Japan's next-generation homegrown supercomputer, Fugaku NEXT, is being developed with a radically different strategy from its predecessors, abandoning the single-minded pursuit of the world's fastest calculation speed in favor of artificial intelligence capabilities expected to accelerate breakthroughs in fields ranging from drug development and batteries to disaster prevention and food production. (News On Japan)

Two Japanese nationals and a Chinese citizen were injured after a 59-year-old man attacked them with a knife at a Japanese restaurant in a commercial building in Shanghai on May 19th, with Chinese authorities investigating the motive after disclosing that the suspect had a history of treatment for mental illness. (News On Japan)

Three men, including a company executive, are suspected of smuggling gold from Hong Kong into Japan dozens of times last year to avoid paying consumption tax and other charges, with investigators believing the precious metal was handed over inside a toilet at Kansai International Airport. (News On Japan)

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) has begun renting out a wayfinding device for visually impaired visitors, becoming the first theme park in Japan to introduce the technology. (News On Japan)

Elementary schools in Sapporo will begin their sports day season from this Saturday, and for children eager to run faster in footraces, a special lesson was held to teach the basic techniques that can make the difference. (News On Japan)

A new Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers’ group aimed at advancing the policies of the Takaichi administration held its first meeting, with Vice President Aso appointed as supreme adviser and former Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato named chairman. (News On Japan)

A black bear was filmed walking directly toward a camera from only a few meters away at around 2 p.m. on May 21st in the parking lot of a tourist facility in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, as the person recording the scene could be heard saying, "Call someone. Wait a minute. This is bad, it is coming this way. We could get hurt." (News On Japan)

A sex business allegedly operating under the guise of a massage parlor in an area where such operations are prohibited has been raided by police, leading to the arrest of its female operator and others. (News On Japan)

The Nozomi service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, which has already switched to all-reserved seating during extended holiday periods such as the year-end and New Year break, will also operate with reserved seats only on three-day weekends from October this fiscal year. (News On Japan)

Nagoya Customs released its April trade report on May 21st, showing clear signs that tensions in the Middle East are affecting both imports and exports, with shipments to the region falling 82.4% from a year earlier to 26.17 billion yen. (News On Japan)

Honda will launch a new compact electric vehicle in Japan as it seeks to expand EV sales and rebuild its four-wheel business following its first annual loss since listing. (News On Japan)

After days of near-summer heat through May 20th, rain believed to mark the start of Japan's rainy season front swept across the country on May 21st, bringing sharp temperature drops, strong winds, and warnings for potentially heavy downpours. (News On Japan)

More people are skipping the couple's getaway in favor of booking a flight with their closest friend. It's a shift that says something about how priorities have changed. (News On Japan)

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures. (News On Japan)

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region. (News On Japan)

The impact of tensions in the Middle East is spreading to familiar snacks in Japan, with Morinaga & Co. temporarily suspending sales of some caramel products, including its long-selling Hi-Soft brand, after difficulties emerged in securing certain raw materials. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average rebounded sharply on May 21st after falling below 60,000 at the previous day's close, briefly rising more than 2,200 points as hopes grew for progress in talks toward ending the fighting between the United States and Iran, while SoftBank Group gave the market a major boost following reports that OpenAI was preparing to file for an initial public offering. (News On Japan)

A mother wild boar was filmed on a university campus leaving five piglets to scale a wall on their own, offering a rare glimpse of what one lecturer described as "Spartan" parenting in the wild as baby animals appear across Japan with the arrival of the season. (News On Japan)

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward. (News On Japan)

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has released an assessment of passive exposure to heated tobacco products, saying that while harmful substances in the air increase when such products are used indoors, the link with cancer risk cannot be determined at this stage. (News On Japan)