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July 12, 2026
 

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Jessica Speed
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has set up a special task force to intensify its crackdown on the Kohei-ikka, a Sumiyoshi-kai-affiliated designated crime group suspected of deepening its involvement with <i>tokuryū</i> networks, including special fraud linked to illegal job schemes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2026
Yakuza membership fell to record low in 2025
Authorities attribute the decline to an aging population within the criminal groups, tighter enforcement and a nationwide rollout of anti-gang ordinances.
Sendai Station is crowded with people Monday after the Tohoku shinkansen line suspended operation following a powerful earthquake off the Sanriku coast.
JAPAN / Explainer
Apr 21, 2026
How to prepare when Japan is under an earthquake advisory
Authorities in Japan are urging residents from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture to be ready in case a major earthquake strikes, following Monday’s magnitude 7.7 jolt.
Nearly 60,000 people age 65 or older were found dead alone in their homes last year, with many of them discovered more than a week after they died.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2026
Some 77,000 people found dead alone in their homes in 2025
People age 65 or older accounted for three-quarters of these cases of solitary deaths.
The Justice Ministry setting up a study panel regarding the misuse of generative artificial intelligence comes amid a sharp rise in such cases and concerns legislation in Japan has not kept up with the rapid advancement of AI.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2026
Government to launch study panel for generative-AI misuse
With a meeting scheduled for late April, the group will examine civil liability for the unauthorized use of people’s likenesses and voices.
The Nagoya District Court has sentenced Yuji Wada, a 42-year-old former elementary school teacher who started a group chat encouraging the sharing of indecent images of young girls, to two years and six months in prison.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2026
Ex-teacher who opened group chat for sharing indecent images gets jail
Yuji Wada, one of seven teachers who reportedly victimized more than 75 children, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison by the Nagoya District Court.
A shift is occurring in the translation industry both in Japan and across the globe, where using artificial intelligence in place of humans is increasingly becoming standard practice.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 16, 2026
As AI advances, translators forced to adapt to industry changes
Translators are having to grapple with lower pay and higher expectations, all while the future of the industry itself is in doubt.
Aya Puka (left), the vice representative of the Triple-Helix Roundtable for International Ph.D. Talent initiative, Thomas Busch (second from left), the dean of the graduate school at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Hirokazu Kato (center), director of Nara Institute of Science and Technology’s (NAIST) regional co-creation office, and Naoya Taniguchi (second from right), NAIST assistant professor and program representative, attend an event announcing the program in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan universities announce plan to boost foreign Ph.D. recruitment and development
The move comes as the country steps up efforts to strengthen its competitiveness amid intensifying global competition for skilled workers.
Starting Wednesday, Japan will require certain foreign nationals applying for its most common white-collar work visa to prove language proficiency.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 15, 2026
Japan implements language proficiency requirements for certain visa applicants
The requirement applies to jobs in which language skills are central, such as translation, interpretation and customer-facing roles.
An immigration control passport stamp issued in Japan. A surge in arrivals from overseas has coincided with a tightening of immigration controls under a government initiative aimed at reducing overstayers.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 9, 2026
Japan’s tighter immigration controls yielding results
The number of overstayers fell to 68,488 as of Jan. 1, down by 6,375 from a year earlier and marking the second consecutive annual decline.
Police are investigating a connection between fraud cases in Ehime and Osaka prefectures.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 7, 2026
Woman defrauded of ¥1.2 billion in largest scam loss on record in Japan
Individuals posing as police officers and prosecutors instructed the woman to transfer funds under the pretense of it being part of an investigation into her assets.
Representatives of the Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions speak to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2026
Costs to attend private universities in Tokyo hit record high
Parents of first-year students at higher education institutes in the Tokyo metropolitan area who responded to the survey described tough financial trade-offs and growing anxiety.
Bonbon drop stickers sold by Osaka-based Q-Lia have helped fuel a broader boom in Japan’s sticker market.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2026
Scam sites for popular stickers on the rise amid shortage
As many as 532 fraudulent websites posing as sellers of the viral Bonbon Drop stickers have been detected so far.
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures on Wednesday morning.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2026
JMA warns of potential tremors throughout the week after magnitude 5.0 quake
There is no threat of a tsunami, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage following the temblor, whose epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture.
The Sphere lights up in Las Vegas. SBI Holdings is exploring plans to build a Tokyo arena modeled on the iconic immersive venue.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2026
SBI Holdings eyes Sphere arena in new Tokyo entertainment push
The Tokyo-based financial group is considering the Odaiba waterfront district as a potential site for the project.
Japan&#039;s rollout of a new joint custody system for divorcing couples has drawn mixed reactions from the public, with some abuse survivors voicing concerns over continued contact with or interference from former partners while proponents welcomed the move because it puts the country more in line with international standards.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 31, 2026
Japan rolls out new joint custody system
The change ends the country’s long-standing sole custody framework, under which only one parent could retain parental rights following a divorce.
Until now, sole custody was the only option a divorced couple had, in contrast with many Western countries where joint custody is commonplace.
JAPAN / Society / EXPLAINER
Mar 24, 2026
What you need to know about Japan’s new joint custody system
For the first time ever, revisions to the family law will allow parents to choose between sole custody or joint custody following a divorce.
With parental authority at stake, abuse victims’ looming fear of the possibility that their ex-spouse could once again be in their lives is real. But the frustration of the current sole custody arrangement for a noncustodial parent is also hard to ignore.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2026
Fear and fairness: Japan’s joint custody reform sparks debate
From April, Japan will allow joint parental authority. For some, that means more time with their child, but for domestic abuse survivors, there is only fear.
CBN cookies at a store in Shibuya on Thursday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 19, 2026
Consumer products containing cannabis-derived CBN to be banned starting June
Under the revised ordinance, only patients with specific conditions, such as intractable diseases with no alternative treatment, will be allowed to use them.
A screenshot of the website run by Japanese snack maker Yamayoshi Seika shows the package of its flagship "wasabeef" potato chips, whose production has been halted due to the Iran crisis.
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2026
Hormuz crisis takes a bite out of Japan’s potato chips supply
Snack maker Yamayoshi Seika has stopped producing six items — including its flagship Wasabeef potato chips — due to difficulty procuring heavy oil used in manufacturing.
Plaintiffs at a news conference on Tuesday after a ruling on voluntary sterilization was handed down by the Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 17, 2026
Tokyo court rules against women’s right to voluntary sterilization
Under Japanese law, sterilization surgery for women can be performed only when specific health risks are present.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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