Real estate company Rewrite has built a business around properties that owners struggle to give away, sometimes listing them for just 1 yen in a strategy that produces virtually no immediate profit but can generate lucrative deals years later through referrals and repeat customers. (News On Japan)

Pan Pacific International Holdings, the operator of Don Quijote discount stores and other retail businesses, posted net profit of 110.1 billion yen for the year through June 2026, up 21.6% from a year earlier and exceeding 100 billion yen for the first time. (News On Japan)

JA Zen-Noh Niigata decided on August 18 to set its advance payment for standard Koshihikari rice from the 2026 crop at 18,500 yen per 60 kilograms of brown rice, about 40% lower than a year earlier as inventories continue to build. (News On Japan)

All Nippon Airways has come under criticism over a new three-tier domestic fare system introduced from May 19, with complaints over seat assignments and reports that some passengers booked on the cheapest fares were unable to board their scheduled flights, prompting ANA to consider changes as it seeks to improve the profitability of a domestic network where about 60% of routes are in the red. (News On Japan)

About 10,000 fireworks illuminated the Kumano-nada Sea in brilliant colors on August 17 as the Kumano Grand Fireworks Festival was held in Kumano, Mie Prefecture, drawing about 80,000 spectators, according to organizers. (News On Japan)

An international meeting on Pacific bluefin tuna resource management reached agreement on August 18 to raise the catch quota for large fish in the western and central Pacific by 25% while reducing the quota for smaller fish by 6%, a shift that could eventually lower prices for the prized tuna used in high-end sushi and sashimi. (News On Japan)

A Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet tilted to one side and came to a stop while landing at Naha Airport on August 18, forcing the closure of one of the airport's two runways and causing delays of more than an hour for some arriving commercial flights. (News On Japan)

Hyogo Prefecture has been placed under a system requiring central government approval for new borrowing after its debt repayment burden exceeded a nationally defined threshold, raising concerns that worsening finances and higher interest rates could push the prefecture closer to serious fiscal distress. (News On Japan)

A 77-year-old man charged with attempted murder has gone missing after apparently leaving a hospital in Hakodate, Hokkaido, where he had been admitted for medical treatment, prompting prosecutors and police to search for him. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out at Sairinji temple in Saga city on the morning of August 18, engulfing the building in flames and prompting the dispatch of 10 fire engines and two ambulances, with no injuries reported so far. (News On Japan)

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate briefly rose to 2.945% as government bonds were sold on August 18, reaching a fresh high not seen in about 30 years as uncertainty in the Middle East pushed up crude oil futures and fueled expectations that inflation could accelerate. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic agenda came under fresh pressure on August 18 after weaker-than-expected growth figures exposed the fragility of Japan’s recovery, sharpening the political stakes around the Bank of Japan’s next rate decision, the weak yen, and the government’s plan to cut the consumption tax on food. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 17, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 69,220.25, up 506.45 points, as buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares outweighed weaker-than-expected economic growth, rising bond yields and renewed concern over household spending. (News On Japan)

Severe disruption continued across Chiba Prefecture after the holiday period, with rail closures forcing some commuters into three-hour journeys while more than 2,700 vehicles remained immobilized by flooding caused by last week's torrential rain. (News On Japan)

Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid held its first official soccer school in Hokkaido in August, bringing about 90 young players from across Japan to Urakawa, a town of roughly 11,000 people in the Hidaka region, with organizers now considering opening a permanent residential academy there as early as 2028. (News On Japan)

A Turkish national has been arrested on suspicion of performing illegal drift driving on a public road in Yatomi, Aichi Prefecture, as police prepare to strengthen enforcement around facilities linked to the Asian Games and Asian Para Games. (News On Japan)

Nagoya's municipal subway will introduce a contactless credit card payment service at all 87 stations from September 3, allowing passengers to pass through ticket gates simply by tapping a compatible card. (News On Japan)

A 77-year-old hunter from Sunagawa, Hokkaido, who won a Supreme Court ruling overturning the revocation of his firearms license, filed a damages lawsuit against the national government and Hokkaido on August 17 after discovering that one of four seized hunting rifles had been destroyed years earlier without being returned to him. (News On Japan)

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways are preparing to coordinate schedules on some domestic routes as the longtime rivals seek ways to maintain air services. (News On Japan)

Japan's economy expanded for a third consecutive quarter in the April-June period, with real gross domestic product rising 0.3% from the previous three months, equivalent to an annualized increase of 1.1%, according to preliminary data released by the Cabinet Office. (News On Japan)