Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has drawn criticism over a social media post describing five hours of sleep as a rare luxury, as the extended Diet session prepares to begin Upper House debate on a controversial bill to establish secondary capitals outside Tokyo.
Breathtaking 4K footage filmed from a helicopter offers a sweeping aerial view of Mount Fuji and its majestic surrounding landscape.
Japan began applying a new numerical alcohol threshold for dangerous driving offenses on July 21, introducing a clearer standard for cases involving impaired driving that could lead to fatal accidents.
A police officer fired a warning shot into the air after a 42-year-old woman approached officers while pointing a kitchen knife at them on a street in Eniwa, Hokkaido, on July 17.
A 45-year-old man was arrested early July 20 after allegedly crashing a passenger car into a convenience store in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and walking around the parking lot carrying a kitchen knife and a golf club.
A 42-year-old man was arrested after allegedly driving under the influence and intentionally ramming a motorcycle in Togitsu, Nagasaki Prefecture, leaving its rider seriously injured.
Japan’s newest luxury cruise ship, Asuka III, offers passengers the experience of a high-end hotel at sea, combining private balconies, fine dining, Japanese-style bathing and personalized service on voyages around the country.
The rainy season ended in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions on July 20 as strengthening high pressure brought intense heat across Japan, with temperatures forecast to reach 38 C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, and Kofu.
Nagashima Jumbo Seawater Pool in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, was packed with visitors on Marine Day, the final day of a three-day weekend, as families sought relief from intense summer heat following the end of the rainy season in the Tokai region.
A beach where visitors can swim alongside whales has opened in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, drawing families and children eager to see the animals at close range.
Asset reports for all 465 members of Japan's House of Representatives elected in February 2026 have been released, showing average declared assets of 32.78 million yen, up 6.09 million yen from the previous disclosure.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approved its first annual basic economic and fiscal policy on Tuesday, pledging "responsible and proactive fiscal policy" and envisioning about 370 trillion yen in public- and private-sector investment in strategic industries through fiscal 2040.
A covert network of shuttle tankers is carrying crude through the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupts shipping and raises concerns over how Japan will secure the oil it needs.
PorMedTec, a Meiji University startup, has begun producing genetically modified pigs for a clinical trial that could start in Japan in 2028 and transplant pig kidneys into patients with kidney failure.
Hokkaido saw a marked shift toward private high schools among students entering in fiscal 2026 after tuition at private institutions became effectively free from April, according to an analysis by the Hokkaido Board of Education.
Japan’s major companies are showing growing caution toward hiring new graduates as artificial intelligence begins replacing routine work, while survey results suggest that older employees, nonregular workers and even managers could also face mounting pressure by 2030.
A black-and-white photograph taken in 1955 has revealed how Tokyo's Kinshicho district once resembled a sprawling movie set, with theaters, restaurants and drinking establishments packed into an entertainment quarter that drew crowds from across the city's eastern neighborhoods.
Tokyo stocks rebounded sharply on July 21 as investors bought back semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares after last week’s steep selloff, while attention shifted to upcoming U.S. technology earnings and the government’s new economic policy roadmap.
Japanese cash equities were closed for Marine Day on July 20, leaving investors to assess whether Tokyo can stabilize after last week’s technology-led rout as oil prices rose above $90 a barrel, the yen remained near four-decade lows and global markets braced for another test of the artificial intelligence trade.
Apple has raised prices for iPhones sold in Japan, with the top-end iPhone 17 Pro Max now costing more than 210,000 yen, as the prolonged weakness of the yen increases the local cost of products priced and managed in US dollars.
A tanker carrying about 1 million barrels of Mexican crude oil arrived off Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, on the morning of July 17, marking Japan's first such delivery since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.