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.
A woman in her 60s died after her car was submerged in a flooded underpass in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, as record rainfall caused widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption across Kanto and surrounding areas on September 7, with authorities warning that further rain was expected during the evening commute.
The first hearing in a lawsuit seeking the return of 279 sets of Ainu ancestral remains from the Japanese government was held on September 4, marking the first time an Ainu group has taken the state to court over the return of human remains.
Three people died and two others were injured in a suspected arson and stabbing at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, where the 66-year-old female owner had gathered with nine former junior high school classmates on September 5, with police investigating whether a 70-year-old company executive who was apparently not invited to the gathering was involved.
Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 20 on September 6, as he continues to take part in a growing range of official duties as an adult member of Japan's Imperial Family.
Young people recruited into illegal "dark part-time jobs" through social media and friends are increasingly becoming involved in fraud and violent robberies across Japan, with interviews at a juvenile training school revealing how the promise of easy money, a desire for recognition and fear of criminal groups can gradually leave them feeling unable to escape.
Tokyo police are investigating the possibility of a serial arson spree after six suspicious fires were reported within about two weeks in the same neighborhood of Adachi Ward, leaving an 81-year-old woman with burns and damaging homes, political party posters, a vending machine and a bicycle.
A 52-year-old restaurant operator was sentenced to 17 years in prison on September 4 for killing his former girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her in the abdomen and back with two kitchen knives at his home in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture.