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July 05, 2025
 

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OKAYAMA

The head office of Chugoku Bank in Okayama
BUSINESS
May 28, 2025
Japan’s ‘Middle Country’ bank is puzzling Chinese tourists
When written in Japanese, Chugoku Bank's name is identical to that of Bank of China.
Masao Omori, mayor of the city of Okayama, the capital of the western prefecture of the same name, announces that a wildfire there had been contained Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2025
Okayama wildfire contained as Ehime eyes similar declaration
A forest fire in Okayama Prefecture has been contained, officials said, while another wildfire in Ehime Prefecture could also be brought under control early next week.
A wildfire in the city of Okayama on Wednesday evening
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2025
Over 900 hectares destroyed in Ehime and Okayama wildfires
In the Ehime city of Imabari, 417 hectares had been burned as of Wednesday, while the fire in the city of Okayama had swept through some 559 hectares.
Smoke from a wildfire in the city of Okayama on Monday. The fire had subsided by Tuesday while a separate wildfire in Ehime Prefecture continues to spread.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2025
Ehime wildfire blazes on while Okayama's begins to burn out
The wildfire in Ehime Prefecture had spread to cover 171 hectares by Tuesday, although no building damage has been reported.
A photo posted on the X account for the transport ministry's Matsuyama branch in Ehime Prefecture shows a wildfire in the city of Imabari on Sunday night.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2025
Firefighters and SDF battle wildfires spreading in Okayama and Ehime
This is the second time the country has seen an unusually large wildfire in recent weeks, following one in Iwate Prefecture last month.
The Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters in the city of Osaka
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 12, 2025
Osaka police arrest man for abandoning his wife’s body
His wife was last seen leaving work early at around 2 p.m. on May 26 last year.
Travel officials from the Middle East experience test cutting for Japanese swords in Setouchi, Okayama Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2025
Government touts exchanges with nations participating in Osaka Expo
Local governments expect their plans to boost youth exchanges, accelerate overseas expansion and promote tourism.
A little-used section of the JR Geibi Line, which runs through the Chugoku Mountains in Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures, faces a threat of closure.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Feb 10, 2025
Underutilized Hiroshima-Okayama rail route struggles to survive
While the number of passengers has continued to decline, the Geibi Line has served as a lifeline for some residents.
Mayor Masanori Yamamoto of Kibichuo, Okayama Prefecture, announces the results of PFAS blood concentration tests on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2025
PFAS blood test results in Okayama Prefecture town exceed U.S. standards
The Kibichuo town government announced the results of its first blood tests after PFAS were detected at a water purification plant in the town.
The hands of dyeing craftsman Yoshiharu Okamoto are stained a deep blue by his work with indigo.
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 26, 2024
True blue tradition: How Japan's coveted jeans are made
Craftspeople in Okayama Prefecture are carrying on a centuries-old tradition of indigo dyeing that contrasts with contemporary fast fashion.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces measures to counter the spread of "forever chemicals" in drinking water in the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 3, 2024
Japan eyes new PFAS regulations for drinking water by spring
Water suppliers nationwide must upgrade their safety standards to counter the spread of "forever chemicals."
A resident of Kibichuo in Okayama Prefecture takes a blood test in the town on Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2024
PFAS blood tests start in Okayama Prefecture town
About 800 residents are expected to take a blood test under the program, which runs through Dec. 8.
Suspect Kunihiko Katsuta leaves Tatsuno Police Station in Hyogo Prefecture as he is sent to prosecutors on Friday. The waist strap and handcuffs are blurred for privacy reasons.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2024
Man arrested over 2006 Hyogo stabbing did not know victim, police say
Kunihiko Katsuta has confessed to stabbing the 9-year-old girl with a knife, but he has denied any intent to kill her, police say.
Hyogo Prefectural Police investigators call on people at a station in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, on Oct. 16 to provide information related to the 2007 murder of a girl in the city.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024
Inmate hints at involvement in murder of another girl in western Japan
Hyogo Prefectural Police plan to arrest the man soon on suspicion of attempted murder in another case.
Kazuhiro Soda’s “The Cats of Gokogu Shrine” follows not only the felines that live on the grounds of the title shrine in Ushimado, Okayama Prefecture, but also the local community members, many of whom are of retirement age.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 25, 2024
‘The Cats of Gokogu Shrine’: Documentary paints intimate portrait of a community in decline
While stray cats that inhabit the grounds of a local shrine take center stage, the film also celebrates the aging humans doing their best to preserve their neighborhood.
“The Cats of Gokogu Shrine” centers on a local shrine in Ushimado’s Honmachi district, which has become home to a colony of street cats.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2024
Kazuhiro Soda embraces the wisdom of street cats
The filmmaker turns his camera closer to home in his new documentary, “The Cats of Gokogu Shrine,” and brings a community into focus.
Okayama and Tottori prefectures are some of the least-visited regions in Japan among foreign tourists — which is why they offer such a welcome break from crowd-clogged cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 23, 2024
In Japan’s flyover country, 72 hours of hidden gems
Some of Japan’s least-visited prefectures among foreign tourists host opportunities for peace, quiet and rural beauty.
Yusuke Yamazaki, former president of Nishiyama Farm, arrives at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2024
Ex-Nishiyama Farm president arrested after deportation from Indonesia
Yusuke Yamazaki had been on the international wanted list for his alleged involvement in investment fraud involving overseas fruit sales.
Koichi Kondo plays the harmonica. Playing harmonica was like life itself for members of the Bluebird Band, according to his words.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Mar 4, 2024
Harmonica melodies of Hansen's disease patients live on
A band featuring the instrument was founded in 1953, at a time when prejudice against the disease was still strong
Japan Airlines has kicked off an unmanned drone service to deliver goods and medical supplies in the remote town of Setouchi.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024
Japan Airlines starts drone service in remote areas for disasters
The carrier is working with local authorities in the town of Setouchi, a tiny inlet in Okayama Prefecture that's home to 8,000 residents.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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