TOKYO - JR East has received government approval to revise fares, including a 10-yen increase in the base fare for the Yamanote Line, raising it from 150 yen to 160 yen.
The fare revision will apply to standard tickets and commuter passes across JR East’s network. The change is scheduled to take effect in March 2026.
The additional revenue will be allocated to safety measures and capital investment.
Source: FNN
More than 1,200 vehicles are believed to have been left stranded on roads across Chiba Prefecture after torrential rain caused widespread flooding, with authorities confirming eight deaths and investigating a drainage pump failure at an underpass where a man died.
The death toll from the record-breaking heavy rain in Chiba Prefecture has risen to eight, with one person still missing and damage reported to at least 170 homes as flooding, landslides, water outages and transport disruptions continued on August 14.
Japan's weather agency raised the volcanic alert level for Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture from Level 2 to Level 3 on August 14 after volcanic tremors strengthened and gas emissions increased sharply, warning people to stay away from areas within about 2 kilometers of the Nakadake No. 1 crater.
Typhoon No. 17 was moving east near Minamitorishima on August 14 and is expected to continue weakening before becoming a tropical depression by August 16.
Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.
Donguri Village, an interactive tourist attraction in Saga city that has welcomed visitors for nearly four decades, is expected to close as early as autumn 2027 because of aging facilities and a decline in visitor numbers.
A woman believed to be a foreign visitor has drawn criticism after posting images on social media showing herself climbing and posing on an ancient camphor tree more than 800 years old at Onamuchi Shrine in Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, where climbing the protected tree is prohibited.
Bear sightings are increasing across Japan as the animals become more active during their summer breeding season, with encounters reported near major tourist destinations, campsites and fishing areas, including an attack that left a man injured in Gunma Prefecture.
The return rush at Kansai International Airport peaked on August 14 as travelers who spent the Obon holiday overseas arrived back in Japan, with 39,300 international passengers expected to land at the airport during the day.
Osaka police have arrested or referred 38 men and women in their 20s to 40s over suspected dangerous group driving and other offenses on Hanna Road, a mountain route linking Daito in Osaka Prefecture with Nara, as illegal street racing continues to disturb residents despite years of enforcement.
A male employee in his 60s was injured after being attacked by a bear while working on the grounds of a garden center in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, at around 8:30 a.m. on August 13.
Japan is often introduced to first-time travellers through Tokyo, but the country’s appeal extends far beyond its futuristic capital.
All Nippon Airways said on August 12 that it will lower fuel surcharges added to international airfares for tickets issued from September, following a temporary easing in fuel prices after a sharp rise linked to worsening conditions in the Middle East.
