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October 21, 2025
 

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Yukana Inoue
Lawson is looking to upgrade 100 stores nationwide to turn them into key community hubs in the event of a disaster.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2025
Lawson looks to create network of 'disaster relief convenience stores'
It hopes to upgrade 100 stores nationwide so that they are able to serve as key community hubs in the event of a calamity.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to extend the Oedo Line northwest with three new stations in Nerima Ward to improve rail access in underserved areas.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2025
Tokyo's Oedo Line to expand northwest improving access for Nerima Ward
Three new stations in the predominantly residential ward will improve rail access in areas of the capital currently underserved by public transportation.
Bear warning signs at the Akita Prefectural Government building
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2025
As temperatures drop in Japan, bear attacks shoot up to historic highs
A total of 39 people sustained injuries from bear attacks in September alone.
Japanese teachers work significantly longer hours than their peers in other countries, with time spent on extracurricular activities being a heavy burden, an OECD study shows.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2025
Teachers in Japan still work the longest hours, OECD survey finds
Teachers worked an average of over 50 hours per week, but much of it was spent on out-of-classroom work.
A not-in-service train is seen derailed early Monday morning after colliding with a passenger train late Sunday at Kajigaya Station on Tokyu Railways' Den-en-toshi Line in Kawasaki.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2025
Den-en-toshi Line trains collide, halting service
No one was injured in the collision, which saw one train derail and disrupted train services on two lines Monday.
An owl cafe in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2025
Investigation finds poor infection controls at some animal cafes in Japan
Through microbial examinations, investigators found a type of pathogenic E. coli in four of the stores and a type of salmonella bacteria in two.
Costumed revelers stand next to police officers controlling crowds at the scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 31, 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2025
Tokyo's Shibuya calls on foreign visitors not to have a ‘disruptive Halloween’
The ward, a hot spot for Halloween revelers, is taking a step back from its “don’t come” messaging of the recent past.
In 2019, the Japan Fair Trade Commission issued a warning to what was then Johnny & Associates for allegedly pressuring broadcasters to not offer work to three former members of now-disbanded boy band SMAP after they left the agency to pursue independent careers.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2025
Japan’s antitrust watchdog issues new rules urging agencies to treat talent fairly
The Japan Fair Trade Commission’s new guidelines come after a survey last year found that some agencies were mistreating their performers.
Climbers on Mount Fuji's Yoshida Trail in July 2024
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2025
Yamanashi Prefecture doubles Mount Fuji revenue to ¥590 million
This year the prefecture doubled the entrance fee for the mountain’s most popular route — the Yoshida Trail — from ¥2,000 to ¥4,000.
The Tokyo government revised its flood prevention guidelines to implement preventive measures for underground spaces that are considered to be at the highest risk of flooding, such as subway stations.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 29, 2025
Tokyo revises flood guidelines amid recent years’ abnormal weather
The revision, the first since 2008, incorporates the use of artificial intelligence for risk assessments and updates flood prevention measures.
Payments using the PayPay app will soon be possible in South Korea.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2025
SoftBank’s PayPay to become available in South Korea as company looks outward
Japan’s largest mobile payment platform decided on South Korea because it is the most popular country for people in Japan to visit.
The “Africa Hometown Initiative,” announced by the Japan International Cooperation Agency at an African development conference in Yokohama in August, sought to foster exchanges that would help bridge four municipalities in Japan with four countries in Africa.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2025
JICA scraps Africa ‘hometown’ agreement after migration mixup
Persistent online misinformation about the plan being a ploy to ease immigration from Africa led to the initiative being canceled.
In results based on a survey by the National Police Agency (NPA) earlier this year, approximately 3.37 million people in Japan — of whom nearly 60% were in their 20s and 30s — are estimated to have gambled via online casinos.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 24, 2025
Japan's revised gambling addiction law takes aim at source of scourge
The revised law, which takes effect on Thursday, bans the launch of new online casinos and the posting of online ads for such sites, including on social media.
While not specifying what percentage of foreign residents should make up the total population, “we conveyed the message that the ratio should be kept as low as possible and that the current rapid pace of increase must be properly curbed,” said Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Fumitake Fujita.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2025
Nippon Ishin urges cap on foreign residents in Japan
In its proposal to the government, it warns that Japanese society is at risk of being fundamentally altered if the proportion of foreign nationals exceeds 10%.
Save the Children Japan domestic program chief Sonoko Kawakami speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in July. A survey conducted by the group in June has found that over 90% of low-income households with children face food insecurity.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 17, 2025
Over 90% of low-income families in Japan struggling to feed children
A survey conducted by Save the Children Japan has found that single-parent households were among those facing the most dire food insecurity.
Bicycle helmet use has risen to 21.2% nationwide, up 4.2 percentage points from last year, according to the National Police Agency.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 11, 2025
Number of cyclists wearing helmets in Japan increases slightly, police say
Overall, usage rates have risen by 4.2 percentage points year on year to an average of 21.2%, according to a survey conducted in June.
Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori (right) bows in apology Wednesday in Tokyo over the company's pilots causing flight delays due to drinking alcohol.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2025
JAL reprimand over drunken pilots adds to airline’s woes
The transport ministry issued a fresh warning to the airline for insufficient oversight involving a series of heavy pre-flight drinking cases.
The city of Obihiro, Hokkaido, under the scorching sun on July 23
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2025
Heatstroke patient numbers jumped in cooler Hokkaido and Tohoku this summer
In Hokkaido, the number of heatstroke patients rose 1.7-fold from the previous year, while Aomori Prefecture saw a 1.53-fold rise and Akita Prefecture saw a 1.42-fold rise.
Cannabidiol products in New York in October 2014. Tetrahydrocannabinol, which gives the “high” often associated with marijuana, is illegal in Japan if it exceeds a certain amount.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Sep 5, 2025
Japan has ‘strictest standard in the world’ when it comes to CBD products
The country’s threshold for tetrahydrocannabinol, a compound derived from cannabis that gives the “high,” is just 10 parts per million, compared with 3,000 ppm in the U.S.
A research team led by the University of Tokyo’s Miyuki Harada has developed artificial intelligence models that can help deliver personalized infertility treatments by predicting the number and quality of eggs that a woman has.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2025
Japan team develops AI models to help deliver personalized infertility treatment
The group study led by a University of Tokyo researcher found their models to be more accurate than the standard method of assessing ovarian function.
Why I chose Japanese citizenship over permanent residency
Jon Heese (second left) takes part in a 2024 New Year's nihonshu barrel opening ceremony.
Path clears for Takaichi to become PM as LDP and JIP agree to form coalition
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (right) reaches out to shake hands with Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura after signing a coalition deal Monday evening in Tokyo.
EV battery race heats up among Japanese automakers
Japanese EV production is focusing on batteries as automakers compete for the lightest, most durable models and the longest driving range.
LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai to form coalition government, report says
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai have agreed to form a coalition, paving the way for the country's first female prime minister, Kyodo reports.
Suntory and Sapporo to halt gift beer sales after cyberattack against Asahi
Suntory will gradually suspend the sale of 13 beer sets for winter gifts, including a set of Chinese zodiac-themed cans of The Premium Malt's.
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood is a haven for book lovers, its rows of secondhand bookstores spilling over with printed materials.
What you need to see at this year's Tokyo film festival
Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet"
New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
As they wrestle for power, Japan’s political parties must remember their base
Rengo's head Tomoko Yoshino speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 8.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

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