A 58-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a home in Tokyo's Adachi Ward on September 4, injuring an 81-year-old woman, as police investigate whether he was involved in six suspicious fires reported in the area over about two weeks. (News On Japan)

Japanese homebuyers are facing growing uncertainty as mortgage costs rise alongside a sharp increase in interest rates, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year government bond briefly topping 3% last week for the first time in about 30 years. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is accelerating preparations for a Cabinet reshuffle that could take place as early as next week, considering ministerial posts for senior Liberal Democratic Party officials while weighing the treatment of Internal Affairs Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and a new Cabinet member from the Japan Innovation Party. (News On Japan)

Japan's foreign exchange reserves fell by a record amount in August, reflecting the impact of currency market intervention by the government and the Bank of Japan at the end of July, the Finance Ministry said on September 7. (News On Japan)

Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka resigned on September 7 after the city assembly unanimously approved his request to step down over allegations of workplace power harassment, setting the stage for a mayoral election in October. (News On Japan)

A woman in her 60s died after her car was submerged in a flooded underpass in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, as record rainfall caused widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption across Kanto and surrounding areas on September 7, with authorities warning that further rain was expected during the evening commute. (News On Japan)

Three people died and two others were injured in a suspected arson and stabbing at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, where the 66-year-old female owner had gathered with nine former junior high school classmates on September 5, with police investigating whether a 70-year-old company executive who was apparently not invited to the gathering was involved. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose sharply on September 7, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,399, up 1,378 points, or 2.12%, as buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares lifted the headline index, even though more stocks fell than rose across the Prime Market. (News On Japan)

A new generation of optoelectronic integration technology developed over four decades by Japanese companies is moving closer to commercialization, offering a way to transmit huge volumes of data with low latency while sharply reducing the electricity consumed by data centers as artificial intelligence drives explosive growth in computing demand. (News On Japan)

Dyson CameraJet™ turns the smart toothbrush into an active sensing product, making useful feedback and clear privacy design part of the same engineering brief. (News On Japan)

Athletes competing in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games began arriving in Japan in greater numbers on September 6, with competitors from countries including Jordan and South Korea entering through Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, ahead of the September 19 opening. (News On Japan)

Police are investigating whether one of 11 people gathered at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, was involved in a fire that left two people dead and three others injured on the night of September 5, after an emergency caller reported that someone had been stabbed and gasoline had been spread before the blaze broke out. (News On Japan)

Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 20 on September 6, as he continues to take part in a growing range of official duties as an adult member of Japan's Imperial Family. (News On Japan)

Tokyo has unveiled the design for a major redevelopment of the plaza outside Shinjuku Station's west exit, with a landmark tree, water-play area and event space planned as part of a transformation centered on "greenery, light and people" that is scheduled for completion in 2035. (News On Japan)

The WoW Auction House can look chaotic when you first start using it. Hundreds of listings may appear for the same item, prices can differ dramatically, and a deal that looks excellent at first glance may not be a deal at all. (News On Japan)

Applications for hotel business licenses are rising sharply in Osaka as property owners seek an alternative way to operate short-term rentals following the suspension of new applications under the city's special-zone minpaku program, with the approach drawing growing interest from wealthy Chinese and other overseas investors. (News On Japan)

Asahi Kasei has grown from its roots in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, into a global conglomerate with annual sales exceeding 3 trillion yen by repeatedly developing products and technologies that dominate their markets or occupy niches with few direct rivals. (News On Japan)

A 52-year-old restaurant operator was sentenced to 17 years in prison on September 4 for killing his former girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her in the abdomen and back with two kitchen knives at his home in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Young people recruited into illegal "dark part-time jobs" through social media and friends are increasingly becoming involved in fraud and violent robberies across Japan, with interviews at a juvenile training school revealing how the promise of easy money, a desire for recognition and fear of criminal groups can gradually leave them feeling unable to escape. (News On Japan)

Tokyo police are investigating the possibility of a serial arson spree after six suspicious fires were reported within about two weeks in the same neighborhood of Adachi Ward, leaving an 81-year-old woman with burns and damaging homes, political party posters, a vending machine and a bicycle. (News On Japan)