Japan's wild population of Oriental storks has exceeded 700 birds following decades of conservation efforts, with successful breeding across the country putting the population on track to surpass 1,000 within two years. (News On Japan)

Elementary school students from across the Kansai region gathered in Osaka to share creative ideas for building a sustainable city, with proposals ranging from replacing waste incinerators with mushroom-growing facilities to preserving Osaka's distinctive local shopping culture. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks head into September 28 with the Nikkei 225 sitting at 66,364 after a five-session winning streak, as investors weigh strong artificial intelligence and semiconductor momentum against dividend-related trading, a weak yen, high bond yields and lingering uncertainty over the Bank of Japan’s next move. (News On Japan)

A levee collapse at Lake Inbanuma in Chiba Prefecture following heavy rain from Typhoon No. 25 has devastated a koi breeding facility in Narita, leaving nearly 100,000 fish lost and causing an estimated 1 billion yen in damage to livestock and equipment. (News On Japan)

Yokozuna Onosato captured his sixth career championship at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on September 27, defeating Ukrainian ozeki Aonishiki in a winner-takes-all showdown at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan to finish the 15-day competition with 12 wins and three losses, ending a year-long title drought after a dramatic final weekend. (News On Japan)

The 20th Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4 in Nagoya, Japan. The extensive competition program will feature many popular sports, ranging from athletics and football to cricket and martial arts. (News On Japan)

Which showdowns on the upcoming matchday of Europe's premier tournament should fans in Asia consider watching? Learn more about them in this 1xBet review. (News On Japan)

Japan's teenage skateboarders delivered two gold medals and two bronze medals on September 25, with 15-year-olds Mizuho Hasegawa and Ian Nagahara winning the women's and men's park competitions at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. (News On Japan)

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate climbed to 3.115% during trading, reaching its highest level in nearly 30 years for the second consecutive day as persistent inflation concerns and expectations of further interest rate hikes fueled selling in government bonds. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose strongly on September 25, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,364, up 850 points, as buying in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares combined with demand for dividend-paying financial stocks ahead of the September 28 interim dividend deadline. (News On Japan)

SoftBank Group announced on September 24 that it will issue approximately 1.76 trillion yen worth of foreign currency-denominated bonds, the largest simultaneous bond offering in its history, to finance a further $10 billion investment in OpenAI as founder Masayoshi Son accelerates his strategy of building a global business spanning artificial intelligence, semiconductors and data centers. (News On Japan)

Parents in Japan are increasingly taking an active role in finding marriage partners for their adult children, with matchmaking events that allow mothers and fathers to meet prospective in-laws gaining popularity as the country's unmarried population continues to grow. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi returned to Japan on the morning of September 24 following talks with US President Donald Trump and immediately headed to the Prime Minister's Office to finalize key appointments within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ahead of an extraordinary Diet session in October. (News On Japan)

Prices of used condominiums in Tokyo fell for the first time in two years and four months in August, ending a 28-month streak of increases, while neighboring Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures recorded their fourth consecutive month of gains. (News On Japan)

Japan's overnight trains are attracting renewed attention as railway companies introduce special services that combine affordable travel with exclusive experiences, highlighted by the country's first overnight Shinkansen service, which carried passengers from Osaka to Tokyo during the Silver Week holidays on September 22. (News On Japan)

Japan celebrated two landmark performances on Day 6 of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 24, with the men's table tennis team defeating China 3-2 to claim its first gold medal in 60 years and 17-year-old swimmer Shin Ohashi breaking the men's 200-meter breaststroke world record. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on September 24, with the Nikkei 225 climbing to 65,647, up 628 points, as investors returned from the Silver Week break with renewed appetite for artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares, while the broader TOPIX edged lower as value and financial stocks came under pressure. (News On Japan)

Japan's beer industry is preparing for a major transformation as a liquor tax revision takes effect on October 1, unifying tax rates across beer, happoshu and third-category beer for the first time, with conventional beer becoming cheaper while lower-priced alternatives face tax increases. (News On Japan)

Japan is stepping up efforts to revive its shipbuilding industry, aiming to double annual construction volume by 2035 through government-backed investment in next-generation vessels, ship repair facilities and liquefied natural gas carriers, while Japanese manufacturers accelerate the development of hydrogen-powered engines and other advanced maritime technologies. (News On Japan)

An All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight bound for Saga Airport made an emergency landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa at 10:05 p.m. on September 23 after developing trouble with its right engine shortly after takeoff, with some passengers suffering minor injuries during an emergency evacuation. (News On Japan)