Thai police announced they have secured an arrest warrant for the mother of a 12-year-old Thai national, who was brought to Japan and allegedly forced to work illegally at a massage parlor in Tokyo. The warrant is on suspicion of human trafficking and other charges. (News On Japan)

A man believed to have been involved in a fatal hit-and-run that left one person dead and 11 others injured in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward on November 24th was taken into custody as police began questioning him on a voluntary basis. (News On Japan)

A large fire that broke out late on November 23rd at a waste plastic recycling plant in the city of Bando in Ibaraki has continued to burn for roughly 18 hours, with no clear timeline for containment. The blaze was first reported at around 10:40 p.m. on November 23rd when nearby residents alerted firefighters after seeing flames and smoke rising from the site. (News On Japan)

A man arrested on suspicion of killing three members of his family at their home in Sapporo’s Kita Ward on October 31st is believed to have attacked them in the first-floor living room, where all were later found collapsed. (News On Japan)

A taxi crashed onto a sidewalk in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district late in the morning on November 21st, leaving a woman in her 50s injured in an area crowded with tourists near the iconic Togetsukyo Bridge. (News On Japan)

Culling of bears in Hokkaido has surged to unprecedented levels this fiscal year, with 963 animals killed across the prefecture as sightings and human attacks rise at a record pace, prompting local governments and disposal facilities to struggle with the sheer volume of carcasses awaiting processing. (News On Japan)

With November 22nd recognized as Good Couple Day, Meiji Yasuda Life released the results of its annual survey highlighting Japan’s perceptions of married life, including the ranking of the country’s most admired celebrity couples. (News On Japan)

A woman in her 40s who was scheduled to perform at a live house in Akasaka was stabbed in the abdomen and other areas on November 16th, leaving her seriously injured, and new information indicates that the man who attacked her had changed his shoes near the scene roughly two hours before the assault. (News On Japan)

A man who hid his face from cameras as he was escorted by police at the Tokorozawa Police Station in Saitama was among the suspects arrested on suspicion of theft. Police say he and three others allegedly broke a window and entered a vacant home in Hitachi City in August 2025, where they stole wristwatches and other items valued at about 15,000 yen. (News On Japan)

Aiko, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress, attended a luncheon in the ancient Laotian capital of Luang Prabang on November 20th during the imperial couple’s official visit to Laos, where she delivered her second set of remarks since arriving in the country. (News On Japan)

A series of arrests involving Japanese nationals overseas is drawing renewed attention to the expansion of special fraud rings, with on-the-ground reporting in Cambodia revealing the presence of hidden power brokers whose influence is believed to extend into the country’s political establishment. As scam groups establish bases across Southeast Asia, new details are emerging about how these networks operate and why Japanese citizens have become prime targets. (News On Japan)

Osaka prosecutors have decided not to indict a 21-year-old man from Shizuoka Prefecture in a case where the body of a Russian woman was discovered in a multi-unit residence in Osaka City in July, concluding on October 18th that the evidence did not warrant pursuing charges. (News On Japan)

A large-scale fire in Oita City’s Saganoseki district entered its third day on November 20th, and although authorities declared the blaze “brought under control” late in the morning, firefighters continued battling smoldering hotspots across the affected area as a full extinguishment remained out of reach. (News On Japan)

A light aircraft carrying three people that departed from Saga Airport on the morning of November 19th was found crashed in the mountains of Hoshino Village in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, where emergency crews recovered three bodies whose identities and genders have yet to be confirmed. (News On Japan)

Princess Aiko, who is in Laos on her first official overseas duty, attended a state banquet on Tuesday night and delivered a greeting that included some Lao phrases. (News On Japan)

Aiko, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and Empress, arrived in Laos on her first official trip abroad, completing roughly 11 hours of travel before reaching the capital Vientiane, where she was welcomed with traditional dance at her hotel and greeted those who had gathered by bringing her hands together in a gesture of respect, enjoying the atmosphere without showing signs of fatigue. (News On Japan)

A sports car burst into flames on the Metropolitan Expressway in Yokohama on November 16th, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze about 30 minutes after the initial outbreak. (News On Japan)

A reporting team found itself face to face with a bear while investigating the sharp rise in bear-related incidents that has left 13 people dead this year. (News On Japan)

A company employee was arrested on November 3rd in Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, after allegedly setting fire to his car on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway, where police later discovered the burned body of a man believed to have been in his 50s or 60s, prompting investigators to consider the possibility of murder in addition to arson. (News On Japan)

A group of eight individuals, including Chinese national and company executive Yang Xiaodong, has been arrested on suspicion of selling gold bars with counterfeit stamps from a major precious metals company and passing them off as genuine, generating what investigators believe was roughly 9.5 billion yen in sales. (News On Japan)