A market spread is generally the difference between two market prices. Most commonly, traders use the term to describe the bid-ask spread: the difference between the highest price a buyer is currently prepared to pay and the lowest price a seller is prepared to accept. (News On Japan)

Anonymous and fluid criminal groups known in Japan as "tokuryu" are adopting increasingly elaborate tactics, including a scheme in which elderly victims are persuaded to hide cash inside refrigerators before thieves enter their homes, as authorities struggle to combat networks whose members often have no direct contact with one another. (News On Japan)

The yen strengthened by more than 1 yen against the dollar in a short period late on September 18 after the Bank of Japan conducted a rate check, a step commonly taken in preparation for possible intervention in the foreign exchange market. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose sharply on September 18, with the Nikkei 225 climbing to around 65,350 in afternoon trading after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates to 1.25%, as the yen weakened and investors bought artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares. (News On Japan)

The Bank of Japan raised its policy interest rate from 1.0% to 1.25% on September 18, lifting borrowing costs to their highest level in 31 years as policymakers moved to contain growing inflation risks, but the yen weakened sharply after the decision as markets focused on two dissenting votes and uncertainty over the pace of further increases. (News On Japan)

Japan secured a place in the women’s soccer quarterfinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with one group-stage match remaining after overwhelming Vietnam 8-0 for its second consecutive victory. (News On Japan)

A rare pod of around 50 dolphins was spotted swimming through the Seto Inland Sea off Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, with dozens of dorsal fins repeatedly breaking the surface as the animals moved together. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched her first cabinet reshuffle since taking office, keeping core economic, foreign-policy and security ministers in place while replacing a broad group of other ministers in an attempt to stabilize her government before a difficult autumn of tax, budget, monetary policy and diplomatic battles. (News On Japan)

The Kyushu Shinkansen will resume operations along its entire route on September 18 after suffering extensive track and other damage in the Kumamoto earthquake, raising hopes that the long-awaited restoration will help revive tourism in disaster-hit areas ahead of the Silver Week holiday period. (News On Japan)

A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on September 17, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 64,136, up 213.25 points, as investors bought selected technology, pharmaceutical, insurance and consumer-related shares after the Federal Reserve’s rate hike, though gains were capped by a stronger dollar, renewed yen weakness and caution before the Bank of Japan’s policy decision. (News On Japan)

Hakone, one of the Kanto region's most popular tourist destinations, has been left with just two operating gas stations after a series of closures, prompting the town to provide more than 10 million yen in subsidies to help reopen a shuttered facility. (News On Japan)

Prolonged rain is disrupting tourism ahead of Japan's Silver Week holidays, forcing Nagatoro's popular river cruises to remain suspended for an 11th consecutive day while increased water flow at Fukuroda Falls in Ibaraki Prefecture is drawing more visitors. (News On Japan)

Copper roofing has been stripped from Shinano-no-miya Shrine in Oshika Village, Nagano Prefecture, leaving the wooden structure exposed in the latest of a series of similar thefts reported at shrines across the prefecture. (News On Japan)

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has concluded that a large Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that lost communication off Tottori Prefecture on September 15 crashed into the sea. (News On Japan)

A second-year high school student was arrested at the scene after allegedly releasing tear gas spray inside a classroom at Osaka University of Commerce Sakai High School on September 16, leaving 24 students complaining of coughing, throat pain and other symptoms. (News On Japan)

A 27-year-old nightclub employee and influencer known online as Yamatorino was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possessing cocaine at her home in Tokyo's Roppongi district, along with her 28-year-old boyfriend. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched a new Liberal Democratic Party executive team on September 16, retaining most of the party’s senior leadership while pledging to unite the government and ruling party to overcome a difficult political and economic environment. (News On Japan)

Japan's Halloween Jumbo Lottery went on sale nationwide on September 16, offering a combined top payout of 400 million yen for the first prize and its adjacent-number prizes. (News On Japan)

Japan's National Tax Agency is preparing a major overhaul of the way unlisted shares are valued for inheritance tax, a reform that could significantly affect business succession at profitable, asset-rich companies and would mark the first fundamental revision of the rules since they were introduced in 1964. (News On Japan)