A runaway horse collided with spectators during the traditional Soma Nomaoi festival in Fukushima Prefecture on May 24th, injuring six people, after the rider fell off during the race, causing the animal to bolt into the crowd.
A woman accused of killing a high school girl by causing her to fall from a bridge in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, denied having intended to kill the victim as her trial opened at the Asahikawa District Court on May 25th.
Nearly three decades after the 1997 Kobe serial child murders shocked Japan, Mamoru Hase, whose 11-year-old son Jun was killed by the then 14-year-old perpetrator known as “Boy A,” has decided to bring an end to his long involvement with the offender over compensation and accountability.
A historic temple hall on Mount Misen in Hiroshima Prefecture was destroyed by fire, but the famed "undying flame" believed to have burned continuously for more than 1,200 years was safely preserved elsewhere, according to the temple's chief priest.
An employee at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, who was rearrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, allegedly told investigators that she had suspected him of having a relationship with another woman.
A fire broke out in a residential area of Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, on May 23rd, leaving one woman injured and prompting an ongoing firefighting operation involving 13 emergency vehicles.
A sex business allegedly operating under the guise of a massage parlor in an area where such operations are prohibited has been raided by police, leading to the arrest of its female operator and others.
Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.