The flight from Narita lands just after sunset, and by the time the taxi clears the terminal the air has already made its point: warm, salt-tinged, a shade heavier than the one you left behind that morning. (News On Japan)

The BBC finds out what is driving the sports' increasing popularity with women and what it takes to be the best.

One in five public junior high schools in Japan has stopped offering swimming lessons, raising concerns about declining swimming ability as schools struggle with extreme heat, aging pool facilities and the growing burden on teachers. (News On Japan)

Six beluga whales have arrived in the US after being moved from a Canadian marine park that could no longer care for them.

An unexploded U.S.-made bomb believed to date from World War II has been discovered at a housing construction site in a residential district of Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, potentially requiring the evacuation of nearly 5,000 people during its disposal. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic agenda came under sharper pressure on July 22 as the yen fell to its weakest level in about 40 years, forcing the government to warn of possible currency action while the Bank of Japan signaled growing concern that inflation risks could require faster interest-rate hikes. (News On Japan)

A 55-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly capturing an endangered butterfly in the Norikura Highlands of Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, marking Japan's first arrest involving the protected species. (News On Japan)