Japanese authorities have issued a warning for hikers and others to stay alert for bears emerging from hibernation.
Elderly Japanese are at highest risk from the elevated temperatures, while agriculture – especially the crucial seasonal fruit sector – and fish prices will also feel the impact.
The Mobile Cooperation Team initiative was first set up in 2017 as part of Tokyo’s efforts to train and equip the coastguards of Southeast Asian nations that felt threatened by China’s presence.
A newspaper group’s publication of a translated version of ‘Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters’ has raised freedom of expression concerns on both sides of Japan’s political divide.
Attended by the king and villagers from across the country, Bhutan’s high-altitude Royal Highland Festival involves dancing, horse racing, wrestling and other trials of strength.
Eight-year-old Labrador retriever, the equivalent of 60 in human age, began her tour of duty at Narita and Haneda airports in 2017.
Ministry of Health study highlights severe lack of sleep among Japanese, raising alarms over potential societal impacts.
The upgraded Kaga, now capable of deploying the vertical take-off variant of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, will be a welcome addition to Japan’s arsenal, analysts say.
Moscow’s ‘carrot-and-stick’ tactic with Tokyo over the peace agreement goes back decades, analysts say, after a Kremlin spokesman dredged up the Cold War-era strategy in an effort to drive a wedge between the US and Japan.
Some 88 per cent of respondents also say North Korea is a cause for concern, while 89 per cent identify Russia as a danger, according to the annual survey.
Japanese health authorities have attempted to play down global media reports of a spike in cases of the rare but frequently deadly streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome.
Reports suggest it will be the new medium-range Typhon system, capable of firing high-speed anti-shipping projectiles or Tomahawk cruise missiles to address threats from North Korea and China.
Four arrests were made in connection to a website promising women opportunities to ‘earn tens of millions of yen a month’ in the US sex industry.
Operators hope the ship – the first built in Japan in 73 years – will revive interest in whale meat and prop up the ailing industry, which has been surviving on subsidies.
Japan also hopes to reinforce its reputation as a nation that promotes the rule of law in international disputes and to play a larger role in regional diplomacy, analysts say.
Officials have proposed to kill the animals in a buffer zone surrounding Nara Park that attracts thousands of visitors, who feed them rice crackers.
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.