A bill to revise the Imperial House Law was approved by an Upper House special committee on July 16, paving the way for its expected enactment on July 17. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered the final stretch of the Diet session on July 16 facing a concentrated test of her leadership, with Imperial House legislation moving through upper house deliberations, opposition parties preparing for intensive questioning, and bond-market pressure continuing to complicate the government’s growth strategy. (News On Japan)

Japanese manufacturers including Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Komatsu announced new artificial intelligence initiatives on July 16 as Nvidia expanded its partnerships with Japan's robotics and industrial sectors. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on July 16 as renewed selling in South Korean semiconductor shares spread to Japan’s AI and chip-related names, while household inflation expectations hit a record high and kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to maintain a tightening bias. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko began a period of rest at the Nasu Imperial Villa in Tochigi Prefecture on July 16, taking an evening stroll through the grounds in traditional Okinawan kariyushi shirts. (News On Japan)

A former nurse accused of killing a hospitalized patient by mixing human waste into his intravenous drip had searched online for whether injecting feces could cause death, investigators have found. (News On Japan)

Japanese kitchen knives are selling rapidly among foreign tourists, who are drawn not only to their exceptional sharpness but also to Japan's highly specialized knife-making culture. (News On Japan)

Tobu Railway has introduced walk-through facial recognition ticket gates at Ikebukuro and Kami-Itabashi stations on the Tobu Tojo Line, allowing registered commuters to enter without presenting a ticket or IC card. (News On Japan)

A woman believed to be in her 40s to 60s was found bleeding and unconscious on a barge moored off Osaka and was later confirmed dead, prompting police to investigate the possibility that she was the victim of a crime. (News On Japan)

Beauty influencer and businesswoman Reika Miyazaki was sentenced on July 15 to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, for evading about 157 million yen in taxes, while her company was fined 40 million yen. (News On Japan)

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it will provide up to approximately 159 billion yen in subsidies to Israel-based chipmaker Tower Semiconductor to expand production capacity at facilities in Niigata and Toyama prefectures. (News On Japan)

A system failure at frozen food giant Nichirei has disrupted shipments and logistics, raising the risk of product shortages and temporary closures at some Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants while also affecting major supermarket and retail chains. (News On Japan)

Officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party have agreed to adopt the Katsuragawa plan for the Obama-Kyoto route of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture to Shin-Osaka. (News On Japan)

Japan's core machinery orders fell 12.4% in May from the previous month to 962 billion yen, marking the first decline in two months, the Cabinet Office said on July 15. (News On Japan)

Japanese companies announced new cybersecurity services, investment products and technology initiatives on July 14, while earnings releases highlighted sharply different conditions across the housing and food-import sectors. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rebounded on July 14 after an early fall of nearly 1,000 points, as investors bought back semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares while a recovery in South Korean equities and easing Japanese bond yields helped restore risk appetite. (News On Japan)

Japan’s relationship with intimate goods is far older than the modern online adult shop. Long before discreet packaging, digital payments, and private home delivery, Japanese artists, writers, merchants, and townspeople were already exploring the boundaries between desire, humor, privacy, and everyday life. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi moved to contain political pressure on July 14 by confirming that she will attend intensive Budget Committee deliberations later this week, as the final days of the Diet session turned into a test of her parliamentary management, economic policy credibility and conservative legislative agenda. (News On Japan)

Foreign tourists are filling an interactive sumo show venue in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, where former wrestlers introduce the basics, rules and history of the sport in English as Japan’s traditional pastime enjoys growing popularity at home and abroad. (News On Japan)

Convenience store operators in Japan are strengthening safety measures as bear-related damage grows more serious, with Lawson expanding the use of bear repellent spray and considering drone-based remote monitoring. (News On Japan)