Mitsui Fudosan has announced that it will begin regular operations of electric passenger boats in April, marking what the company says will be the first scheduled service of its kind in Japan and positioning water transport as a new pillar of urban mobility tied to its real estate developments. (News On Japan)

Reports of measles infections have been emerging one after another across the Kanto region, prompting health authorities to urge the public to remain vigilant. (News On Japan)

Ever feel like your life is going at the pace of a Shinkansen? By 2026, Japan will have officially become the playground for those refusing to stay in one place. (News On Japan)

VPS hosting has become a popular choice for website owners and businesses that need more control and steady performance than shared hosting can provide. (News On Japan)

A winter pressure pattern is set to re-establish itself in the latter half of this week, allowing cold air to flow more easily into areas around Japan. The peak of the cold air is forecast for Thursday, January 29, and Friday, January 30, when snow clouds associated with the Japan Sea Polar air mass Convergence Zone (JPCZ) are expected to move inland, particularly across eastern parts of the San’in region and western Hokuriku, raising the risk of heavy snowfall. (News On Japan)

On December 24, 2025, Lexus added a new model, the RZ600e, to its battery electric vehicle RZ series, marking the culmination of an unconventional development partnership that is challenging long-held assumptions in automotive engineering. (News On Japan)

As Japan’s population ages, the number of people working while caring for elderly parents is increasing, with about 100,000 people nationwide leaving their jobs each year due to caregiving responsibilities, revealing deep structural barriers to balancing work and family care. (News On Japan)

With one week remaining until Setsubun on February 3rd, preparations of auspicious decorations known as “kicho” are in full swing at Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Wakayama Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Flocks of whooper swans, often called “messengers of winter,” have arrived in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, delighting onlookers with their graceful appearance. (News On Japan)

A man wearing a black hood emerged from a police station on January 27th, identified as Hiroaki Obata, 40, chairman of Japan’s largest scout group, “Natural,” who had been on the run for nearly a year before being arrested on January 26th on Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to police. (News On Japan)

In Osaka, the number of residents from Nepal has risen sharply in recent years, with many international students and workers settling around the UR Kongo housing complex near Kongo Station in Tondabayashi. The area has become home to a growing Nepalese community after public housing operators, seeking to address vacancies caused by an aging population, partnered with educational institutions to accept trainees from Nepal, a move that has led to long-term settlement by many residents. (News On Japan)

From a hill overlooking the river mouth, countless boats could be seen floating below, their multicolored lights reflecting off the shimmering surface of the water, while the hum of engines and the voices of fishermen occasionally drifted through the night air. (News On Japan)

A water-spraying firefighting drill was held at the World Heritage-listed Horyuji Temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, on January 26th, Cultural Property Fire Prevention Day, with monks and local volunteer firefighters taking part. (News On Japan)

Tokyo police have taken 32 boys and girls into protective custody after they were found gathering at night around the “Toyoko” area near Kabukicho in Shinjuku. (News On Japan)

China’s Foreign Ministry has urged Chinese citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan during the Lunar New Year holiday period, citing a rise in crimes targeting Chinese nationals and a series of earthquakes in parts of the country. (News On Japan)

New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido was effectively cut off by record snowfall, leaving around 7,000 people stranded overnight after rail and bus services were suspended, severing key transport links and disrupting daily life. (News On Japan)

The government on January 23rd compiled a comprehensive set of measures after holding a ministerial meeting on foreign resident policy, stressing the need for “orderly coexistence.” (News On Japan)

With the House of Representatives election officially kicking off on January 27, seven party leaders appeared on Fuji TV’s “Sunday Report THE PRIME” to debate how quickly they could deliver the consumption tax cuts many are promising as a response to rising prices, along with the rationale for the snap dissolution and Japan’s security policy as tensions with China persist. (News On Japan)

Airport quarantine inspectors in Japan are repeatedly finding prohibited foods hidden inside souvenirs, from pork and chicken products to fruit and even vegetable seeds, as travelers return from overseas unaware that strict import rules apply. (News On Japan)

Karasuyama washi, a traditional Japanese paper with a history spanning some 1,300 years, is now being produced at full pace during the coldest part of the year, as workshops enter their busiest season making sheets used for graduation certificates. (News On Japan)