New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido was effectively cut off by record snowfall, leaving around 7,000 people stranded overnight after rail and bus services were suspended, severing key transport links and disrupting daily life. (News On Japan)

The government on January 23rd compiled a comprehensive set of measures after holding a ministerial meeting on foreign resident policy, stressing the need for “orderly coexistence.” (News On Japan)

With the House of Representatives election officially kicking off on January 27, seven party leaders appeared on Fuji TV’s “Sunday Report THE PRIME” to debate how quickly they could deliver the consumption tax cuts many are promising as a response to rising prices, along with the rationale for the snap dissolution and Japan’s security policy as tensions with China persist. (News On Japan)

Airport quarantine inspectors in Japan are repeatedly finding prohibited foods hidden inside souvenirs, from pork and chicken products to fruit and even vegetable seeds, as travelers return from overseas unaware that strict import rules apply. (News On Japan)

Karasuyama washi, a traditional Japanese paper with a history spanning some 1,300 years, is now being produced at full pace during the coldest part of the year, as workshops enter their busiest season making sheets used for graduation certificates. (News On Japan)

Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo’s twin pandas, Xiaoxiao and Leilei, were seen for the last time in Japan on January 25th, after it was decided they will be returned to China. (News On Japan)

A six-vehicle pileup at a busy intersection in Akasaka, Minato Ward, left nine people dead or injured after a Cabinet Office vehicle is believed to have entered the intersection at high speed more than a minute after the traffic light had turned red, investigators said. (News On Japan)

A Brazilian national who runs a guide company has been arrested on suspicion of operating sightseeing tours for foreign visitors using illegally modified sports cars, police said. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government decided at a Cabinet meeting on January 23rd to dissolve the House of Representatives, with the Lower House set to be formally dissolved at a plenary session later in the day, effectively launching the election campaign. (News On Japan)

Japan’s Imperial Guard Police, a little-known force tasked with protecting the Imperial Family and guarding key palace facilities, is marking its 140th anniversary this year, with attention turning to the frontline officers who train daily for emergencies and operate with what they describe as a readiness to risk their lives. (News On Japan)

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui has drawn widespread attention for a series of posts showcasing breathtaking views from space, including a video of the aurora that he shared on January 12th shortly before returning. (News On Japan)

Abashiri City in Hokkaido announced the season’s “first day of drift ice” on January 22nd after the ice was confirmed from an observation deck. (News On Japan)

Northern parts of the Kansai region have been hit by heavy snowfall under what meteorologists are calling the strongest cold wave of the season, prompting warnings after rapid accumulation was recorded in parts of Shiga Prefecture. (News On Japan)

A new disposal system that uses microorganisms to break down culled bears is drawing attention in Hokkaido, as Japan faces a growing challenge not only in preventing bear attacks but also in handling the remains after animals are killed. (News On Japan)

Russia’s Defense Ministry said a long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew over international waters in the Sea of Japan, in what appears to be a move aimed at pressuring Japan. (News On Japan)

A rare prehistoric forest remains hidden beneath the ground in Oda, Shimane Prefecture, where the Sanbe Azukihara Buried Forest Park preserves giant trees that were buried roughly 4,000 years ago during Japan’s Jomon period. (News On Japan)

A growing number of families in Japan are choosing to close down their family graves, driven by factors such as fewer descendants to inherit burial plots and the difficulty of maintaining graves far from where they now live. (News On Japan)

Two foreign nationals have been arrested and indicted for allegedly smuggling an illegal drug known as “zombie cigarettes” into Japan through Kansai Airport, marking the first time a case involving the substance has been uncovered in Osaka, authorities said on January 20th. (News On Japan)

A man accused of stealing items from a convenience store and assaulting an employee who chased after him, causing injuries, has been sentenced to five years in prison. (News On Japan)

Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who was charged with murder and other crimes over the shooting death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was sentenced to life in prison on January 21st in a lay judge trial at the Nara District Court, in line with prosecutors’ request after proceedings that spanned 15 hearings since October 2025. Yamagami showed no change in expression as the life sentence was handed down. (News On Japan)