A mobile battery caught fire inside a Tobu Isesaki Line train in Saitama Prefecture on September 14, leaving a high school student with minor burns before another passenger extinguished the flames. (News On Japan)

The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has exceeded 100,000 for the first time, reaching a record 107,677 as of September 1, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. (News On Japan)

GO, Waymo and Nihon Kotsu said they aim to launch Japan's first commercial fully driverless taxi service in Tokyo during 2027, using Level 4 autonomous vehicles that can operate without a driver on board under specified conditions. (News On Japan)

Japan's government is set to approve tax reform guidelines on September 15 that will reduce the consumption tax on food from the current 8% to 1% for two years starting in April 2027 as part of measures to ease the burden of rising prices. (News On Japan)

Rakuten Mobile said on September 14 that it has withdrawn a plan to forcibly cancel mobile service contracts for customers who fail to link their accounts to a Rakuten ID by the end of November. (News On Japan)

Kajima Corp. has unveiled the construction site of KAJIMA TREE, a roughly 60-meter wooden tower being built for the International Horticultural Expo that will open in March 2027. (News On Japan)

A new helicopter service linking Kansai International Airport with central Kyoto in about 25 minutes each way will begin operations on September 15, offering travelers a faster alternative to rail and bus connections that take at least 75 minutes. (News On Japan)

Japan opened its women's soccer campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with an 8-0 victory over Thailand on September 14, making a dominant start to its bid for a third consecutive and fourth overall championship. (News On Japan)

A 29-year-old man accused of killing his pregnant former girlfriend, a nail artist in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, admitted the charges at his first trial on September 14, with prosecutors saying he used tracking tags to locate the woman after deciding he wanted to kill her and "reset" his life to before their relationship. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks were mixed on September 14, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,499, down 511.89 points, as selling in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares weighed on the headline index, while the broader TOPIX rose 32.88 points to 4,061.18 on buying in value, defensive and domestic-demand shares. (News On Japan)

A 220-meter suspension bridge billed as the longest of its type in Japan opened at Biwako Valley in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on September 14, offering visitors panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Biwa. (News On Japan)

Climbers who get into trouble on Mount Fuji during the official closed season could be charged for rescue by disaster-prevention helicopters under new safety measures being considered by Yamanashi Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the victory of Genta Koja in the Okinawa gubernatorial election reflected the wishes of prefectural residents seeking stronger economic growth, with senior ruling party officials viewing the result as a boost for her administration. (News On Japan)

Elementary school students in Fukuoka got a hands-on lesson in the importance of taxes on September 11, lifting a 10-kilogram replica of 100 million yen as part of a class designed to show how public money supports society. (News On Japan)

Genta Koja, a former deputy mayor of Naha who accepts the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko in Nago, won the Okinawa gubernatorial election on September 13, defeating incumbent Governor Denny Tamaki and bringing an end to 12 years of prefectural administrations committed to blocking the project. (News On Japan)

Japan enjoyed one of its busiest sporting weekends of the year on September 12 and 13, highlighted by the men's national volleyball team winning the Asian championship and securing qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while Nippon Professional Baseball's pennant races tightened, Miyu Yamashita captured the Japan Women's PGA Championship, Kosuke Sunagawa earned his first men's tour victory, and the Asian Games moved closer to their official opening. (News On Japan)

Japan's major banks are intensifying competition for household money as rising interest rates revive the appeal of deposits, prompting lenders to launch new savings products, wealth-management services and point-based incentives. (News On Japan)

Japan is facing growing pressure over its treatment and recruitment of foreign workers, with serious allegations of abuse emerging even as companies compete for a shrinking pool of overseas labor and some industries approach government-set limits on the number of workers they can accept. (News On Japan)

Historic floats and a shrine mikoshi paraded through Tokyo's Akasaka district as the centuries-old Akasaka Hikawa Festival reached its climax with its traditional Shinkosai procession. (News On Japan)

Tokyo police have found that two teenage girls detained during coordinated patrols in the "Toyoko" area of Kabukicho were carrying forged student identification cards containing false ages and names. (News On Japan)