Tokyo will introduce a 3% accommodation tax on hotel and other lodging stays from April 2027, formally replacing its current flat-rate system and extending the levy to private lodging services. (News On Japan)

A good connection matters in Japan because so much of the trip depends on your phone working smoothly. You may need it for station directions, translation, booking confirmations, digital tickets, or finding the right exit in a large city. (News On Japan)

Japan lowered passport application fees from July 1, drawing large crowds to application counters such as the one in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, although applicants are being warned that issuance could take as long as about one month. (News On Japan)

A man believed to be a foreign national jumped into a river and swam away near the Osaka Detention House in Osaka’s Miyakojima Ward on the afternoon of July 6 while being pursued by Aichi Prefectural Police, and authorities are still searching for him. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks ended mixed on July 6 as profit-taking in AI and semiconductor-related shares kept the Nikkei 225 nearly flat, while broader buying in banks, value stocks and domestic demand names lifted the TOPIX to a fresh record high. (News On Japan)

Shonan Galleon, a 210 million yen colt by Flightline, made a striking debut at Hakodate Racecourse on Sunday, July 5, winning the fifth race over 1,800 meters on turf in record time for a 2-year-old on the course. (News On Japan)

Internet communication through smartphones and computers has become indispensable to daily life, and the facilities known as data centers that support ordinary actions such as watching videos online and sending messages are now expanding rapidly as demand for artificial intelligence grows. (News On Japan)

A temple in Yamagata, Gifu Prefecture, reported the theft of 11 Buddhist statues and other items on the morning of July 6, prompting police to investigate the case as a burglary. (News On Japan)

The steam locomotive C57 No. 180, affectionately known as the "Lady," is marking 80 years since its manufacture as it continues to run as the SL Banetsu Monogatari. (News On Japan)

Job hunting for high school students due to graduate next spring has entered full swing, with 84 companies and about 400 students taking part in a joint corporate briefing session in Osaka as employers intensify efforts to secure young workers. (News On Japan)

Japan is facing renewed questions over how to secure electricity while dealing with mounting nuclear waste, as power demand is expected to rise with the spread of generative AI and the government considers replacing as many as five nuclear reactors by the 2040s. (News On Japan)

JAXA's Hayabusa2 probe made its closest approach to the asteroid Torifune on July 5, passing at high speed about 800 meters from the asteroid's center while conducting a flyby survey to examine its shape and surface materials. (News On Japan)

A hiking trail on Mount Rausu in Shiretoko, Hokkaido, reopened on July 5 after being closed since last August following a fatal brown bear attack on a climber. (News On Japan)

Opposition parties boycotted Diet deliberations after accusing the ruling bloc of forcing debate on bills to cut the number of lawmakers and create a secondary capital system, leaving committee sessions to proceed without them and exposing widening rifts not only between the ruling and opposition camps but also within the government and ruling coalition. (News On Japan)

The yen has weakened to the 162 range against the dollar for the first time in about 40 years, but the latest market environment differs sharply from the period four decades ago, when Japan was still climbing toward the height of its economic power. (News On Japan)

A senior figure believed to be one of the top executives of the Prince Group, described as one of Asia’s largest criminal organizations, has been rearrested in Tokyo on suspicion of violating Japan’s Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act by unlawfully handing over his residence card to others, the Metropolitan Police Department said. (News On Japan)

Two yokozuna seeking to rebound after time away from the ring drew loud cheers from about 5,000 spectators on July 4 as they performed the traditional ceremonial ring entry at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya ahead of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. (News On Japan)

Some names change the game, and Conor McGregor is one of them. (News On Japan)

Business expansion creates pressure on finance teams before it creates visible growth. (News On Japan)

A fossil discovered in Osaka has led to Japan’s first finding of its kind, raising the possibility that a giant marine predator believed to have swum in the seas around the Kansai region about 70 million years ago was a previously unknown species. (News On Japan)