Society

Two Workers Killed After Being Trapped Beneath Vacuum Truck

OITA, Dec 02 (News On Japan) - Two male workers died after becoming trapped beneath a vacuum truck on a municipal road in Hita, Oita, with emergency responders confirming on December 1st that both had suffered fatal injuries after the vehicle appeared to move unexpectedly while they were preparing to begin waste collection work.

According to police and local authorities, the incident occurred at around 2:10 p.m., when a passerby reported that two men were pinned under a vacuum truck. Firefighters who arrived at the scene managed to pull the victims out, but both — one in his forties and the other in his sixties — were later pronounced dead.

The workers were about to start pumping sewage when the accident occurred, and given that the front section of the truck was found damaged, investigators believe the vehicle may have moved for unknown reasons, dragging the two men underneath. Police are continuing to examine the circumstances to determine what caused the truck to shift.

Source: FNN

Japan's Main Opposition CDP and Komeito Agree to Form New Party

Prime Minister Sanae Takaiichi formally informed senior ruling-party officials on the evening of January 15th of her intention to dissolve the lower house, pushing Japan decisively into full election mode, only for political dynamics to shift again the following day when the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito announced they had agreed to form a new political party.

Japanese Astronaut Yui Returns to Earth After Five Months on ISS

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui returned safely to Earth on January 15th, smiling and waving after completing more than five months aboard the International Space Station.

Hokkaido Shinkansen Sapporo Extension Delayed by 12 Years

The long-delayed extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo is facing further setbacks, with the opening now pushed back by more than a decade and total project costs projected to more than double, even as construction steadily advances on the ground.

Water Gushes From Kasumigaseki Station

Water erupted from near the ceiling of an underground passage inside Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station in Chiyoda Ward at around 6:00 p.m. on January 14th, in what the operator believes was caused by a burst water supply pipe.

Hokkaido to Ease Brown Bear Alerts

Hokkaido is set to relax the criteria for issuing its so-called “brown bear alert,” making it possible to release warnings even before human injuries occur, as the prefecture seeks to respond more flexibly to the early appearance of dangerous animals.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Two Men Stabbed During Eviction in Tokyo, One Dead

The suspect, surrounded by police officers, is seen in footage taken immediately after his arrest for allegedly stabbing two men who came to his apartment, in an incident that left one dead and another injured.

Missing Nurse Sent Message About Spending New Year’s Eve With Boyfriend

A woman’s body was discovered inside the wall of a restaurant in the town of Hidaka, Hokkaido, in a case that has led to the arrest of the restaurant’s owner, with new details emerging about the circumstances of the discovery and the relationship between the two.

Water Gushes From Kasumigaseki Station

Princess Aiko Recites Waka on Memories of Laos

The annual New Year imperial poetry ceremony, known as Utakai Hajime, was held at the Imperial Palace, where Princess Aiko’s waka poem was recited publicly for the first time and Prince Hisahito made his debut appearance at the traditional event.

Ainu Stand Up to Discrimination

A preview trailer has been released for the Hokkaido Fact program “Ainu and the Majority: Who Stands Up to Discrimination,” scheduled to air on January 18th, 2026, from 3:54 p.m. to 4:24 p.m., examining how the structure of thinking around discrimination is beginning to change.