Mar 01 (VICE Asia) - In Taiji, Japan, the dolphin hunting industry has shifted from killing dolphins for their meat to a more lucrative, but equally controversial industry—the capture of live animals for overseas "dolphin shows."
In this video, VICE World News travels to the town made infamous in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove” with Ren Yabuki, the director of Life Investigation Agency, a Japanese animal rights NGO and the only group tasked with monitoring this year’s dolphin hunts.
Police in Osaka arrested a 48-year-old man on October 22nd after a tense 14-hour standoff in which he allegedly held a woman at knifepoint inside an apartment. A special tactical unit forced entry into the residence late at night, ending the standoff without injuries.
The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.
The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced on October 23rd that the season’s first snow had been observed on Mount Fuji, which stands 3,776 meters tall. Around 6 a.m., an official visually confirmed that snow had clearly accumulated near the summit.
After nearly a decade of construction, the newly rebuilt Haneda Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, one of Tokyo’s key arteries linking the city center with Haneda Airport, has been unveiled to the media ahead of its official switch to a new road on October 29th.
The newly launched Takaichi Cabinet moved into full operation on October 22nd, with early personnel decisions revealing a clear conservative tone. Satsuki Katayama was appointed as finance minister and Kimi Onoda as minister in charge of foreign resident policy, underscoring what observers are calling the emergence of a distinct “Takaichi color.”
A memorial service marking 80 years since the end of World War II was held in Shari, a town in Hokkaido’s Shiretoko region, on October 22nd to honor those who perished in the Northern Territories and other areas.
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Naoki Satake, an unemployed suspect, on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury after he allegedly sprayed tear gas on a man and tried to steal 53 million yen in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward in September.
A train window on the Tobu Tojo Line shattered while the train was in motion on the evening of October 22nd, leaving five passengers injured.
The number of people killed in bear attacks across Japan in 2025 has risen to nine—the highest ever recorded—prompting urgent responses from both the government and local authorities as incidents continue to spread from forests to residential areas.
A photograph of fireworks soaring above the Edo River in Chiba’s Ichikawa City — forming what looked like a glowing Mount Fuji — was taken down from city hall just one day after being displayed, following a single citizen complaint.
The October issue of the long-established American lifestyle magazine Town & Country features Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, on the cover under the headline "Princess Ingognito," dedicating a six-page spread to Komuro and her husband Kei, exploring their life in the United States.
Police have arrested a former host and several associates for allegedly coercing female customers into sex work after exploiting their romantic feelings and saddling them with massive debts.
A violent attack early on October 20th in Ibaraki Town, Ibaraki Prefecture left one man dead and another injured after they were stabbed with what appeared to be a bladed weapon inside an apartment. Police are investigating the case as a murder.
