At a daycare center in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, where the proportion of foreign residents is particularly high, more than 30% of enrolled children hold foreign nationality, and foreign staff have become an indispensable part of daily operations, even as the question of how Japan should accept foreign residents has emerged as one of the key issues in the Lower House election. (News On Japan)

Oigawa Railway, where around half of its entire line has remained out of service for more than three years due to typhoon damage, is pressing ahead with a long and difficult recovery plan toward full reopening in the spring of 2029, as its president—known as a “local railway revival specialist”—makes a painful but strategic decision to prioritize commercially viable steam locomotives while keeping a small margin for dreams. (News On Japan)

Japanese startup ALE announced on February 4 that it will conduct its third demonstration experiment to generate artificial shooting stars in 2028, positioning the project as a step toward eventual commercialization rather than a one-off spectacle. (News On Japan)

The three major Japanese banking groups posted consolidated net profits exceeding 1 trillion yen each for the April–December 2025 period, supported by improved interest margins following interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan and steady corporate demand for funds. (News On Japan)

Hokkaido’s signature winter event, the Sapporo Snow Festival, opened on February 4th across three venues in Sapporo, including Odori Park in the city’s central district, featuring more than 200 large-scale snow and ice sculptures that will be on display through February 11th as the festival marks its 76th edition. (News On Japan)

High-resolution 3D images created from aerial photographs taken after the Great East Japan Earthquake have revealed how large-scale fires spread in the aftermath of the tsunami, showing that in Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture, debris left behind by the waves covered wide areas of the town and rendered roads ineffective as natural firebreaks, allowing flames to expand unchecked. (News On Japan)

A prolonged slide in the yen is no longer being felt only through higher import prices, but is increasingly reshaping decisions by workers, investors, and foreign laborers, raising questions about Japan’s economic direction as the country heads toward a House of Representatives election. (News On Japan)

During the election period, the spread of videos containing false information has emerged as a growing problem, with an Islamic religious facility in Osaka becoming the target of misleading footage that circulated widely online, prompting confusion and concern among those involved. (News On Japan)

Copper prices, which have been climbing partly due to the weaker yen, are now behind a growing wave of thefts across Japan, with criminals targeting everything from agricultural facilities to the roofs of remote mountain shrines. (News On Japan)

A man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately crashing his bicycle into a woman from behind on a dark street in December 2025, injuring her before grabbing and touching her multiple times, with police saying the suspect apologized briefly before fleeing the scene. (News On Japan)

As the spread of cocaine and other illegal drugs becomes increasingly serious among young people, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has released a new warning video urging caution. (News On Japan)

Thirteen men and women who were detained by local authorities at a special fraud base in Cambodia and transferred to Japan last month have been re-arrested on suspicion of attempted fraud, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. (News On Japan)

Once a thriving canal, Kyoto’s Takase River, which flows through the Kiyamachi entertainment district in central Kyoto, has completed a long-running restoration project after 15 years, reviving a waterway that prospered during the Edo period as a key link between the city center and Fushimi. (News On Japan)

A man wanted by police was arrested in Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture, after fleeing his vehicle and attempting to escape on foot, prompting a dramatic chase involving four officers that ended with his capture on suspicion of selling stolen tools worth about 100,000 yen. (News On Japan)

A Thai girl who was 12 at the time arrived in Japan in June last year and was introduced by her mother to a massage parlor in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, where she was illegally made to work and provide sexual services, with Thai police officials indicating that six people, both Japanese and Thai, are suspected of being involved. (News On Japan)

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food exports totaled 1.7005 trillion yen in 2025, up 12.8 percent from a year earlier, marking a record high for the 13th consecutive year (News On Japan)

Two Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members stationed at the Yao Garrison were dismissed from service after being found to have used cannabis, with the case coming to light after a colleague raised concerns and reported the matter to a superior. (News On Japan)

China’s major holiday period, the Lunar New Year, is set to begin soon, with a record 9.5 billion passenger journeys forecast nationwide this year, but an unexpected shift has emerged as travel to Japan, which typically ranks among the top overseas destinations during the holiday, has dropped out of the rankings entirely. (News On Japan)

A dry weather advisory has been in effect in central Tokyo for 14 consecutive days, and as of February 2nd, no significant rainfall had fallen for a full month since January 2nd. (News On Japan)

A vehicle believed to have been used in an attempted robbery at Haneda Airport has been found on a riverbed in Kanagawa Prefecture, with investigators suspecting that the perpetrators attempted to destroy evidence by spraying the car with a pink fire extinguisher. (News On Japan)