Bilingual | 二ヶ国語

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。

Plum blossoms are now at their best viewing season at the plum groves of Minabe Town in Wakayama Prefecture, widely known as Japan’s leading plum-producing region. (News On Japan, KTV NEWS, 2026-02-11)

日本一の梅どころとして知られる和歌山県みなべ町の梅林では、梅の花が見頃となっています。

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。

Japan welcomed more than 40 million foreign visitors in 2025 for the first time, setting a new annual record, even as arrivals from China fell sharply in December. (News On Japan, TBS, 2026-01-21)

去年1年間に日本を訪れた外国人旅行者が初めて4000万人を突破しました。一方で、先月、ある国からの訪日客数に変化も。

A fire festival was held on January 17th at Cape Shionomisaki in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, the southernmost point of Honshu, where organizers set ablaze the roughly 100,000-square-meter “Boro no Shiba” grassland overlooking the Pacific Ocean. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2026-01-19)

本州最南端の和歌山県串本町の潮岬で17日、太平洋を望む約10万平方メートルの「望楼の芝」を焼く火祭りが行われた。

Three death row inmates have lost a lawsuit seeking to stop executions by hanging, after the Osaka District Court ruled that their claims could not be pursued through an administrative case and that the current method does not violate the Constitution. (News On Japan, Television OSAKA NEWS , 2026-01-18)

絞首刑による死刑執行は残虐で憲法に違反するとして、死刑囚3人が国に差し止めなどを求めた裁判で、大阪地裁は原告の訴えを退けました。

A traditional New Year archery contest known as “Toshiya” is being held at the national treasure Sanjusangendo Temple in Kyoto, with 20-year-olds and other young participants competing to test their skills. (News On Japan, YOMIURI, 2026-01-18)

京都の国宝・三十三間堂では、新春恒例の「通し矢」が行われ、２０歳の若者らが弓の腕前を競っています。

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. (News On Japan, Kyodo, 2026-01-16)

宇宙飛行士の油井亀美也さん(55)が日本時間15日午後5時41分、5カ月余りの国際宇宙ステーション(ISS)滞在を終え、米スペースXの宇宙船クルードラゴンで米西部カリフォルニア州沖に着水、地球に帰還した。

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. (News On Japan, HBCニュース　北海道放送, 2026-01-15)

大幅に開業が遅れる北海道新幹線の札幌延伸ですが、工事は、着々と進められています。事業費も膨らむ見通しの中、新幹線の現在地を探りました。

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. (News On Japan, HBCニュース　北海道放送, 2026-01-14)

ヒグマによる人身被害が発生したときに市町村に出される「ヒグマ警報」について、北海道が基準を緩和することがわかりました。

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。