The name of a Japanese figure involved in a national government project has appeared more than 8,000 times in investigative records related to the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with sex trafficking and other crimes, sparking controversy and raising concerns over the future of the state-backed initiative. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-03-01)

性的人身売買などの罪に問われたアメリカの富豪・エプスタイン元被告に関する捜査資料“エプスタイン文書”に、日本の国家プロジェクトに関わる人物の名前が8000回以上書かれていて、物議を醸しています。

The assembly of a massive shield machine for tunnel construction at the Kanagawa Station site of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen has been completed, with the site opened to the media as excavation prepares to move forward toward Nagoya. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-27)

リニア中央新幹線の神奈川県駅の工事でシールドマシンの組み立てが完了し、現場が報道陣に公開されました。

The number of children born nationwide last year fell for the tenth straight year to a record low, but Tokyo saw a year-on-year increase for the first time in nine years, highlighting how local support measures and job opportunities may help counter Japan’s declining birthrate. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-27)

去年、全国で生まれた子どもの数が10年連続で過去最少を更新するなか、9年ぶりにプラスに転じたのが東京都です。少子化に歯止めをかけるために必要な取り組みとは。

The lay judge trial has begun for a man accused of fatally assaulting his six-year-old niece and concealing her body in concrete, after the remains were discovered at a residence in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, with the defendant telling the court on February 26th that the charges were “correct.” (News On Japan, YOMIURI, 2026-02-27)

大阪府八尾市の住宅でコンクリート詰めにされた女の子の遺体が見つかった事件で、傷害致死などの罪に問われている男の裁判員裁判が始まり、男は「間違いありません」と起訴内容を認めました。

A shift appears to be underway in inbound tourism, with Chinese visitor numbers declining while arrivals from Southeast Asia—particularly Thailand—are rising and repeat travelers increasingly seeking experiences rooted in everyday Japanese life. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-24)

日本に来る中国人観光客が減る一方、東南アジア、特にタイからの観光客は増えているということです。

Aichi Prefecture recorded the highest number of car thefts nationwide in 2025, with more than 1,000 cases as thefts continue to rise in recent years, and Land Cruisers account for 40 percent of the vehicles targeted, prompting authorities to warn that multiple layers of security are essential to deter increasingly sophisticated methods. (News On Japan, Nagoya TV News, 2026-02-24)

ここ数年増えている車の盗難ですが、2025年の愛知県の被害件数は全国ワーストでした。その手口と対策は。

Gold prices continue to surge, while China’s restrictions on rare earths and other developments are drawing renewed attention to mineral resources, prompting a closer look at resource strategies in an increasingly geopolitical era through an interview with Sumitomo Metal Mining President Shinsuke Matsumoto. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-23)

金価格の高騰が続いています。さらに、中国によるレアアース規制などから、非鉄金属など鉱物資源に注目が集まっています。 鉱物資源の採掘・精錬などを行う「住友金属鉱山」の松本社長に地政学の時代の資源戦略を聞いてきました。

Japan’s nationwide consumer price index in January rose 2.0% from a year earlier, slowing from the previous month as lower energy prices, driven by the abolition of the provisional gasoline tax rate, helped ease inflationary pressures. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2026-02-20)

総務省が発表した1月の全国消費者物価指数は、変動の大きい生鮮食品を除く総合指数が1年前に比べて、2.0％上昇しました。

With more than 4.4 million applicants each year, the Eiken English proficiency test is one of Japan’s largest language examinations, but controversy has emerged after some test-takers received zero points on a summary question, prompting confusion and concern. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-20)

年間の志願者数が440万人を超える「英検」。一部の問題をめぐって、「0点だった」などと採点に困惑する声が話題となっています。何があったのか、取材しました。

JR East announced today that it will launch a new service around autumn this year allowing passengers to reserve Shinkansen seats in as little as one minute. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-20)

JR東日本はきょう、新幹線の座席を最短1分で予約できるサービスを今年の秋ごろに始めると発表しました。

Japan’s oldest surviving manga-like artwork, the National Treasure Choju-giga, is preserved under strict management by being divided between Tokyo and Kyoto in an effort to safeguard the cultural asset from disasters and long-term deterioration. (News On Japan, Television OSAKA NEWS , 2026-02-19)

京都市中心部から車で約1時間の山間にある高山寺には、国宝「鳥獣戯画」が伝わっています。

Japan’s transport ministry has decided on a policy to prohibit the use of mobile batteries on aircraft as early as April following a string of incidents in which the devices caught fire during flights. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-19)

モバイルバッテリーが航空機内で発火する事例が相次いでいることを受け、国土交通省は4月にも機内でのモバイルバッテリーの使用を禁止する方針を固めたことがわかった。

Medical consultation fees at healthcare institutions in Japan are set to rise starting in June as authorities move to address soaring costs and wage increases, with around 70 percent of hospitals nationwide currently operating at a loss. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-16)

病院の経営悪化が問題となる中、医療機関の収入となる診療報酬について物価高や賃上げに対応するため、2027年から多くの医療機関で初診料が114円増える見通しです。

Long lines have been forming daily outside the Japanese Embassy in Russia as people seek tourist visas to visit Japan, with an unprecedented boom in travel interest despite Moscow designating Japan an “unfriendly nation” over sanctions related to the Ukraine invasion. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-16)

ロシアにある日本大使館には、観光ビザを求めて連日長い行列ができているといいます。

The global matcha boom is driving up costs in Japan’s historic tea capital, with Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture set to raise usage fees at its municipal tea rooms by roughly 50% as soaring demand pushes up the price of tencha, the raw material used to produce matcha. (News On Japan, YOMIURI, 2026-02-14)

京都の宇治市にある市営の茶室の利用料が、5割ほど値上げされることに。世界を股にかけた”抹茶バブル”が引き起こす思わぬ影響とは。

A startup is working to curb global warming by feeding seaweed to cattle in an effort to reduce methane emissions from their burps, with plans to commercialize the technology in the coming years. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-12)

海藻を食べさせ、牛のゲップに含まれたメタンを減らして、地球温暖化にブレーキをかけるスタートアップの挑戦に迫りました。

The arrival of pollen season has once again begun to affect large parts of Japan, but new research aimed at preventing cedar pollen from dispersing is raising hopes that the future could bring relief for millions of sufferers, with scientists working on a method to wither only the male flowers of cedar trees and stop pollen at its source. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-10)

いよいよ花粉シーズンの到来。実は今、「雄花だけを枯らして花粉を飛ばさない」研究がされています。実用化はいつごろなのでしょうか。

A prolonged spell of dry weather has led to water shortages and even a “red river” in parts of Japan, with farmers and public facilities sounding alarms as reservoirs shrink and temperatures climb in the Kanto region. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-07)

東京では乾燥注意報が17日連続で発表されるなど、長引くカラカラ天気。

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei at the prime minister’s office on February 5th, where Wei said the company plans to produce cutting-edge semiconductors equivalent to a 3-nanometer process at its second plant under construction in Kumamoto Prefecture, marking the first such production in Japan. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2026-02-06)

高市早苗首相と半導体受託生産大手、台湾積体電路製造(TSMC)の魏哲家会長兼最高経営責任者(CEO)が5日、首相官邸で面会した。

A picture book co-authored by Shohei Ohtani, featuring his beloved dog Decoy as the main character, has been released in the United States, with all proceeds set to be donated to charity. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-02-05)

メジャーリーグ・ドジャースの大谷翔平選手が共同著者を務め、愛犬のデコピンを主役に描いた絵本がアメリカで発売されました。

The Sapporo Snow Festival is set to open on February 4, with final preparations completed despite record-breaking snowfall in the city. (News On Japan, 北海道ニュースUHB, 2026-02-03)

「さっぽろ雪まつり」がいよいよ2月4日開幕します。

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of selling tusks from endangered elephants on an online auction site after falsely labeling them as “mammoth tusks” or “ivory-style” products. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-02-03)

絶滅のおそれがあるゾウの牙を「マンモスの牙」などと偽り、オークションサイトで販売した疑いなどで男3人が逮捕されました。

The effective job-offers-to-applicants ratio fell for a second consecutive year in 2025, reflecting a broad-based slowdown in hiring amid rising costs and wage pressures. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2026-02-01)

2年連続で低下しました。厚生労働省が発表した2025年の有効求人倍率は1.22倍で、前の年を0.03ポイント下回りました。マイナスは2年連続です。

Toyota Motor Corp. said on January 29th that its global vehicle sales in 2025 reached a record high, marking the sixth consecutive year the automaker has ranked first worldwide, supported by strong demand for hybrid vehicles in North America. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-01-30)

トヨタ自動車は29日、2025年の実績を発表し、レクサスを含むトヨタ単体の世界販売台数が、2024年比3.7％増の1053万6807台で過去最高となりました。

Mos Burger has launched a hybrid drive-through service combining artificial intelligence and staff support, aiming to improve customer service while helping stores cope with labor shortages. (News On Japan, FNN, 2026-01-23)

AIと人のハイブリッドで提供するドライブスルーサービスがスタートしました。