A married couple in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, have been arrested after police discovered cannabis plants growing in pots on the terrace of their home during a search connected to a separate investigation, authorities said on October 28th.
A woman in her 80s was killed after her car entered railway tracks on the Odakyu Enoshima Line in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, shortly before 10:30 p.m. on October 27, with security camera footage showing the vehicle traveling along the tracks, passing an oncoming train and stopping with its hazard lights flashing before being struck from behind by another train.
A teenage male was rushed to a hospital after suffering an electric shock while putting away a motorized basketball hoop at a gymnasium in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, in an accident believed to have been caused by an incompatible extension cord, according to a report on October 27th.
A Halloween pumpkin displayed at a nursery school in Esashi, Hokkaido, was found smashed and partially eaten on October 25, in what police believe was a bear attack, with similar damage reported at a nearby home.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is stepping up efforts to help single residents find marriage partners, allocating approximately 700 million yen to matchmaking programs in fiscal 2026, more than double the previous year's budget, as Japan's capital seeks to address its declining birthrate through organized social events and artificial intelligence.
Japan's growing number of abandoned homes is creating serious safety hazards for residents and leaving local governments struggling to respond, with some properties having dozens of legal owners and authorities reluctant to spend public money on demolitions when recovering the costs may prove impossible.
A commemorative ceremony was held in Kobe on October 24 to mark the approaching 100th anniversary of the "Kobe Wall," a historic structure that survived both the devastating 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the firebombing of Kobe during World War II.
A fire broke out at a warehouse believed to belong to Kurosawa Film Studio in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, shortly after midnight on October 23, prompting the dispatch of 40 emergency vehicles after a report that a battery was burning, with witnesses describing explosion-like sounds and vibrations strong enough to shake nearby windows.