News On Japan
April 21, 2026
Rain affected parts of Japan on Tuesday morning as a low-pressure system and front moved through, bringing heavier downpours in some areas. Skies are expected to clear across much of the country this afternoon. However, yellow sand drifting in from the Asian continent is forecast to spread over a wide area, raising concerns over reduced visibility and worsening health conditions.
Image of Dust Storms Forecast To Hit Tokyo

Japan's weather agency and the Cabinet Office issued a 'Hokkaido-Sanriku Offshore Subsequent Earthquake Advisory' after an earthquake measuring upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck off Sanriku.

JR East has launched a preview version of its new online Shinkansen booking platform, JRE GO, promising reservations in as little as one minute and easier handling of sudden schedule changes.

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported.


SOCIETY | April 21, 2026
A fire broke out at a four-story apartment building in Okinawa City in the early hours of April 19th, leaving one person dead, with authorities suspecting the victim may be a man in his 70s who served as chairman of a local crime group.
Image of One Dead in Yakuza Office Fire in Okinawa

A 37-year-old father arrested over the alleged abandonment of his son's body in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture may have contacted associates to say the child had gone missing before the boy's school informed the family, investigators said.

A 20-year-old university student has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into an apartment in Osaka and stealing cash, with police believing he played a key role in recruiting minors for illegal work schemes.

The annual spring garden party, held at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, has once again drawn attention to a pressing issue facing Japan's Imperial Household: how to maintain the number of family members as it continues to decline whenever female royals marry.


BUSINESS | April 21, 2026
China's exports of rare-earth magnets to Japan in March fell 17.3% from the previous month to 184 tons, China's General Administration of Customs said on April 20.
Image of China's Rare Earth Exports to Japan Fall

A shortage of naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock used in a wide range of products, is pushing up the cost of housing materials in Japan and raising concerns that home prices could climb by as much as 30%.

Running a business with integrity and good values is the highest road most owners strive to be on. However, sometimes being good isn’t enough to spare you from legal trouble.

TOTO said on April 16 that it will gradually resume new orders for its unit bath products from April 20 after securing a clearer outlook for raw material procurement.

Tokyo’s and Osaka’s flagship theme parks are both marking their 25th anniversaries this year, raising expectations that milestone celebrations could provide a boost to visitor numbers and earnings.


The approval rating for the cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rose 3.1 percentage points from March to 70.2%, recovering to the 70% range for the first time in two months, according to an FNN public opinion survey.

Japan's annual National Academic Achievement Test began on Monday for sixth-grade elementary school students and third-year junior high school students nationwide.

Japan's logistics sector is struggling with a severe driver shortage, driving efforts to develop autonomous trucks as a potential solution to a growing freight transport crisis.

LINE Yahoo announced a new 'AI Agent' service on April 20, aiming to provide an AI assistant that users can rely on in their daily lives. The service will be introduced through the LINE app and Yahoo! JAPAN platform.

The Okinawa Prefectural Cultural Properties Protection Council has submitted a recommendation to the prefectural board of education to newly recognize 16 individuals as holders of the intangible cultural property "Okinawan Karate and Kobudo," aimed at preserving the region’s traditional martial arts.

A bluefin tuna sold for 510.3 million yen at the year’s first auction in January at Toyosu Market in Tokyo’s Koto Ward has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the 'most expensive tuna sold at auction.'


In today's video, we explore the April performances at the Kabuki-za theatre in Tokyo! (Kabuki In-Depth)
Image of A New Onnagata Master!?・ Spring Performances at the Kabuki-za!

A man accused of violating copyright law by publishing so-called spoiler articles summarizing films on the internet was handed a suspended prison sentence after the Tokyo District Court ruled that the posts infringed copyright.

A theater directly connected to Tokyo Station is set to open in May inside a large-scale redevelopment complex scheduled to fully launch in autumn, marking a new step in efforts to strengthen the area’s cultural and artistic presence.

A farewell performance titled "Farewell April Grand Kabuki" is being staged at Osaka Shochikuza in Chuo Ward, Osaka, which is set to close in May due to the aging of the building, marking the beginning of a two-month run of kabuki performances that have drawn audiences with comedies and dances featuring a colorful cast of characters, continuing through April 26th.

Today we have a look at the kabuki performances taking this April at the Shochiku-za theatre in Osaka! (Kabuki In-Depth)


Taxi fares in Tokyo's 23 wards, as well as Mitaka and Musashino, rose by about 10% on Monday, marking the first increase in the central Tokyo area in roughly three and a half years.
Image of Tokyo Taxi Fares Raised 10%

Typhoon No. 4, Sinlaku, moved northeast on April 19 while accelerating over waters near Minamitorishima, east of the Ogasawara Islands, according to weather officials. Although the storm is rapidly moving away from Japan, rough seas are expected to persist, prompting continued caution across the island chain.

The city of Nara is preparing to search for geothermal sources, hoping onsen facilities can help increase overnight stays in the ancient capital, where the city has long struggled to turn day-trippers into hotel guests despite being one of Japan's best-known sightseeing destinations, ranking last nationwide in annual overnight visitors in 2021 and underscoring weak tourism spending.

A series of earthquakes struck northern Nagano Prefecture, with the strongest registering upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale.

The dismantling of the upper ornament of the five-story pagoda at Kofukuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Nara, was opened to the media on April 15 as the temple undergoes its first major restoration in around 120 years.