News On Japan

Tsunami Warnings Lead to Temporary Closures of Convenience Stores, Restaurants and Factories

TOKYO - Tsunami warnings along Japan’s Pacific coast prompted widespread temporary closures of convenience stores, restaurants, factories and logistics operations on July 30th.

According to Seven-Eleven Japan, as of 2:30 p.m., 316 stores along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to the Kansai region had suspended operations. FamilyMart temporarily closed 273 outlets, and Lawson followed with 266.

Restaurants were also affected. McDonald’s Japan closed around 60 locations in areas under tsunami warning. Starbucks suspended operations in affected regions and urged customers to evacuate, saying it was responding store-by-store.

Among other food chains, Sukiya closed 43 outlets, Yoshinoya halted operations at some locations, and Hama Sushi temporarily shut down 19 restaurants.

Corporate operations were also disrupted. Iris Ohyama suspended activity at its Minamisoma plant in Fukushima Prefecture, which produces packaging for ready-to-eat rice. Kirin Holdings temporarily halted beer production at its Sendai and Yokohama breweries.

The companies reported that employees were evacuated to safety and that no damage had been confirmed.

Logistics services faced interruptions as well. Yamato Transport suspended collection and delivery at certain branches along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Sagawa Express also paused collection and delivery services from Hokkaido to Wakayama Prefecture.

Source: TBS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

[Updated 5:53 p.m.] A powerful earthquake struck off Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines at 8:38 a.m. (Japan time) on June 8th, generating tsunami waves across parts of the Pacific, causing building collapses and casualties near the epicenter, and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami advisories along a wide stretch of Japan's Pacific coastline, which remained in effect as of 5:53 p.m.

A clinic director and a former Peruvian staff member have been referred to prosecutors after the man allegedly performed medical procedures without a license, including an external cephalic version—a procedure used to manually turn a baby into the correct position before birth—at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Fukuoka City, raising concerns about patient safety and oversight in maternity care.

A large bear was captured on security camera footage running through a shopping arcade in central Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in the early hours of June 7th, as authorities stepped up warnings following a series of bear sightings across the city.

The family of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan, announced on June 7th that he has been found dead after a volunteer search-and-rescue group located his body in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, bringing a week-long multinational search to a tragic end.

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.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Travel NEWS

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.

Yakushima, a world natural heritage island in Kagoshima Prefecture, is marking 60 years since the discovery of Jomon Sugi, the island's iconic cedar tree estimated to be more than 2,000 years old, as concerns grow over the future of the ancient forests that have long supported both tourism and local life.

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.

A bear that injured four people in Fukushima City escaped despite efforts to capture it using tranquilizer darts and box traps, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain on high alert.

Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) swept across Japan on June 3rd, bringing record-breaking rainfall, widespread flooding, landslides, transport disruptions, and powerful winds, while prompting Tokyo's first-ever issuance of a Level 4 danger alert under the country's new weather warning system.