One of Osaka’s oldest cafes has closed, highlighting how a record surge in restaurant bankruptcies is sweeping up even long-established eateries. (News On Japan, KTV NEWS, 2026-01-12)

2025年12月に発表された調査によると、2025年1月から11月までの飲食店の倒産件数は、820件。

An illumination artwork under construction for the annual Kobe Luminarie light festival was found toppled at the venue in Kobe on the morning of January 11th, apparently after being hit by strong winds, with no injuries reported and organizers saying the event will proceed as scheduled. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2026-01-12)

11日朝、阪神大震災の犠牲者を追悼するため神戸市で毎年開かれる光の祭典「神戸ルミナリエ」の会場で、高さ約5メートルのイルミネーション作品が倒れているのが見つかった。

A traditional New Year event known as the “Lucky Man Selection,” in which participants compete to be the first to pray for the new year, was held on January 10th at Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture, the head shrine of “Ebessan,” the deity of prosperous business. (News On Japan, YOMIURI, 2026-01-12)

午前6時、太鼓の音を合図に西宮神社の門が開くと、くじで選ばれた108人を先頭に約5000人が230メートル先の本殿を目指し、石畳の参道を駆け抜けました。 　開門神事・福男選びは、商売繁盛を願う「十日えびす」の恒例行事で、本殿に到着した順に一番から三番までが福男となります。 　今年、一番福を射止めたのは、京都市の大学生、豊川哲平さん（22）です。 　一番福の大学生・豊川哲平さん（22） 「夢か現実か分からない状況でびっくりしているんですけど。初めての経験で本当にうれしいです」

A male whale measuring about 15 meters in length and weighing roughly 32 tons, which strayed into Osaka Bay and died in January 2024, was excavated from the site where it had been buried. The operation was carried out over two days, during which the whale’s bones were gradually uncovered. (News On Japan, Television OSAKA NEWS , 2026-01-09)

2024年1月、大阪湾に迷い込み死んだ全長約15メートル、重さ32トンの雄のクジラが、埋設されていた場所で掘り起こされました。作業は2日間にわたり行われ、骨がようやく姿を現しました。

According to vehicle-by-model new car sales figures released on January 8th by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the National Light Motor Vehicle Association, the best-selling vehicle in Japan in 2025 was Honda’s light vehicle N-BOX, marking its fourth consecutive year at the top of the rankings. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2026-01-09)

日本自動車販売協会連合会と全国軽自動車協会連合会が8日に発表した、車名別の新車販売台数によりますと、2025年に国内で最も売れたのは、ホンダの軽自動車「N-BOX」で、4年連続のトップとなりました。

Tourism industry leaders gathered in Naha to mark the start of the new year, as Okinawa’s visitor numbers continue to climb to unprecedented levels. The number of tourists entering Okinawa in fiscal 2025 is expected to exceed 10 million for the first time, setting a new record. With further growth anticipated, executives across the sector shared their outlook for 2026. (News On Japan, 沖縄ニュースOTV, 2026-01-08)

那覇市では、観光関連事業者が集い、新しい年の始まりを祝いました。 2025年度の入域観光客数は1000万人を突破し、過去最多となる見込みです。 更なる発展が期待される沖縄観光について、企業のトップに2026年の展望を聞きました。

Oriental Land, which operates Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, announced on January 6 that the combined cumulative number of visitors to the two parks has reached 900 million. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2026-01-07)

東京ディズニーランドと、東京ディズニーシーを運営するオリエンタルランドは6日、2つのパークをあわせた累計入園者数が、9億人に達したと発表しました。

The Hankyu Takarazuka Line is notable for having an unusually large number of stations named after shrines and temples, a feature that reflects a distinctive approach to railway-led urban development in Japan. (News On Japan, Television OSAKA NEWS , 2026-01-07)

宝塚市の「清荒神清澄寺」は1,100年の歴史を持ち、台所の神様を祀る寺として人々の信仰を集めてきました。この寺の名前は阪急宝塚線の駅名にもなっており、同線には神社仏閣の名前を冠した駅が19駅中4駅と全国的にも多い割合です。

According to population estimates released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 1, the number of 18-year-olds reaching adulthood this year stands at 1.09 million, the second-lowest figure since records began in 1968. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2026-01-02)

総務省がきのう公表した人口推計によりますと、ことし、新成人を迎える18歳の人口は109万人で、1968年の推計開始以来、過去二番目の少なさとなりました。

The draw for Japan’s year-end Jumbo Lottery, offering a combined top prize of 1 billion yen including front and back prizes, was held on December 31 at Tokyo Opera City in Shinjuku, with around 1,000 spectators watching anxiously as the numbers were revealed. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2026-01-01)

1等と前後賞合わせて10億円が当たる「年末ジャンボ宝くじ」の抽せん会が31日、東京都新宿区の東京オペラシティで開かれ、約千人の観客が、夢がかなうかどうか胸を躍らせながらステージを見つめた。

The Japanese stock market is entering a new phase as investors look ahead to 2026 following a volatile but ultimately strong year in 2025, when the Nikkei index briefly approached the 50,000-yen level. (News On Japan, 2025-12-31)

“5万円時代”突入2025年のマーケットを徹底総括！2026年の株価を大予想。テレビ東京の番組に出演するマーケットの専門家38人にアンケート調査を実施、株価を予想してもらいました。専門家をゲストに迎え、株価や為替、そして注目業界を展望します。

In response to growing calls for more places to smoke, Osaka City has announced plans to install 63 new smoking areas, including around JR Fukushima Station, after enforcing a citywide ban on smoking in public streets. (News On Japan, KTV NEWS, 2025-12-27)

路上喫煙が全面禁止となった大阪市で「タバコを吸える場所を増やして欲しい」との声が相次いでいるため、新たに63カ所に喫煙所が整備されることになりました。

Shoji Ozaki, a professional golfer affectionately known as “Jumbo” and the most successful winner in Japanese golf history, died on December 23 of sigmoid colon cancer. He was 78. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2025-12-25)

「ジャンボ」の愛称で親しまれ、日本で最多の通算112勝を挙げたプロゴルファーの尾崎将司さんが23日、S状結腸がんのため亡くなりました。78歳でした。

Foreign nationals have been appointed as drivers on local bus routes for the first time nationwide, using Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker program, in a move aimed at easing chronic labor shortages in the sector. (News On Japan, FNN, 2025-12-25)

全国で初めて特定技能制度を活用して、路線バスの運転手に外国人が起用されました。

Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced it will move to cut the application fee for 10-year passports by 7,000 yen, bringing the cost down to around 9,000 yen, as it prepares for a revision of the Passport Act. (News On Japan, TBS, 2025-12-24)

外務省は、10年用パスポートの申請手数料を7000円引き下げ、およそ9000円にする方向で調整を行っていくと発表しました。

Rapidus President Koike has unveiled what the company says is the world’s first next-generation semiconductor substrate measuring 600 millimeters on each side, marking a significant step forward for Japan’s emerging chipmaker. (News On Japan, テレ東BIZ, 2025-12-20)

日本の半導体メーカー、ラピダスの小池社長は、世界初という600ミリ角の次世代の半導体基板を公開しました。

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that it will increase subsidies for environmentally friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles by 400,000 yen. Under a revision to the clean energy vehicle promotion subsidy program, the ministry said it will raise the maximum subsidy for EVs by 400,000 yen to a ceiling of 1.3 million yen. (News On Japan, TBS, 2025-12-19)

EV＝電気自動車など環境に配慮した自動車への補助金について、経済産業省は40万円増額すると発表しました。

With just over two weeks remaining in 2025, preparations are in full swing for osechi, the elaborately prepared New Year’s dishes that line Japanese dining tables each year, but few may realize that one of osechi’s most essential ingredients is now facing an unprecedented crisis. Experts are issuing stark warnings that, at a realistic level, kelp could disappear from Hokkaido by the end of this century, raising concerns that extend far beyond holiday cuisine and into the very foundations of Japanese food culture. (News On Japan, KTV NEWS, 2025-12-18)

2025年もあと2週間あまり。年末の風物詩として、豪華絢爛な重箱「おせち」の準備が急ピッチで進められています。しかし、そんなおせちに欠かせない食材に危機が迫っているのをご存じでしょうか？ 専門家からは、「現実的なレベルで、今世紀末には北海道から昆布が無くなってしまうんじゃないか」と衝撃的な警告も上がっています。

The latest “Jalan Popular Hot Spring Destinations 2026” ranking, based on responses from more than 12,000 members of the travel site Jalan, has named Gunma Prefecture’s Kusatsu Onsen as the top hot spring area people most want to revisit, marking its third consecutive year at No. 1, with Hakone Onsen in Kanagawa coming in third and Beppu Onsenkyo in Oita second. (News On Japan, FNN, 2025-12-16)

旅行サイト「じゃらん」の会員1万2000人以上が選んだ「じゃらん人気温泉地ランキング2026」が発表されました。

Rakuten Mobile continues to draw attention every earnings season, and while its losses have been narrowing, the pain it inflicts on the Rakuten Group’s overall performance has not fundamentally changed. Even so, chair Hiroshi Mikitani describes the mobile business as contributing “more than expected,” and insists the company will maintain its stance of keeping low-price, unlimited data plans even as other carriers move to raise fees. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2025-12-10)

決算の度に話題になる楽天モバイル。赤字額が縮小してきたとはいえ、楽天グループ全体の業績の足を引っ張る形は変わっていません。

A Kyoto school has apologized after confirming that a group of its students appeared in a widely circulated social media video showing boys speaking Japanese and placing clothing items into their bags at what is believed to be a shop in Bali, Indonesia, during a study trip on December 4th. (News On Japan, FNN, 2025-12-10)

少年らが窃盗行為を行っている動画がSNSで拡散している問題で、京都市の学校が自校の生徒だとして謝罪しました。

Kamakura City, known internationally as the setting for the hit anime “SLAM DUNK,” plans to halt the issuance of its popular local license plates at the end of January 2026, raising debate among residents who question why a design long cherished by locals must be discontinued. (News On Japan, FNN, 2025-12-08)

人気アニメ「SLAM DUNK」の聖地として知られる神奈川・鎌倉市は、ご当地ナンバーのプレートの絵柄になっています。 ただ、この絵柄のナンバープレートが交付停止になるようで、市民の意見が今割れているようです。

Toyota unveiled its new GR GT supercar on December 5th at Woven City, the next-generation technology testbed located in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, marking the model’s world debut as the automaker targets a release around 2027, positioning the vehicle as the pinnacle of its GR sports-car lineup and its first true supercar since the Lexus LFA launched in 2010. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2025-12-05)

トヨタ自動車は5日、新型スーパーカー「GR GT」を、静岡県裾野市の次世代技術の実証都市「ウーブン・シティ」で世界初公開した。2027年ごろの発売を目指す。

Tokyo’s Tsukiji Outer Market has taken the unusual step of asking tourists not to visit in December as operators move to prevent crowd-related accidents during the busy year-end shopping season, with local officials also confirming that Shibuya’s New Year’s Eve countdown will be canceled for the sixth consecutive year. (News On Japan, TBS, 2025-12-04)

年末に向けた混雑対策が始まっています。東京の築地場外市場では、観光目的の訪問を12月は控えるよう呼びかけています。

The average budget for Christmas gifts in 2025 is set to rise from 2024 as so-called age-less toys gain popularity, according to a survey released on December 2nd by the Japan Toy Association on toys people hope to give to their children or grandchildren. (News On Japan, FNN, 2025-12-03)

2025年のクリスマスプレゼントの平均予算は2024年より増える中、「エイジレストイ」が人気です。