Motorcycle owners across Japan can now choose their preferred license plate numbers under a new system introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on October 19th, with popular numbers allocated by lottery and applications costing between 2,500 and 3,000 yen.
Nearly one in three large companies in Japan have experienced a data leak or a suspected breach, according to a survey released by Teikoku Databank on October 19th, highlighting growing concerns over corporate information security as unauthorized access incidents continue to affect businesses across the country.
Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, arrived in Tottori Prefecture on October 19 for her first visit to the region, where she is scheduled to attend a national disaster prevention conference and a symposium on disaster preparedness.
Police in Gunma Prefecture rearrested a 30-year-old man on October 18 on suspicion of murdering his former mother-in-law at her home in Ota City last month, following an attack that also left the woman's eldest son injured.
A 22-year-old woman was killed late on October 17 after a truck rear-ended a car that had stopped following a collision with a deer on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture.
Three people, including a former chief priest, have been arrested over the alleged takeover of a historic Buddhist temple in central Kyoto, with investigators suspecting they sold temple-owned land and buildings without authorization for approximately 226 million yen, leaving the 300-year-old institution with almost none of its property beyond its main hall and grounds.
Kyoto City expects revenue from its accommodation tax to more than double to approximately 13.2 billion yen this fiscal year following a substantial increase in the maximum nightly levy to 10,000 yen, as the city seeks to address overtourism and ease the pressure that millions of visitors place on residents and public infrastructure.
The Nada Fighting Festival, known for its spectacular collisions between massive portable shrines weighing around two tons, drew large crowds to Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, on October 15, as participants repeatedly slammed the heavy structures into one another in a traditional ritual believed to please the gods.
The El Niño phenomenon developing in the Pacific Ocean has reached its strongest level since records began in 1949, with sea surface temperatures off Peru rising 4 degrees Celsius above normal in September, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced on October 9, raising concerns about extreme weather worldwide and the prospect of an unusually warm winter in Japan.
Japan's first Disney cruise ship will be named "Disney Imagination," with Oriental Land and its partners planning to launch the service in spring 2029, offering a new Disney-themed travel experience departing from Tokyo.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faced renewed political pressure on October 19 as fresh opinion polls showed declining public support following a ministerial resignation, while her government signaled it could issue additional bonds to finance a planned two-year consumption tax exemption on food beginning in April 2027.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accepted the resignation of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Kazuo Yana following controversial remarks about cutting government funding to municipalities that did not support him in an election, ending nearly two weeks of mounting criticism and leaving unresolved allegations of political pressure and election law violations.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yana submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the evening of October 14 over a controversy involving shuttle buses and other issues, prompting Takaichi to acknowledge her responsibility for appointing him and announce plans to name a successor on October 15.
Foreign business owners in Japan are facing growing financial pressure following a sharp increase in the capital required to obtain a business management visa, with an Indian curry restaurant in Shizuoka warning that it may be forced to close unless its sales quadruple.
Artificial intelligence is bringing new convenience to households through smart appliances and connected devices, but cybersecurity experts are warning that the same technology could allow hackers to take control of refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and home security cameras, potentially exposing personal information and disrupting everyday life.
Japan's sporting weekend was dominated by the completion of professional baseball's postseason, with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars securing a remarkable sweep of the Central League champions Hanshin Tigers and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks advancing from the Pacific League.
Subaru unveiled experimental vehicles equipped with a new driver assistance system on October 18, introducing technology that can automatically guide a vehicle to a safe roadside location when the driver becomes incapacitated, with plans to introduce the system in production models by the late 2020s.
International hacking group Qilin has claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack on subsidiaries of Keio Railway in late September, publishing images allegedly showing internal company documents and displaying a countdown believed to indicate a deadline for releasing stolen data, while the railway operator said it is investigating the claims.
Japanese stocks rebounded sharply on October 16, with the Nikkei 225 closing 898 points higher at 65,324, a gain of 1.39%, as investors returned to technology, semiconductor and financial shares following six consecutive sessions of losses. The recovery came after a dramatic sell-off the previous day, when the benchmark plunged 3,318 points, its third-largest point decline on record, reflecting growing concerns about the sustainability of global artificial intelligence investment and its impact on corporate earnings.
Burger King Japan has announced that approximately 11.18 million records containing personal information of its official app members were leaked following unauthorized access to its systems between October 2 and October 7.
Tokyo stocks suffered one of their steepest declines on October 15, with the Nikkei 225 plunging 3,318 points, or 4.90%, to close at 64,426, its third-largest point decline on record, as a global selloff in artificial intelligence and semiconductor shares intensified over concerns about rising U.S. interest rates and the financial sustainability of debt-funded AI investment.