News On Japan

Annual Tokyo fireworks festival to be held for 1st time in 4 years

Apr 12, 2023 (Kyodo) - A major annual firework festival in Tokyo will be held this summer for the first time in four years after the display was repeatedly canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event's organizer said Tuesday.

The Sumida River Fireworks Festival, considered a mainstay summer event in the Japanese capital, is slated to be held on July 29. The festival was greenlit ahead of the government's decision to downgrade COVID-19 as a common disease next month.

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Source: ANNnewsCH

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The family of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old American student who went missing while traveling in Kyoto, announced on June 7th that he has been found dead after a volunteer search-and-rescue group located his body in a mountainous area outside the city.

Expectations for Japan are unusually high heading into the 2026 World Cup, with the team now aiming not merely to reach the knockout stage but to finally break through the Round of 16 and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.

Residents in Nara Prefecture are celebrating after UNESCO's advisory body recommended the archaeological complex known as the Asuka-Fujiwara Ancient Capitals for inscription as a World Heritage site, bringing the historic birthplace of Japan's ancient state one step closer to international recognition.

A tropical depression is expected to move northward this weekend and could bring another round of heavy rain to parts of Japan, following a week in which Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) caused significant rainfall and left some areas vulnerable to further weather-related damage.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration is facing mounting scrutiny over allegations that members of her campaign were involved in distributing online videos that disparaged rival candidates during the February House of Representatives election, with opposition parties intensifying their questioning in the Diet and demanding further clarification.

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Japan could face a more active typhoon season than usual in 2026, with private weather forecaster Weathernews predicting around 28 typhoons to form during the year—above the long-term average of 25.1—and warning that approximately 14 could approach Japan, increasing the risk of weather-related disruptions across the country.

Tourists are once again taking to the waters of the Kitayama River along the borders of Wakayama, Mie, and Nara prefectures, where a popular traditional rafting experience recreates the historic practice of transporting mountain timber by raft from Kitayama Village downstream to Shingu City.

A newly formed tropical depression in the South China Sea could bring another round of heavy rain to western Japan as it interacts with the seasonal rain front, meteorologists have warned, only days after Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) caused widespread damage across the country.

A bear that injured four people in Fukushima City escaped despite efforts to capture it using tranquilizer darts and box traps, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain on high alert.

Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) swept across Japan on June 3rd, bringing record-breaking rainfall, widespread flooding, landslides, transport disruptions, and powerful winds, while prompting Tokyo's first-ever issuance of a Level 4 danger alert under the country's new weather warning system.

A section of wall plaster and part of a roof eave were found damaged at Himeji Castle, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Hyogo Prefecture, on June 4th, with officials investigating whether strong winds from Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) were responsible.

A young Japanese macaque named Punch-kun has captured hearts around the world at a zoo near Tokyo, but the animal's growing popularity is now creating unexpected challenges, particularly after an American prankster dressed in a yellow suit entered the monkey enclosure, prompting renewed concerns over animal welfare and visitor behavior.

Transport services across eastern Japan were largely returning to normal on June 4th after Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) moved into the Pacific Ocean, with most railway lines resuming operations, airports functioning normally and airlines working to clear residual delays following a day of widespread disruption that saw nearly 900 flights canceled and major rail services suspended.