Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi moved to contain political pressure on July 14 by confirming that she will attend intensive Budget Committee deliberations later this week, as the final days of the Diet session turned into a test of her parliamentary management, economic policy credibility and conservative legislative agenda. (News On Japan)

Foreign tourists are filling an interactive sumo show venue in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, where former wrestlers introduce the basics, rules and history of the sport in English as Japan’s traditional pastime enjoys growing popularity at home and abroad. (News On Japan)

Convenience store operators in Japan are strengthening safety measures as bear-related damage grows more serious, with Lawson expanding the use of bear repellent spray and considering drone-based remote monitoring. (News On Japan)

A 44-year-old man arrested after four people were injured in a knife attack in Saiki, Oita Prefecture, has told investigators in effect that "anyone would do," suggesting the victims were chosen at random, investigative sources said. (News On Japan)

Tokyo Disney Resort will raise the maximum price of its one-day tickets from October, with adult admission to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea rising by as much as 1,500 yen to 12,400 yen on selected high-demand days. (News On Japan)

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group became Japan's most valuable company for the first time on the Tokyo stock market on July 13, overtaking Toyota Motor as expectations grow that higher interest rates will lift bank earnings. (News On Japan)

Two typhoons are currently near Japan, with Typhoon No. 9, Bavi, over North China and Typhoon No. 11, Haishen, east of the Philippines, but only Bavi is expected to have any indirect impact on the country. (News On Japan)

Fires involving lithium-ion batteries, including those used in mobile battery packs, are occurring at a record pace in Japan this year, with 179 incidents reported by the end of May, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. (News On Japan)

A debate over whether shorts belong in the workplace is spreading in Japan after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike encouraged metropolitan government employees to wear cooler clothing, including shorts, as part of efforts to cope with intensifying summer heat. (News On Japan)

A wild boar repeatedly charged at a man on the grounds of a food service company in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on July 13, injuring two people before being captured about an hour and a half later. (News On Japan)

A 37-year-old gang member known in Tokyo's Kabukicho district by the nickname "Crazy" has been arrested on suspicion of robbing and injuring a teenage girl near Shinjuku Station after threatening her with what appeared to be an ice pick. (News On Japan)

Japan has become an unexpected base of operations for Russian intelligence agents since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with spies allegedly using the country to procure and smuggle high-tech equipment and other goods to Russia, The New York Times reported on July 12. (News On Japan)

A woman arrested on suspicion of sewing shut the lips of a woman she lived with in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, has denied the allegation, telling investigators she has no recollection of the incident. (News On Japan)

A 65-year-old man who spent 40 years working for a company was shocked to learn that his pension would amount to 168,000 yen a month, raising fresh concern over whether retirees in Japan can live on public pension payments alone. (News On Japan)

An abandoned concrete arch bridge deep in the forests of Kamishihoro in Hokkaido's Tokachi region is slowly being reclaimed by nature, its exposed reinforcing bars and weeds marking the passage of time. (News On Japan)

Two men died on July 11 in separate water accidents in Aichi and Gifu prefectures, including an Indonesian man who apparently drowned after jumping into a waterfall basin and a fisherman swept away while trying to recover his fishing gear. (News On Japan)

Osaka’s Minami district, now entering another period of major change with the planned opening of the Naniwasuji Line, the redevelopment of Midosuji and improvements around Nankai Namba Station, has transformed from an area once described as "scary" and "dirty" into one of Japan’s leading tourist destinations. (News On Japan)

A 10-ton hoko float was pulled through central Kyoto on July 12 in a trial run ahead of the Yamahoko Junko procession during the Gion Festival's early parade. (News On Japan)

A growing number of young doctors in Japan are moving directly into cosmetic medicine after obtaining a medical license and completing their initial clinical training, raising concern that the trend may be worsening staff shortages in insurance-covered medical care. (News On Japan)

Foreign drivers seeking to convert overseas licenses into Japanese ones are increasingly turning to driving schools after tougher rules introduced last October sharply reduced pass rates for both written and practical checks. (News On Japan)