A mysterious object floating softly through the air has captured widespread attention online, with researchers at Nagoya University developing an ultra-lightweight material that appears to behave like a real-life “flying carpet.” (News On Japan)

I have often thought that the true rhythm of a city like Tokyo is best understood not from the high-rise lobby of a luxury hotel, but from the quiet side streets where the local vending machines hum through the night and the scent of a neighborhood bakery begins to drift at dawn – a perspective that is becoming increasingly attractive as we all try to navigate through (and at times, away from) a more and more complicated digital world. (News On Japan)

Figure skater Kaori Sakamoto held a retirement press conference in her hometown of Kobe, where she also revealed that she married in May. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s subsidy program for “painless childbirth” has received far more applications than expected within its first six months, leading to significant delays in payments, it was revealed on May 14th. (News On Japan)

The Osaka High Court upheld the acquittal on May 12th of Hiroshi Nakata, the 67-year-old head of the Yamaken-gumi faction, who had been charged with shooting and seriously injuring a member of a rival crime syndicate in Kobe in 2019. (News On Japan)

A popular geological attraction in Toyooka known for its distinctive volcanic rock formations has reopened after being temporarily closed following a large-scale rock collapse. (News On Japan)

A new experiment aimed at the future of transportation began on May 12th at JR Shin-Osaka Station, where a dedicated taxi pickup area exclusively for the ride-hailing app GO has been introduced. (News On Japan)

Police have arrested a couple in their 40s and their son in his 20s for allegedly confining a teenage girl inside a locked closet at their Tokyo home under the guise of discipline. (News On Japan)

Japan has approved the application of public health insurance to a regenerative medicine product using iPS cells to treat Parkinson’s disease, marking the world’s first practical use of iPS cell-based regenerative medicine. (News On Japan)

A crack was found in the cover surrounding the high-pressure turbine at Kansai Electric Power’s Mihama Nuclear Power Plant No. 3 reactor in Mihama, Fukui Prefecture, following a steam leak that occurred last week, the utility said. (News On Japan)

The National Red Cross Convention held on May 12 honored people involved in Red Cross activities across Japan. Empress Masako, serving as honorary president, attended the event alongside other female members of the Imperial Family, including Crown Princess Kiko, who serves as vice honorary president. (News On Japan)

A breathtaking scene unfolded before photographers as the setting sun illuminated terraced rice fields stretching toward the coastline in Saga Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Three men, including 22-year-old Sakuya Murakami from Takatsuki City in Osaka Prefecture, were arrested on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury after allegedly spraying a man in the face with what is believed to have been bear repellent and attempting to steal his backpack on a street in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Prefecture, in April. (News On Japan)

A new parliamentary group within the Liberal Democratic Party known as the "National Strength Study Group" is set to be launched, bringing together a powerful lineup of senior ruling party figures including Vice President Taro Aso, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and Policy Research Council Chairman Takayuki Kobayashi. (News On Japan)

Japan has approved the domestic manufacture and sale of an MMR vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, and rubella with a single injection, paving the way for its use in children aged one and older. (News On Japan)

Thick black smoke billowed across an expressway in Fukuoka on May 11th after a fire broke out beneath an elevated section of the road, temporarily blocking visibility for drivers and forcing a partial road closure. (News On Japan)

Several Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a special fraud operation in Indonesia have been detained, after a report from the family of a Japanese woman believed to have been trafficked led authorities to uncover the operation. (News On Japan)

Part of the exterior wall of a commercial building collapsed in Osaka on May 10th, causing a nearby highway signpost to topple onto a taxi in what authorities suspect may have been linked to the building’s aging condition. (News On Japan)

The House of Councillors' settlement committee convened on May 11th with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in attendance, as lawmakers continued debating the government's response to the worsening situation surrounding Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. (News On Japan)

A tornado-like whirlwind was spotted on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture on May 11th, with dramatic footage capturing the swirling gust as it moved through a port area while lifting seawater into the air. (News On Japan)