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.
Japan is likely to face increasingly long and dangerously hot summers as global temperatures continue to rise, with advanced climate simulations also pointing to more frequent torrential rain, rising seas and accelerating ice loss by the end of the century.
A man accused of leading a group assault that killed a university student apologized to the victim and his family in court, saying he had acted out of what he described as a "distorted sense of justice."
Police are investigating a yakuza gang in Hiroshima after its members allegedly cleared about 3,000 square meters of privately owned forest and used heavy machinery to build an unauthorized access road.
A former nurse accused of killing a hospitalized patient by mixing human waste into his intravenous drip had searched online for whether injecting feces could cause death, investigators have found.
A woman believed to be in her 40s to 60s was found bleeding and unconscious on a barge moored off Osaka and was later confirmed dead, prompting police to investigate the possibility that she was the victim of a crime.
Heavy rain flooded railway tracks in Hokkaido, forcing the cancellation of 32 trains, including limited express services linking Sapporo and Hakodate.
All hiking trails on Mount Rausu in eastern Hokkaido reopened on July 16, one week after a descending hiker was chased by a bear.
The Yamaboko float procession, a highlight of the Gion Festival’s Saki Matsuri festivities, was held in Kyoto on July 17, with 23 elaborately decorated floats known as "moving art museums" making their way through the city center.
A tropical depression near the Truk Islands is expected to strengthen into a typhoon within 12 hours, but forecasters say it is unlikely to have any direct impact on Japan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi closed the Diet session on July 17 under pressure from both parliament and financial markets, as lawmakers enacted a revised Imperial House Law while the government moved to clarify that monetary policy tools remain under the sole authority of the Bank of Japan.
A bill to revise the Imperial House Law was approved by an Upper House special committee on July 16, paving the way for its expected enactment on July 17.
Kura Sushi has opened its second premium conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in Tokyo, introducing a menu of higher-grade seafood and same-day deliveries from Hokkaido by bullet train as the company seeks to stand out in Shinjuku’s fiercely competitive dining market.
Japanese elementary and junior high school students continue to struggle with written-response questions in Japanese, while average accuracy rates in arithmetic and mathematics remained in the 50% range, according to nationwide academic test results released by the education ministry on July 16.
Foreign tourists are filling an interactive sumo show venue in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, where former wrestlers introduce the basics, rules and history of the sport in English as Japan’s traditional pastime enjoys growing popularity at home and abroad.
Tokyo stocks plunged on July 17 as a global selloff in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares pushed the Nikkei 225 into correction territory, while Middle East tensions, higher oil prices and persistent yen weakness added to pressure on investors.
Nissan Motor unveiled a fully redesigned Elgrand minivan on July 17, marking the model's first complete overhaul in 16 years, while introducing a new brand message as the automaker seeks to rebuild its business and revive sales.
Seven & i Holdings is considering investing several hundred billion yen in Zabka Group, Poland's largest convenience store operator, as the Japanese retailer seeks to expand its presence in Europe.
Japanese manufacturers including Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Komatsu announced new artificial intelligence initiatives on July 16 as Nvidia expanded its partnerships with Japan's robotics and industrial sectors.