Anthropic said on June 30 that the U.S. Commerce Department has lifted export controls on its latest AI model, Claude Fable 5, allowing the American AI developer to resume offering the system in stages from July 1.

A man in his 70s was injured early on June 30 after being attacked by a bear near an elementary school in Tochigi Prefecture, as bear-related incidents continue to rise across Japan ahead of the full onset of summer heat in July.

Japan’s men’s underground idol scene is drawing scrutiny after a legal revision targeting host clubs left what industry insiders describe as a gray zone where some performers use intimate fan services and costly perks to generate large sums of money.

Japan’s average roadside land price rose 2.9% from a year earlier, marking the steepest increase on record, as inbound tourism and redevelopment pushed up land valuations across the country.

Japan has one of Asia’s strictest approaches to gambling regulation, with most forms of betting either prohibited or tightly controlled.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on June 30 that it has selected a corporate group including SoftBank as a recipient of support for domestic artificial intelligence development, with funding expected to reach as much as 1 trillion yen.

Sony Interactive Entertainment said it will stop producing physical disc versions of new PlayStation games released from January 2028, shifting sales of new titles entirely to downloadable editions.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to India on July 2 placed foreign policy, economic security and strategic investment at the center of Japan’s political agenda, even as opposition parties kept pressure on the government over Diet proceedings and unresolved domestic policy disputes.

Tokyo police have arrested four people, including unemployed women Mao Mizuno and Naka Namioka, on suspicion of public indecency for allegedly livestreaming obscene acts on an overseas streaming website from a hotel in Kabukicho.

More than 2,500 food items will become more expensive in July, with bread, instant noodles and other processed foods among the main categories affected as Middle East tensions and the weaker yen continue to push up costs.

Researchers around the world are turning their attention to mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells, as new discoveries suggest they may hold important clues to slowing aging, preventing disease and extending healthy life.

A night junior high school in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, where all 30 students have roots overseas, is taking on a new role as a bridge between foreign residents and local communities in Japan.

Akihiro Miwa, the singer and actor whose career spanned chanson, theater, film, television and voice acting, died of old age on June 20 at the age of 91, her management office said.

Chinese and Russian bombers and other military aircraft flew around Japan on June 27, prompting Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to describe the joint activity as a show of force directed at Japan.

A Nepalese manager of a busy Indian restaurant in Kodaira, Tokyo, says he fears for the future of his business after Japan tightened the requirements for foreign entrepreneurs seeking to stay in the country under the business manager visa.

Japan’s political agenda on June 29 centered on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s attempt to connect economic growth, national security and technological resilience, as the government moved toward a long-term economic blueprint while also responding to China’s expanded export controls and preparing a revision of Japan’s Arctic policy.

Japan is set to begin its first clinical trial of xenotransplantation involving the transplant of pig kidneys into human patients, in a step that could open a new option for people with kidney failure.

Japan remains among the world’s leading nations in seabed resource development and should accelerate work to sharpen its technology, Democratic Party for the People upper house lawmaker Yoshihiko Yamada said, calling for broader ocean policy investment, stronger protection of sea lanes and a more active Japanese role in mine-clearing operations near the Strait of Hormuz.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

Sushiro, Japan’s leading conveyor-belt sushi chain, drew heavy crowds to a new outlet near Ayase Station in Tokyo on June 11, with the first day of business revealing both the brand’s strength and the pressure behind running a high-volume sushi restaurant.

Tokyo stocks edged higher on June 29 as investors bought back selected shares after a sharp AI-led selloff, but gains were capped by caution over high technology valuations, Middle East tensions and a weakening yen that fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1986.

According to updates on June 28, the double-typhoon system that brought record rain, flooding, landslides and fallen trees to parts of Japan has moved away, but Kanto remains under cloudy rainy-season skies, with intermittent rain still possible and saturated ground keeping the risk of landslides high in areas hit by heavy rain.

The Kanto region is experiencing an unusual June, with three typhoons approaching the area during the month and rainfall totals already reaching record levels in some locations.

Typhoon No. 7's impact on Japan's transport network continued to ease on June 28, with major airports and Shinkansen services operating largely as normal, although disruptions remained on several JR conventional lines in eastern Japan and road problems continued in areas affected by heavy rain and landslides.

The number of people with dementia or suspected dementia who were reported missing to police totaled 17,345 in 2025, down by nearly 800 from the previous year but still at a high level, according to a National Police Agency summary.