Eighty women carried two portable shrines weighing about 200 kilograms each through Osaka’s Tenjinbashisuji shopping arcade, filling the streets with spirited chants ahead of the Tenjin Festival’s opening ceremonies. (News On Japan)

World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue will face top-ranked challenger and former kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa in a highly anticipated rematch at Toyota Arena Tokyo on September 27, organizers announced on July 23. (News On Japan)

Japan Airlines has unveiled new cooling workwear for ground staff at Haneda Airport, where temperatures on the aircraft parking apron reached 39 degrees Celsius. (News On Japan)

Ammonia, commonly associated with its pungent odor and its presence in urine, is gaining recognition as one of humanity's most important inventions and a potential foundation for a new energy system that could reduce the world's dependence on oil. (News On Japan)

A government panel discussing Japan's minimum wage for fiscal 2026 ended its latest meeting on July 23 without an agreement between labor and management, pushing a decision back until its next session. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government is considering requiring certain stalking offenders to wear GPS tracking devices under a new system that would alert victims when an offender approaches their home, workplace or another protected location. (News On Japan)

Former professional tennis player Rika Hiraki, who won the mixed doubles title at the 1997 French Open, has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a romance scam. (News On Japan)

Japan's average retail price for regular gasoline rose to 170 yen per liter, while the government is considering reducing subsidies by raising its target price to around 175 yen after the peak travel season. (News On Japan)

Foreign students in Japan are taking on demanding part-time jobs to cover rising living costs and finance their education, with convenience stores emerging as one of the most desirable workplaces because they offer valuable language training, exposure to Japanese culture and experience that could lead to future business opportunities. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic agenda faced another market test on July 23 as the yen remained near its weakest level in about 40 years, forcing the government to keep warning of possible currency action while investors increasingly expected the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates again before the end of the year. (News On Japan)

A 61-year-old unemployed man has been arrested after allegedly subjecting a quiet Kyoto neighborhood to years of relentless radio broadcasts and amplified guitar music, leaving nearby residents with sleep disorders and other health problems. (News On Japan)

A police officer shot and wounded a 21-year-old man who allegedly robbed a convenience store in Koshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, and then approached officers with a kitchen knife on the evening of July 22. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on July 23, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,422.60, up 307.00 points, as investors bought back semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares despite renewed concern over the yen’s weakness near 40-year lows and oil prices driven higher by Middle East tensions. (News On Japan)

A Russian military intelligence officer accused of posing as an airline employee in Tokyo while overseeing the smuggling of high-tech equipment needed to sustain Russia's invasion of Ukraine left Japan after his activities were reported by The New York Times. (News On Japan)

Mount Fuji has entered its summer climbing season, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors while authorities on its Shizuoka and Yamanashi sides take sharply different approaches to protecting climbers from a possible eruption. (News On Japan)

JR West has unveiled a new blue-based design for Kodama trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen, intended to evoke the relaxed pace of an all-stations journey and the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea. (News On Japan)

Retail prices for imported beef and pork in Japan have climbed to their highest levels on record, driven by the weak yen and tighter overseas supplies. (News On Japan)

Japan's finance minister signaled the government is prepared to intervene in the foreign exchange market after the yen briefly weakened into the 163 range against the dollar, its lowest level in about 40 years. (News On Japan)

Kuwana in Mie Prefecture recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature anywhere in Japan this year, as a powerful high-pressure system and hot downslope winds combined to produce dangerous heat across a wide area. (News On Japan)

Mount Tokachidake in central Hokkaido experienced its first confirmed eruption in 22 years on July 22, sending a column of black smoke about 200 meters above the crater, although authorities said there were no signs that volcanic activity was intensifying. (News On Japan)