Thirty-one years have passed since the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck on January 17th, 1995, killing 6,434 people, with communities across Hyogo Prefecture offering prayers for the victims at 5:46 a.m., the moment the disaster hit, as the aging of those who lived through the quake makes it increasingly difficult to pass on its lessons to the next generation. (News On Japan)

Nearly a year has passed since Osaka banned smoking on streets across the entire city, but reporting on the ground has found growing frustration from residents and smokers alike, along with business owners warning they are reaching their limits. (News On Japan)

Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has decided not to run in the next House of Representatives election and intends to retire at the end of his current term, with a formal announcement expected on January 17th. (News On Japan)

Dozens of suitcases lined the shelves of a police warehouse near Narita Airport, with around 200 pieces of luggage being stored after being left behind inside the airport, highlighting a growing problem that has become increasingly visible across Japan. (News On Japan)

Asahi Beer’s sales in December fell by more than 20% from a year earlier, as the effects of a prolonged system disruption continued to weigh on shipments. (News On Japan)

The suspect, surrounded by police officers, is seen in footage taken immediately after his arrest for allegedly stabbing two men who came to his apartment, in an incident that left one dead and another injured. (News On Japan)

In this video we rank the top 5 greatest samurai warriors of Japan's Genpei War! Which warrior will come out on top in this brief list of the most significant combatants from one of Japan's most storied conflicts. (The Shogunate)

All the tips you need to get started planning your trip to Japan! (japan-guide.com)

Blue Dream follows the people working on the front lines to protect Japan’s rapidly deteriorating marine and forest environments, where once-abundant fishing grounds and seaweed beds have been giving way to what is increasingly described as an underwater desert. (News On Japan)

Bitcoin's trajectory is showing promising signs of significant growth, with projections suggesting a possible 50% price increase by March, as its correlation with gold diminishes. (News On Japan)

The long-delayed extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo is facing further setbacks, with the opening now pushed back by more than a decade and total project costs projected to more than double, even as construction steadily advances on the ground. (News On Japan)

Water erupted from near the ceiling of an underground passage inside Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station in Chiyoda Ward at around 6:00 p.m. on January 14th, in what the operator believes was caused by a burst water supply pipe. (News On Japan)

A group of wild animals startled a driver on a mountain road in Toyama Prefecture, highlighting the risks of unexpected wildlife encounters on rural routes. (News On Japan)

A Japan–South Korea summit held in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s home region of Nara concluded after a series of events that highlighted both countries’ strategic calculations and a deliberate display of goodwill. (News On Japan)

The annual New Year imperial poetry ceremony, known as Utakai Hajime, was held at the Imperial Palace, where Princess Aiko’s waka poem was recited publicly for the first time and Prince Hisahito made his debut appearance at the traditional event. (News On Japan)

Japan’s stock market extended its rally as election-related buying and a weaker yen pushed the Nikkei Average to a record close above the 54,000 mark for the first time. (News On Japan)

A powerful winter pressure pattern is expected to bring severe blizzard conditions mainly to northern Japan through January 15th, prompting authorities to warn of violent snowstorms and high waves that are likely to disrupt transportation. In Hokkaido, flight cancellations mounted as the storm intensified, forcing around 900 passengers to spend the night at airports after services were suspended. (News On Japan)

A preview trailer has been released for the Hokkaido Fact program “Ainu and the Majority: Who Stands Up to Discrimination,” scheduled to air on January 18th, 2026, from 3:54 p.m. to 4:24 p.m., examining how the structure of thinking around discrimination is beginning to change. (News On Japan)

Hokkaido is set to relax the criteria for issuing its so-called “brown bear alert,” making it possible to release warnings even before human injuries occur, as the prefecture seeks to respond more flexibly to the early appearance of dangerous animals. (News On Japan)

Japan has long held a reputation for maintaining traditional relationship structures where men tend to be older than their female partners. (News On Japan)