Osaka Prefectural Police searched an office linked to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on July 29 as part of an investigation into suspected receipt of money obtained through special fraud. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Takaichi said on August 10 that the government expects to apply the Disaster Victims' Livelihood Recovery Support Act across all of Kumamoto Prefecture, allowing households whose homes were completely destroyed in the Kumamoto earthquake to receive up to 3 million yen in assistance. (News On Japan)

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 10, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,376.25, up 1.2%, as investors bought electronics, metals and artificial intelligence-related shares, while fresh signs of a more hawkish Bank of Japan debate kept attention on the yen, bond yields and the timing of the next rate increase. (News On Japan)

A fireworks festival that had been promoted as a simultaneous display of more than 10,000 fireworks across three cities on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture was abruptly canceled on August 9, with organizers having failed to submit applications for permits required to hold the event. (News On Japan)

Japan recorded a current account deficit of 92.3 billion yen in June, its first shortfall in 17 months, as a sharp increase in import costs outpaced growth in exports. (News On Japan)

Several Bank of Japan policymakers have signaled support for accelerating interest rate increases, with one member warning that the pace of hikes could become faster than financial markets currently expect as the central bank pays greater attention to upside inflation risks. (News On Japan)

Japan's dating scene has its own vocabulary, its own etiquette, and — for the arrangement style commonly known abroad as sugar dating — its own dedicated clubs. (News On Japan)

Authorities in Kyoto and Osaka have arrested three men in separate drug cases involving so-called zombie cigarettes containing the designated drug etomidate, as investigators step up efforts against the illegal trade in the Kansai region. (News On Japan)

Raccoons are increasingly invading homes across Japan, damaging roofs and wiring, contaminating buildings with large amounts of urine and feces, and raising concerns over agriculture, native wildlife and the spread of disease as their population continues to expand. (News On Japan)

A repeat of the sharp yen appreciation seen in the summer of 2024 is unlikely under current conditions, with persistently high U.S. interest rates and continued structural pressure on Japan's currency making another rapid surge difficult, according to UBS wealth management chief investment officer Daiju Aoki. (News On Japan)

Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on August 9 with a memorial ceremony near the hypocenter, where Mayor Shiro Suzuki declared nuclear weapons an "absolute evil" and called on the Japanese government to uphold its Three Non-Nuclear Principles. (News On Japan)

Nara Park's famous deer are increasingly spilling into residential areas and farmland as their population reaches a record high, creating new problems for residents even as the animals remain a major attraction for visitors to the ancient capital. (News On Japan)

Libraries across Japan are evolving far beyond traditional places for reading and study, adding everything from 3D printers and children's play areas to health-check equipment, music studios and towering bookshelves as they seek to become new centers for their communities. (News On Japan)

Disney On Ice opened its Osaka run on August 8, bringing Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters to the rink for a special production celebrating the show's 40th anniversary in Japan. (News On Japan)

Maids from Akihabara maid cafes joined shrine maidens from Kanda Myojin and members of the public on August 8 to sprinkle water across the shrine grounds in Tokyo, calling out "Cool down!" as they took part in a summer tradition aimed at easing the midsummer heat. (News On Japan)

Japan marked August 8, 2026, with a wave of weddings, special discounts and commemorative events as the date produced a rare alignment of three eights - the eighth day of the eighth month in Reiwa 8 - a combination regarded as especially auspicious because the character for eight is traditionally associated with expanding prosperity. (News On Japan)

Japan's government and the Bank of Japan conducted a record 6.2787 trillion yen yen-buying, dollar-selling intervention on April 30, the Finance Ministry said on August 7. (News On Japan)

Japanese companies delivered a wave of strong earnings on August 7, with Fujikura, Recruit Holdings, INPEX and several other major groups raising forecasts as artificial intelligence investment, higher resource prices and resilient consumer demand lifted profits. (News On Japan)

A 41-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of fatally assaulting her brother-in-law at her home in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, after allegedly telling emergency services that he had fallen from a roof. (News On Japan)