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August 13, 2025
 

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GUNMA

Kimi Ozawa, who lost her husband in the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, prays in front of his memorial marker on Tuesday in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture.
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Aug 12, 2025
Controversial theories continue to swirl around 1985 JAL jet crash
Some bereaved family members and critics who subscribe to the idea of possible SDF involvement say the initial probe left too many loose ends untied.
People offer prayers in front of a monument at the site of the 1985 Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash, in Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2025
Victims mourned 40 years after JAL plane crash
At around 6:56 p.m. on Aug. 12, 1985, JAL Flight 123 crashed while on its way to Osaka, killing 520 of the 524 passengers and crew members on board.
Machiko Taniguchi speaks to the memorial marker for her husband who died in the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet at the crash site on Osutaka Ridge in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, in July.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2025
Woman whose husband died in 1985 plane crash advocates safety to JAL employees
Japan Airlines Flight 123 bound for Osaka crashed in the mountains north of Tokyo on Aug. 12, 1985, killing 520 passengers and crew.
Hideji Kenjo, who was stationed at a police box in Gunma Prefecture at the time, recounts the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, on July 28 at the prefectural police headquarters.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2025
Police officer recounts handling 1985 JAL jumbo jet crash
Hideji Kenjo was stationed at a police box in Gunma Prefecture at the time of the accident on Aug. 12, 1985, which claimed 520 lives.
A worker tries to cool down a street in central Tokyo Tuesday as wide swaths of the Kanto region sweltered under intense heat. In Gunma Prefecture, the temperature rose 41.8 degrees Celsius, the highest ever recorded in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 5, 2025
Japan swelters as previous heat record melts
The country experienced its new hottest day ever on Tuesday at 41.8 degrees Celsius, beating the previous record set just last week.
People walk under the scorching sun in Tokyo's Omotesando area on Tuesday as temperatures rise above 35 degrees Celsius in much of eastern Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 17, 2025
Japan sweats under extreme heat despite ongoing rainy season
The weather agency warned of heat waves throughout the week as a high-pressure system stretches across eastern and northern Japan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visits Jins Park in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 7, 2025
Ishiba vows to set up council for regional revitalization
He hopes to include the plan in a basic concept of his signature "Regional Revitalization 2.0" program.
The town of Kanna contacted the Gunma prefectural health center to report that several residents of the Aibara district had visited a medical institution with symptoms including fever and diarrhea.
JAPAN
May 1, 2025
14 people fall ill from tap water poisoning in Gunma
An investigation by the Gunma prefectural health center revealed that the only common factor among those who fell ill was the consumption of tap water.
Regional lenders Daishi Hokuetsu Financial Group and Gunma Bank have entered into an agreement to consolidate their businesses in 2027.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2025
Regional lenders Daishi Hokuetsu and Gunma Bank agree to consolidate
The banks have entered a memorandum of understanding to integrate their businesses under a holding company structure on or around April 1, 2027.
Tucked away behind the historic Tsuchida sake brewery, Ventinove's location and sleek, angular architecture make for impressive destination dining.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Mar 16, 2025
At Ventinove, Tuscan specialties taken to new heights
A former Italian favorite in Tokyo now enjoys a renaissance in a bucolic village in Gunma Prefecture.
According to the Nippon Bonsai Growers Cooperative, there were about 30 cases of bonsai theft last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2025
Bonsai thefts sweep Japan as miniature trees grow more popular
About 30 cases of such theft occurred last year, according to the Nippon Bonsai Growers Cooperative.
Kusatsu Onsen resort, a popular tourist destination in Gunma Prefecture, on Dec. 26, 2022
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2025
Gunma ranks top among city dwellers eyeing countryside, survey shows
Respondents picked the prefecture for its child-friendly environment, rich natural surroundings and proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Kodai Furutani, the assistant chief priest at Ryugasan Unmon Temple in Annaka, Gunma Prefecture, is working to become an interfaith chaplain.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2025
Monk in chaplain training urges people to face death and live life
There is a deep-seated idea in Japan that a monk being seen at a hospital is a bad omen, as their presence reminds patients and medical staff of death.
Aziz Ahmed talks about young language carers in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, on Sept. 18.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 5, 2024
Young language carer hopes to support others facing hardships in Japan
Aziz Ahmed came to Japan from Pakistan at the age of 9 and remembers the hardships he faced interpreting for family members who do not speak Japanese.
Bereaved families of victims of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet make a video call at the accident site on the Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2024
Victims mourned 39 years after JAL jet crash in Gunma
Mourners prayed for the deceased in front of memorial markers as they hiked their way to the crash site.
Ngun Nei Par, the general manager at Ginshotei Awashima in Numata, Gunma Prefecture, graduated from a university in Myanmar with a degree in geography.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2024
Japan needs foreign workers, but it might not want them to stay long
Japanese politicians remain reluctant to create pathways for foreign workers, especially those in low-skill jobs, to stay indefinitely.
There were a total of 219 victims of bear attacks in Japan in fiscal 2023, which resulted in six deaths, according to Environment Ministry statistics.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 26, 2024
Aomori woman, 80, killed by bear amid surge of attacks nationwide
She was foraging for bamboo shoots in the mountains when she was attacked by what local officials have determined to be an adult Asian black bear.
Ryu Kawane works at the Costco store in Meiwa, Gunma Prefecture. Costco's high pay has triggered wage hikes at other businesses in town.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2024
Costco's Japan wages provide pathway to firing up nation's low pay and economy
A sustainable rise in wages is a key goal for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the Bank of Japan says it's a crucial factor for normalizing monetary policy.
The Gunma Prefectural Police said an elderly couple was attacked by a bear at their home in Annaka, Gunma Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
May 31, 2024
Bear enters Gunma home and attacks elderly couple
The couple were sleeping on the first floor of a two-story house when one of them heard a noise outside and opened a window to investigate.
Investigators are looking into whether the robberies were carried out by the same suspects.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024
Tochigi police suspect two men held over theft linked to similar crimes
The Tochigi police formed a joint investigation team with the Gunma and Nagano prefectural police after similar cases were reported in their respective prefectures.
Millions told to evacuate as heavy rain sparks flooding and landslides in Kyushu
Heavy rain falls in the city of Kumamoto on Monday morning.
Osaka Expo ticket sales exceed break-even point
Visitors to the Osaka Expo line up for pavilions on Friday.
Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea
This handout video grab released and taken on August 11, 2025 by the Philippine Coast Guard shows an incident between a Chinese Navy vessel (left) and a Chinese Coast Guard ship as seen from a Philippine fisheries boat near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
Britain’s Prince of Wales aircraft carrier makes Japan debut
HMS Prince of Wales arrives into the Port of Darwin, Australia, in July during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
Japan's Nikkei 225 hits record high on tariff and rate optimism
Stocks in Tokyo rallied on Tuesday despite months of uncertainty and general economic concerns.
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.
Cheer with caution: Expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat
A Cardinals fan fans himself during the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2022.
Australia's warship selection signals Japanese defense industry's arrival
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate. Australia's selection of an upgraded version of the Mogami-class warship for its next frigate class could prove to be a watershed moment for Japan’s defense industry.
Japan's inheritance tax is high, unforgiving and sometimes avoidable
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.

Podcast

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

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Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person
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