'Tabi to Hibi' Wins Golden Leopard

Aug 17, 2025 | News On Japan

Switzerland, Aug 17, 2025 (News On Japan) - Director Sho Miyake’s film Tabi to Hibi (Journey and Days) has won the top prize, the Golden Leopard, at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, marking the first time in 18 years that a Japanese work has taken the award.

The 78th edition of the festival, held in the southern Swiss town of Locarno, awarded Miyake’s film the highest honor in the competition section.

The film stars South Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung, alongside Shinichi Tsutsumi and Yumi Kawai. It tells the story of a struggling screenwriter who begins to confront his life after encounters during a journey.

Founded in 1946, the Locarno festival is regarded as one of Europe’s most historic film events, alongside Cannes and Venice. According to the distributor, the last time a Japanese film received the top prize was in 2007, when Masahiro Kobayashi’s Ai no Yokan (The Rebirth) was awarded, making Miyake’s achievement a long-awaited milestone.

Source: TBS

Major Philippines Quake Triggers Tsunami Alert Across Japan

[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.

Unlicensed Peruvian Man Conducts Risky Medical Procedure During Delivery

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.

Bear Spotted Running Through Central Utsunomiya Shopping District

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.

Missing American Tourist Found Dead in Mountains Outside Kyoto

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.

Tokai and Kanto Enter Rainy Season as Heavy Rain Threatens Western Japan

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.

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