Japan's national soccer team arrived in Dallas, Texas, on June 12th after completing final preparations near Nashville, Tennessee, ahead of its opening Group F match against the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup in North America.
The Japanese government on June 12th released new guidelines calling for women’s toilets to have at least as many fixtures as men’s toilets in public facilities, seeking to address the persistent problem of long queues at women’s restrooms in places such as train stations and event venues.
Police have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder after a 17-year-old high school student was found unconscious on a riverbank in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and later pronounced dead.
A fire that broke out in a densely populated residential area of Fukui City early on June 10 left one person dead, destroyed multiple homes, and triggered panic among local residents as flames spread rapidly through the neighborhood.
Four men have been arrested in connection with a mass assault that erupted during a traditional festival in Saijo, Ehime Prefecture, leaving seven people injured after more than 30 participants became involved in the violence.
A gigantic Chinese-made hose measuring about 150 meters in length, up to 2 meters in diameter, and weighing an estimated 300 tons has washed ashore on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, prompting local authorities to launch a large-scale removal operation.
Authorities in Kyoto Prefecture received another report of a bear sighting at the famous Amanohashidate sandbar on June 12th, just two days after a bear was captured in the area, prompting temporary road closures and heightened precautions for local residents and visitors.
Air travelers departing Japan for overseas destinations this summer will face record-high fuel surcharges after All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) announced significant increases for international tickets purchased in July and August, driven by soaring fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East.
A rare white orca has been filmed off the coast of Rausu in Hokkaido's Shiretoko region, marking its first reported sighting in about two years.
A Tokyo-based company planning to open a new zoo using animals from North Safari Sapporo, which closed in 2025, has established a new company to take over the facility's animals and employees.
Komeito has begun considering a plan under which all of its Upper House lawmakers would join the Centrist Reform Alliance, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
For several months, Japan has been moving in a more nationalist and conservative direction. The shift has been fuelled by economic challenges at home and growing regional tensions with China.
Tamayo Nakamura, the actress and television personality whose career spanned more than seven decades and bridged the worlds of traditional Japanese theater, film, television drama and variety entertainment, died of pneumonia on June 9th. She was 86.
As bear sightings continue at an unusually high pace across Akita Prefecture, a veteran wildlife photographer who has spent nearly 30 years observing and photographing Asian black bears says the animals are appearing more frequently, moving closer to human settlements, and increasingly adapting their behavior to survive.
Japan's H3 Rocket No. 6 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9:53 a.m. on June 12, marking the first launch in about six months since the failure of H3 Rocket No. 8 and a critical step toward the full resumption of operational flights.
Japan captain Wataru Endo has withdrawn from the national team's World Cup squad due to injury and announced his retirement from international soccer, dealing a major blow ahead of Japan's Group F opener against the Netherlands on June 14th (June 15th Japan time), as the team continued preparations near Nashville, Tennessee, on June 11th.
Japan is expected to achieve a 100% alternative crude oil procurement rate by July, following government efforts to diversify import sources in response to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, government officials said.
The exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran following the reported downing of a U.S. Army helicopter by Iran is continuing to affect daily life in Japan, with higher energy prices raising concerns that inflationary pressures could spread further across the economy.
Oil inventories held by member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including Japan and the United States, are expected to fall to their lowest level since records began in 2003 by the end of 2026, according to a forecast released on June 9th by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Japan's naphtha shock may be entering a new phase, with signs that product shortages are gradually easing in some industries while concerns grow that higher transportation costs could drive up prices across the supply chain.
Restructuring is often associated with companies in financial trouble, but a growing number of profitable Japanese corporations are now encouraging employees to take early retirement as part of efforts to reshape their workforces for the future, creating both opportunities and significant risks for workers considering a second career.
Seven-Eleven Japan announced that it will establish a new company with CyberAgent and Dentsu to develop advertising services, using digital signage installed in its stores to deliver targeted advertisements based on real-time conditions.
Domestic gold prices in Japan fell sharply on June 11, with the benchmark retail gold price announced by Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies dropping 906 yen from the previous day to 23,262 yen per gram as of 9:30 a.m., marking the lowest level of the year.
U.S. coffee giant Starbucks is considering selling its Japan business, with Bloomberg reporting that the company has begun preliminary talks with investment banks and that any deal could be worth between 400 billion yen and 500 billion yen.