A Japanese man suspected of serving as a key coordinator for a Cambodia-based fraud syndicate that allegedly caused losses totaling billions of yen was arrested by Japanese authorities after being deported from Thailand on June 16.
JR Ueno Station has unveiled "Ueno Canvas," a new 75-square-meter LED display featuring videos that highlight the area's cultural attractions, tourism destinations, and artistic heritage as part of a station renovation aimed at connecting people and the city through culture.
A man was found dead after a house fire destroyed a residence in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, early on June 16, after a police officer on patrol spotted smoke and flames rising from the property.
A stone-skipping tournament on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture has drawn attention to 32-year-old Kosei Kigo of Nagoya, whose extraordinary dedication to the childhood pastime includes spending hours searching for the perfect stones, taking private coaching lessons, and competing against some of Japan's top athletes in pursuit of stone-skipping mastery.
More than 900 packs of the food linked to a food poisoning outbreak at a Costco store in Nagoya were sold over a two-day period, health authorities said.
Police in Osaka have arrested 41 men and women in a fraud case involving more than 600 million yen in suspected losses, uncovering what investigators believe was a scheme in which real influencer accounts were bought and used to impersonate their original owners and solicit followers into costly side-business programs.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck eastern Japan at around 7:46 p.m., with a maximum seismic intensity of lower 5 recorded in parts of Gunma and Saitama prefectures, though no injuries or major damage had been confirmed and there was no risk of a tsunami.
Aragi Island, a tongue-shaped plateau surrounded on three sides by the sharply winding Arida River in Aridagawa, Wakayama Prefecture, is drawing attention for its spectacular terraced rice fields, which create giant geometric patterns reflecting the sun and sky during the planting season.
Every spring, as visitors flock to Kyoto's Uji City to see landmarks such as Byodo-in Temple and sites associated with The Tale of Genji, another seasonal attraction appears in overwhelming numbers: swarms of tobikera, or caddisflies.
A parent bear and two cubs were spotted near an interchange in Kyoto Prefecture, just a few minutes' drive from a nursery school, in one of many bear sightings reported across Japan in recent days.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced new agreements on supply chain resilience and space cooperation following a summit meeting in Italy on June 15th, as the two countries pledged closer coordination on economic security and international affairs ahead of the G7 Summit.
The Japanese government has approved its first basic plan outlining concrete measures to promote public understanding of LGBT people and other sexual minorities, based on the LGBT Understanding Promotion Law that came into effect in 2023.
The harvest of fruit-like sweet corn has reached its peak in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, where farmers begin picking before dawn to preserve the crop's high sugar content and freshness.
A certification exam testing knowledge and skills related to ninjas was held in Koka, Shiga Prefecture, a city known as one of Japan's historic ninja centers.
Taxi operator newmo has opened a data collection hub for autonomous driving in Osaka's Joto Ward, launching what the company says is Japan's first initiative to use ride-share services to gather road data for AI training.
When Japan faces Tunisia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 1 p.m. local time on June 20 (3 a.m. Japan time on June 21), the Samurai Blue will have an opportunity to take a major step toward the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A Japanese-linked vessel anchored in the Persian Gulf sustained damage to part of its hull, but remained capable of sailing under its own power and no crew members were injured, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Kaneko said.
Sapporo began accepting household garbage in non-designated bags on June 15 as plastic product shortages linked to tensions in the Middle East continue to affect supplies, with home improvement stores reporting a sharp increase in demand for transparent and semi-transparent bags.
A shortage of naphtha-derived products is beginning to affect some of the best-known local products in Shizuoka Prefecture, threatening everything from peaches to tofu as producers struggle with rising costs and uncertain supplies.
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 Nikkei Stock Average briefly topped the 70,000 mark for the first time on June 16, rising as much as 700 points to an intraday high of 70,020 after the Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates matched market expectations, before retreating as investors locked in profits, though the benchmark still ended the day at a record high.
The Bank of Japan decided at its monetary policy meeting on June 16th to raise its policy interest rate for the first time in four meetings, lifting the benchmark rate from around 0.75% to around 1.0%, the highest level in 31 years.
Okinawa Coca-Cola Bottling has begun operating a large-scale solar power generation system at its Urasoe plant, aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 330 tons annually while expanding the use of renewable energy in the prefecture.
Tokyo stocks posted one of the strongest gains in the history of Japan's equity market on June 15, with the Nikkei Stock Average closing above 69,000 for the first time after a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending hostilities eased concerns over energy prices and global economic risks.