The impact of tensions in the Middle East is spreading to familiar snacks in Japan, with Morinaga & Co. temporarily suspending sales of some caramel products, including its long-selling Hi-Soft brand, after difficulties emerged in securing certain raw materials. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average rebounded sharply on May 21st after falling below 60,000 at the previous day's close, briefly rising more than 2,200 points as hopes grew for progress in talks toward ending the fighting between the United States and Iran, while SoftBank Group gave the market a major boost following reports that OpenAI was preparing to file for an initial public offering. (News On Japan)

A mother wild boar was filmed on a university campus leaving five piglets to scale a wall on their own, offering a rare glimpse of what one lecturer described as "Spartan" parenting in the wild as baby animals appear across Japan with the arrival of the season. (News On Japan)

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward. (News On Japan)

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has released an assessment of passive exposure to heated tobacco products, saying that while harmful substances in the air increase when such products are used indoors, the link with cancer risk cannot be determined at this stage. (News On Japan)

A safety alert is expected to be issued as early as May 21st over Tavneos, a drug used to treat vasculitis, after 20 patients who took the medication died from serious liver dysfunction, according to people familiar with the matter. (News On Japan)

Japan’s imports of crude oil from the Middle East plunged 67.2% in April from a year earlier, as the impact of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz began to ripple through the country’s trade and energy supply chains. (News On Japan)

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met on May 19th and agreed to strengthen cooperation in both economic and security fields, highlighting growing alignment between the two countries as instability spreads across the Middle East and uncertainty deepens over the future direction of U.S.-China relations. (News On Japan)

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average surged by more than 2,100 points at one stage in trading on May 21st, with the benchmark index continuing to trade above the 61,000 level in the Tokyo stock market. (News On Japan)

As aging underground infrastructure becomes an increasing concern across Japan, the city of Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture has developed a digital underground map designed to improve the management of sewer, water, gas, and electrical systems. (News On Japan)

Traditional ukai cormorant fishing, a seasonal custom signaling the arrival of early summer, began on May 20th along the Chikugo River in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, following the opening of ayu sweetfish fishing on the river that flows through southern Fukuoka. (News On Japan)

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Toshiba announced on May 20th that they had jointly developed a new stock index utilizing quantum technology. (News On Japan)

TOTO, a major Japanese manufacturer of housing and bathroom equipment, reopened its showroom in London, England, on May 20th after undergoing its first major renovation in 16 years. (News On Japan)

Video footage appears to show graffiti being carved into bamboo at Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, with witnesses claiming two foreign visitors were involved in the vandalism. (News On Japan)

Surrounded by mountains in Kyoto Prefecture, Miyama’s Kitamura district preserves one of Japan’s most iconic rural landscapes, where rows of traditional thatched-roof houses have been maintained for generations through strong community cooperation and deeply rooted village traditions. (News On Japan)

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region. (News On Japan)

Tokyo police on May 18th simultaneously raided four girls bars and similar establishments across the capital, arresting five owners and employees on suspicion of allowing female staff to entertain male customers without the required business licenses, as authorities warned new university students against taking jobs at illegal nightlife venues. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department held a review ceremony for its riot police units at Meiji Jingu Gaien in Tokyo on May 20th, with around 1,700 officers marching in formation as part of a large-scale demonstration of security preparedness. (News On Japan)

U.S. President Donald Trump was found to have traded large amounts of stock, including shares in Kura Sushi USA, in a wave of more than 3,700 transactions over a three-month period that has sparked criticism over possible conflicts of interest. (News On Japan)