As price hikes spread from fast food to daily necessities and households grapple with rising living costs, the steady depreciation of the yen has emerged as a central driver of inflation, with multiple indicators showing that the currency’s purchasing power has fallen to roughly one-third of its mid-1990s peak, underscoring how three decades of economic stagnation, prolonged monetary easing and renewed fiscal expansion have left Japan far more vulnerable to imported inflation than other major economies. (News On Japan)

An AI startup that emerged almost overnight, Akari had long been known only to insiders due to its limited media exposure, but after receiving investment from Mitsubishi Electric at the end of January and seeing its corporate valuation surge past 100 billion yen, the Tokyo-born venture has rapidly positioned itself as a leading unicorn candidate in Japan’s AI sector. (News On Japan)

Honda announced on February 26th that it will introduce a new model of its SUV, the CR-V, with prices starting at 5,122,700 yen. (News On Japan)

Mizuho Financial Group has decided on a policy to improve operational efficiency through the use of artificial intelligence, aiming to reduce administrative work equivalent to as many as 5,000 employees over the next decade. (News On Japan)

Falling debris from intercepted Iranian drones and missiles cause widespread damage across the Gulf.

Iran responds by launching missiles and drones towards Israel and four Gulf Arab countries that host US military bases.

People in the UK, Spain and the United States celebrated on Saturday following news of the strikes.

The name of a Japanese figure involved in a national government project has appeared more than 8,000 times in investigative records related to the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with sex trafficking and other crimes, sparking controversy and raising concerns over the future of the state-backed initiative. (News On Japan)

A man indicted on murder charges over the killing of a 31-year-old nailist in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is suspected of attaching a location-tracking “lost-item tag” to the victim’s car, investigative sources said, with police planning to rearrest him on March 2nd on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law. (News On Japan)

An eight-year-old Australian girl died after a snowmobile overturned in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, at around 11 a.m. on February 28th, with authorities investigating the cause of the accident. (News On Japan)

I finally tried the newly revived hovercraft (HOVERDRIVE) in Oita, Japan. It was absolutely worth a ride. I'm not saying it was comfortable, though! (Solo Travel Japan)

Iran's state media has confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed.

Yōkōkan Teien is a traditional Edo-period stroll garden (kaiyū-shiki teien) located in Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture. (Japanese Garden Collection)

There is no confirmation by the US or Israel of the strike on the school located near elite military troops.

Iran launched retaliatory attacks in the Middle East after US-Israel strikes across the country.

Iranian state TV confirms the supreme leader has been killed on the first day of massive US and Israeli air strikes on the country.

The killing of the supreme leader will be a huge jolt to the Islamic Republic, which will try hard to show it has a plan in place.

A woman's death during a climbing trip has sparked debates about personal responsibility and risk.

A woman's death during a climbing trip has sparked debates about personal responsibility and risk.

Growing numbers of people are injecting unregulated peptides for health reasons - but one expert says they are "lab rats".