Experts say the number has gone up with increases in pet ownership and the popularity of push-button gas stoves
No official details yet on involvement of US forces, but the sighting of a Chinese unmanned aircraft near Japanese waters has raised a security spectre.
Sociology expert says there is trust in Japanese society, where it is considered safe to leave belongings unattended while snoozing on commute.
Respondents said they felt obligated to attend the annual revelries and that they felt like an extension of work.
The Do-Dodonpa ride at the Fuji-Q Highland theme park had already paused operations since 2021 over reports of injuries among riders.
Given declining birth rates, diaper maker Oji Nepia is shifting its focus from infant products to those for the country’s rapidly growing elderly population
By finally joining social media, Japan’s Imperial Household Agency aims to reach a younger audience and get ahead of bad news before it becomes fodder for the tabloids, observers say.
Many Tokyo-bound passengers prefer to fly to Haneda as it is closer to the city centre than from Narita.
More than 18,000 people with dementia were reported missing in Japan last year. AI-driven motion sensing technology that can detect foot-dragging and shorter steps is being trialled to help locate them.
The designers’ fame, and success of the film ‘Perfect Days’, have boosted the popularity of the toilets, which began as a project to ‘reconsider’ the perfect public bathroom.
Family members of a veteran US soldier have discovered that the treasures were in an FBI file and contacted the agency for their return.
A lack of funds has forced some schools operated by Chongryon – the association of North Korean residents in Japan – to amalgamate their operations, while others have closed.
A recent spate of viral videos showing pranksters tampering with passing dishes has led some ‘kaiten sushi’ operators to reintroduce delivery-on-order instead.
Just 21 per cent of Japanese say they expect to be happy when they reach 100, according to a survey of six countries.
Fans of Japan’s Hanshin Tigers threw a statue of KFC founder Colonel Sanders into a river in 1985. The team suffered decades of poor performance after that.
Hu Shiyun, a professor of Chinese literature and linguistics in Japan, went to China last August on what was meant to be a short trip. He hasn’t been heard from since.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly hopes to build on the Japan-Republic of Korea Joint Declaration made in 1998 that outlined a future-oriented relationship.
Farmers in Yamagata prefecture have complained their herds are vulnerable to bloodsucking insects, elevating the stress levels of cattle.
Some 900,000 Japanese educators have signed petitions calling for the government to address long hours of unpaid work and poor pay.
The promotion quickly fell apart after social media users resurfaced his past comments that senior people are a drain on Japan’s society and should ‘kill themselves’.
The news about the Somei-Yoshino variety from Japan’s weather agency comes as it releases its forecasts for the annual cherry blossoms.
Consumer disenchantment over ‘manufactured’ occasions designed to encourage spending and rising cost of chocolates and treats are putting people off gift-buying.
The decontamination of the nuclear plant is expected to take around 30 to 40 years, based on past estimates.
The cat was captured on security cameras entering the Nomura Plating factory, and could have climbed onto a sheet covering a tank of hexavalent chromium before falling in.
Two members of the LDP’s youth wing resigned after reports surfaced that politicians and their supporters were being entertained by scantily clad dancers.
Immersive Fort Tokyo puts visitors at the heart of the action, from the streets of Victorian London, with Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to a walk-through Hansel and Gretel experience.
Trapped in a cycle of debt and exploitation by the host clubs of Tokyo’s Kabukicho nightlife district, ‘Yu’ found herself forced to work in a ‘soapland’ brothel in Macau.
Osaka currently imposes an accommodation tax and plans to set up a panel to consider the new levy, which could be introduced in 2025.
Researchers warn of a more catastrophic quake, after 28 quakes were recorded since the start of March this year, with 30 similar tremors last month.
Japan is ranked 73rd out of 190 countries surveyed in an assessment of equality between genders, below the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Nepal and Lesotho.