Nov 10 (Andrew Fraser) - Welcome to Japan's biggest slum, where survival is the only currency that matters. For the 20,000 people here in Kamagasaki, home is often the street. It's a strangely quiet slum, built on a brutal economic logic: a bowl of ramen might only cost 500 yen, but a tiny 3-tatami-mat room can cost $350 a month.
The vending machines are filled with alcohol and cigarettes, because here, people don't care about finance when tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Intermittent snowfall has continued across areas along the Sea of Japan coast under the season’s strongest cold wave, and Fukui Prefecture issued a special weather alert on January 24th warning of significant heavy snow, with forecasters expecting conditions to worsen again through January 25th.Snowfall intensified around Fukui Prefecture overnight on January 22nd, with even low-lying areas in Hokuriku recording above-average snow depth for this time of year.
The Japanese government decided at a Cabinet meeting on January 23rd to dissolve the House of Representatives, with the Lower House set to be formally dissolved at a plenary session later in the day, effectively launching the election campaign.
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui has drawn widespread attention for a series of posts showcasing breathtaking views from space, including a video of the aurora that he shared on January 12th shortly before returning.
Japan welcomed more than 40 million foreign visitors in 2025 for the first time, setting a new annual record, even as arrivals from China fell sharply in December.
A traditional New Year event known as “Jaduna” was held in Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, with local residents praying for a year of good health and protection from illness.
A six-vehicle pileup at a busy intersection in Akasaka, Minato Ward, left nine people dead or injured after a Cabinet Office vehicle is believed to have entered the intersection at high speed more than a minute after the traffic light had turned red, investigators said.
A Brazilian national who runs a guide company has been arrested on suspicion of operating sightseeing tours for foreign visitors using illegally modified sports cars, police said.
Japan’s Imperial Guard Police, a little-known force tasked with protecting the Imperial Family and guarding key palace facilities, is marking its 140th anniversary this year, with attention turning to the frontline officers who train daily for emergencies and operate with what they describe as a readiness to risk their lives.
Two foreign nationals have been arrested and indicted for allegedly smuggling an illegal drug known as “zombie cigarettes” into Japan through Kansai Airport, marking the first time a case involving the substance has been uncovered in Osaka, authorities said on January 20th.
A growing number of families in Japan are choosing to close down their family graves, driven by factors such as fewer descendants to inherit burial plots and the difficulty of maintaining graves far from where they now live.
A man accused of stealing items from a convenience store and assaulting an employee who chased after him, causing injuries, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who was charged with murder and other crimes over the shooting death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was sentenced to life in prison on January 21st in a lay judge trial at the Nara District Court, in line with prosecutors’ request after proceedings that spanned 15 hearings since October 2025. Yamagami showed no change in expression as the life sentence was handed down.
A building in Owariasahi, Aichi Prefecture, was engulfed in intense flames on January 18th after firefighters received a call shortly after 5 p.m. reporting that a house was on fire.
