A male employee in his 60s was injured after being attacked by a bear while working on the grounds of a garden center in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, at around 8:30 a.m. on August 13. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 13, with the Nikkei 225 advancing to 68,601.21, up 1.6%, as semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares followed Wall Street higher, while the broader TOPIX climbed to a record high despite continued concern over wholesale inflation, the yen and Bank of Japan rate-hike expectations. (News On Japan)

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States. (News On Japan)

Two pet pythons measuring about 2 meters in length escaped from an apartment in Kawasaki's Tama Ward early on August 13, prompting police and firefighters to search the surrounding residential area and warn local residents. (News On Japan)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Etorofu Island, marking his first trip to the Russian-held islands claimed by Japan as the Northern Territories, according to the Kremlin. (News On Japan)

Reports that a man posing as an employee of Russian airline Aeroflot conducted intelligence operations in Tokyo have renewed attention on Russian espionage in Japan, a country former Soviet intelligence officers have described as unusually easy for spies to operate in because of weaknesses in its legal and counterintelligence framework. (News On Japan)

All Nippon Airways said on August 12 that it will lower fuel surcharges added to international airfares for tickets issued from September, following a temporary easing in fuel prices after a sharp rise linked to worsening conditions in the Middle East. (News On Japan)

Street performances began across Tokushima on August 12 as the city's Awa Odori festival entered its second day, with leading dance groups showcasing graceful routines after months of practice. (News On Japan)

A 23-year-old Mexican national has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle endangered lizards into Japan after customs officers at Haneda Airport discovered about 200 reptiles concealed inside 22 pairs of socks. (News On Japan)

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes. (News On Japan)

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods. (News On Japan)

Two teenage boys from Tokyo's Adachi Ward have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and firing aerial fireworks toward police officers at two police boxes, telling investigators they were annoyed that a new police box had opened in the area. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a telephone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on August 12, urging an early easing of military tensions in the Middle East while stressing the importance of free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without additional costs. (News On Japan)

Typhoon No. 15 approached the Kinki region on the morning of August 12 before weakening into a tropical depression over the Sea of Japan, but authorities are warning that sudden thunderstorms and heavy rain remain possible across the region. (News On Japan)

Hiroshi Okuda, a former president of Toyota Motor who helped lay the foundation for the automaker's emergence as one of the world's leading manufacturers, died of old age on August 8 at the age of 93. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks ended nearly unchanged on August 12, with the Nikkei 225 at 66,988.82, as gains in energy and financial shares offset weakness in electronics and pharmaceuticals while investors weighed higher crude oil prices, a weaker yen and growing expectations for another Bank of Japan rate increase. (News On Japan)

A large new typhoon formed near the Ogasawara Islands on August 12 and could approach Honshu around the end of the Obon holiday period, while the remnants of Typhoon No. 15 continue to bring unstable weather and a risk of heavy rain across a wide area of Japan. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out late on August 11 at Daido Steel's Chita Plant in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, burning through an outdoor area containing scrap metal and other materials, with no injuries reported and no flames spreading to nearby buildings. (News On Japan)

Eighty-one years after the end of World War II, a newly donated book and the testimony of a man who moved to Manchuria as a child are preserving the history of a Japanese settlement known as Hamamatsu Village, whose residents fled advancing Soviet forces after years spent pursuing the promise of a more prosperous life. (News On Japan)

New research is reshaping long-held assumptions about Tyrannosaurus rex, including suggestions that the giant predator may have lived to around 40 years rather than 28, while advances in fossil analysis are also offering new clues about dinosaur growth, posture and even color. (News On Japan)