to human health—have been detected at concentrations exceeding the national provisional target in rivers and groundwater at 242 sites across 22 prefectures, according to a government survey.

The Japanese government will begin issuing blue tickets for bicycle traffic violations in April 2026, with fines including 5,000 yen for ignoring stop signs and up to 12,000 yen for riding while using a smartphone.

A 26-year-old woman was arrested in the early hours of April 24th in Kasuya Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. While admitting to the offense, she claimed, "I ate chocolate that contained alcohol."

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

After 77 years, Tokyo is set to return blue skies to Nihonbashi as the city buries its expressways underground and reimagines its historic heart.

The Emperor and Empress attended the Greenery Ceremony, an annual event honoring researchers who have made outstanding contributions in fields such as plant and forest conservation.

Nearly three months after a road collapse in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, authorities are preparing to resume the search for the missing truck driver as early as next week.

The Japanese government will begin issuing blue tickets for bicycle traffic violations in April 2026, with fines including 5,000 yen for ignoring stop signs and up to 12,000 yen for riding while using a smartphone.

A woman’s body discovered in a freezer at a residence in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, is now believed to have been concealed there for approximately four and a half years, police announced.

A 26-year-old woman was arrested in the early hours of April 24th in Kasuya Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. While admitting to the offense, she claimed, "I ate chocolate that contained alcohol."

A man who was charged with committing an act of abuse against his young daughter and distributing a video of the incident through a private social media group admitted to the allegations during his first court appearance.

A monkey walking upright on two legs was spotted in a residential area of Tokyo on April 23rd, drawing attention as it crossed a street in the rain before entering a nearby field and munching on crops.