Japan is turning to foreign workers to address a deepening shortage of bus drivers that has led to route suspensions and reduced services nationwide, including in Tokyo. With the industry projected to face a shortfall of 36,000 drivers by 2030, operators are beginning to recruit and train overseas talent as a short-term solution to keep public transport running.
Four more Japanese crew members have disembarked from Japan-related vessels staying in the Persian Gulf, reducing the number of Japanese nationals still aboard ships in the area to 16.
Two members of a circus troupe have been referred to prosecutors after an archaeological site dating back to the Yayoi period in Osaka was allegedly excavated without permission and damaged by the burial of a large number of trees.
At Kumata Shrine in Osaka's Hirano Ward, an inspection using a termite detection dog was carried out to help protect the site’s historic wooden buildings.
Fraud cases involving criminals impersonating police officers are increasing across Japan, with a new tactic emerging in which fake arrest warrants are mailed directly to victims' homes.
A female maintenance worker was killed after becoming trapped in amusement ride equipment at Tokyo Dome City, with investigators finding that no one was operating the control panel at the time of the accident.
In Nara, where inbound tourists continue to crowd major sightseeing areas, a shopping arcade slightly removed from the main attractions has achieved a striking turnaround.
Footage released by the Nagano Prefectural Police mountain rescue unit captured the moment an earthquake struck during an operation to save two climbers who had fallen on a steep slope of Mount Shirouma in the Northern Alps.
Taxi fares in Tokyo's 23 wards, as well as Mitaka and Musashino, rose by about 10% on Monday, marking the first increase in the central Tokyo area in roughly three and a half years.
JR East has launched a preview version of its new online Shinkansen booking platform, JRE GO, promising reservations in as little as one minute and easier handling of sudden schedule changes.
Three members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force were killed in a tank shell explosion during a live-fire exercise at a training ground in Oita Prefecture, with the force now planning to examine radio communications at the time of the accident.
The Japanese government on April 21 revised the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and related guidelines, in principle allowing the export of weapons with lethal capabilities. The move marks a major turning point in Japan's postwar security policy.
At Kumano Hongu Taisha, a UNESCO World Heritage shrine in Wakayama Prefecture, a 'First Tea Festival' was held to dedicate freshly harvested local tea.
An enormous appetite that brings joy just to watch, paired with an irrepressibly cheerful spirit. Konosuke Shigemura, 18, is regarded as a leading candidate to become a future yokozuna, sumo's highest rank.
LINE Yahoo announced a new 'AI Agent' service on April 20, aiming to provide an AI assistant that users can rely on in their daily lives. The service will be introduced through the LINE app and Yahoo! JAPAN platform.
Road cave-ins are occurring one after another across Japan. According to a survey released on April 22 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, so-called dangerous sewer lines requiring urgent countermeasures now total 748 kilometers nationwide.
Wakayama Prefecture held talks with local fisheries cooperatives after concerns grew that fishing boats may be unable to put to sea because fuel supplies have been disrupted by tensions in the Middle East.
China's exports of rare-earth magnets to Japan in March fell 17.3% from the previous month to 184 tons, China's General Administration of Customs said on April 20.
A shortage of naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock used in a wide range of products, is pushing up the cost of housing materials in Japan and raising concerns that home prices could climb by as much as 30%.
