The Engel coefficient reached its highest level in 44 years in Japan, highlighting growing pressure on household budgets as food costs climb. (News On Japan)

About 3,000 Steller sea lions have appeared on an uninhabited island off Hokkaido, marking the largest number for this time of year and adding to fishing losses estimated to exceed 1 billion yen. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei at the prime minister’s office on February 5th, where Wei said the company plans to produce cutting-edge semiconductors equivalent to a 3-nanometer process at its second plant under construction in Kumamoto Prefecture, marking the first such production in Japan. (News On Japan)

Seven-Eleven has launched a new service in collaboration with female members of Generation Z, raising the question of what a convenience store can offer beyond food and drinks. (News On Japan)

A hunter in his 70s has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly killing a bear without permission at a golf course, with police sending papers on suspicion of violations of the Wildlife Protection and Management Law, including unpermitted capture, also implicating a golf course manager in his 40s and the company operating the facility. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo High Court on February 5th dismissed an appeal by the state in a lawsuit over the remains and hair of Matsumoto Chizuo, a former death row inmate and leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, and ordered the government to hand them over to his second daughter. (News On Japan)

Influenza is once again spreading rapidly across the Kansai region, with Osaka Prefecture reaching an advisory-level outbreak for the second time in a single season for the first time in 15 years as infections surge again after the New Year. (News On Japan)

A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after allegedly leading a group attack that left another festival official seriously injured during a danjiri festival in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in October last year. (News On Japan)

A new wave of high-end hotel development in Nara is accelerating as Kintetsu Miyako Hotels announced plans to open a luxury accommodation facility on former grounds of Todaiji Temple, aiming for an autumn 2028 launch. (News On Japan)

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)