Traveler Catches Bag Thief in Fukuoka Park

May 12, 2025 | News On Japan

FUKUOKA - A man has been arrested in Fukuoka for allegedly stealing a backpack from a tourist in a city park.

According to police, a 46-year-old man visiting from Yokohama was using a public restroom at Imaizumi Park in Chuo Ward around 10:30 p.m. on May 10th. When he exited, he saw an unknown man attempting to take the backpack he had left on a bench. The tourist immediately apprehended the man and handed him over to police.

The backpack reportedly contained clothes for travel.

The suspect, identified as 46-year-old unemployed resident Ishibashi Minoru of Fukuoka City, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of theft. He has denied the allegations, telling police, "The accusation is false."

Source: KBC

Woman Dies After Car Flooded in Underpass

A woman in her 60s died after her car was submerged in a flooded underpass in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, as record rainfall caused widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption across Kanto and surrounding areas on September 7, with authorities warning that further rain was expected during the evening commute.

All of Ishinomaki City Ordered to Evacuate as Rain Pounds Tohoku

An evacuation order has been issued for the entire city of Ishinomaki and parts of Marumori in Miyagi Prefecture as heavy rain caused by the autumn rain front disrupts transportation across the region, with a linear rainband potentially forming along the Pacific side of Tohoku through the evening.

Yokohama Mayor Resigns Over Power Harassment Allegations

Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka resigned on September 7 after the city assembly unanimously approved his request to step down over allegations of workplace power harassment, setting the stage for a mayoral election in October.

Typhoon No. 24 Nears Minami-Daito Before Weakening Into Tropical Depression

Typhoon No. 24 (Krovahn) was near Minami-Daito Island, about 300 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, as of 3 a.m. on September 7, moving east-northeast at about 10 kilometers per hour and expected to weaken into a tropical depression by the afternoon, although strong winds and high waves were forecast to persist before its remnants move north and potentially intensify the autumn rain front over western and eastern Japan later in the week.

Tokyo Unveils Design for Symbol Tree at Shinjuku Station

Tokyo has unveiled the design for a major redevelopment of the plaza outside Shinjuku Station's west exit, with a landmark tree, water-play area and event space planned as part of a transformation centered on "greenery, light and people" that is scheduled for completion in 2035.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Travel NEWS

Japan Customs Blocks Record Number of Imports Over IP Violations

Japanese customs authorities blocked a record 19,568 shipments suspected of infringing intellectual property rights in the first half of 2026, up 12% from a year earlier, as the expansion of cross-border e-commerce drove an increase in imported parcels.

Hikone Castle Selected for UNESCO World Heritage Nomination

Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture has been formally selected as Japan's candidate for nomination as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, advancing a campaign that has continued for more than 30 years and aims to secure inscription in the summer of 2028.

Highway Service Areas Become Tourist Destinations

Highway service areas around the Kanto region are becoming destinations in their own right, offering travelers everything from freshly harvested vegetables and popular regional restaurant dishes to baths, observation decks and family events during the busy summer vacation season.

Japan Doubles Fuel Subsidy Rate for Domestic Airlines

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry raised subsidies for aviation fuel used on domestic flights from September 3, doubling the support rate while ending subsidies for international flights.

Shinkansen Takes on Overnight Travel

Night trains are making a comeback across Japan, with railway operators introducing new overnight services and even experimenting with overnight Shinkansen trains as demand grows for alternatives that combine transportation, accommodation and the experience of traveling through the night.

Osaka Plans to Bar New Minpaku Operations in Wooden Buildings

Osaka City plans to tighten regulations on private lodging businesses, or minpaku, by generally prohibiting new operations in wooden and steel-frame apartment buildings where residents already live, following repeated complaints over noise and garbage.

Bear Attacks Continue as Peak Season Looms

Bear sightings and attacks have been reported across Japan throughout the summer, with animals damaging sheds, attacking livestock and injuring people, while experts warn that autumn is the most dangerous season as bears expand their range in search of food.

Kashima Shrine Holds Once-in-12-Years Ofune Festival

Kashima Shrine in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, held its Ofune Festival on September 2, with a spectacular fleet of more than 100 brightly decorated boats sailing along rivers and across lakes in a tradition staged once every 12 years during the Year of the Horse.

< 2 3 4 5 >