Dec 14, 2021 (Wall Street Journal) - As the cost of groceries, clothing and electronics have gone up in the U.S., prices in Japan have stayed low.
WSJ’s Peter Landers goes shopping in Tokyo to explain why flat prices, though good for your wallet, can be a sign of a slow-growing economy.
A landslide struck a parking area at Mount Fuji's Fujinomiya fifth station in Shizuoka Prefecture shortly after midnight on September 9, sweeping up three parked vehicles but causing no injuries, prefectural authorities said.
Heavy rain intensified across the Tokai and Kanto regions on September 9, with locally developed rain clouds bringing wind-driven downpours to Gifu Prefecture and steady rain to Tokyo, while forecasters warned that another round of strong rain could reach Kanto during the night.
Large volumes of floodwater poured into the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, following heavy rain on September 7, prompting the massive underground flood-control facility known as the "Underground Temple" to go into operation.
Osaka Metro plans to abolish magnetic tickets and replace them with QR code-based tickets around fiscal 2031, as declining use and the cost of maintaining conventional ticket gates accelerate the shift toward digital fare systems.
Ticket sales for the Asian Games are gathering pace with less than two weeks until the competition begins, with more than 60% of tickets sold for the opening ceremony and 31 sports as of September 7, although organizers say seats remain readily available for events including soccer and baseball.
Women now make up a growing share of customers at Akihabara maid cafes, reflecting a shift in Japan's "oshi-katsu" fan culture as visitors increasingly seek not only someone to support, but also a sense of two-way connection with the maids they admire.
Traffic accidents involving rental cars driven by foreign visitors are rising sharply in Japan, with some rental car businesses even stopping rentals to overseas tourists as concerns grow over unfamiliar traffic rules and driving practices.
A 62-year-old Kyoto Prefectural Government employee has been suspended for three months after repeatedly entering a women's restroom at his workplace and taking used sanitary products, with the employee subsequently resigning voluntarily.
Prosecutors have sought a fine of 200,000 yen for entertainer Dewi Sukarno, widely known in Japan as Dewi Fujin, who is charged with two counts of assault against former members of her agency staff, arguing that the 86-year-old has not shown sufficient reflection on her actions.
A man in his 40s who went to collect overdue rent at an apartment in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, was repeatedly stabbed on September 7, with police arresting a 66-year-old resident who was three months behind on rent and was scheduled to vacate the property that day.
A 58-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a home in Tokyo's Adachi Ward on September 4, injuring an 81-year-old woman, as police investigate whether he was involved in six suspicious fires reported in the area over about two weeks.
Emperor Naruhito carried out the annual rice harvest at a paddy field within the Imperial Palace on September 8, cutting two varieties of rice that will be used in ceremonies including the Niinamesai harvest festival.
Tokyo police detained 39 minors during a two-day nighttime operation around the "Toyoko" area of Kabukicho in Shinjuku, with 17 of them, or roughly 40%, found to have previously overdosed on medication.
