Families and children tried their hand at cricket at an event in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on August 29, designed to build interest in the sport ahead of its competition at the Asian Games. (News On Japan)

Wakayama Prefecture has conducted its first field exercise for emergency bear shooting, bringing together local government officials, police and hunters to practice responding to an Asiatic black bear remaining near a riverbank as sightings continue across Japan. (News On Japan)

Three teenage boys who went missing after being swept offshore from the coast of Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture, on August 28 were found in the sea near the scene on August 29 and confirmed dead. (News On Japan)

A foreign man in his 30s suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car while riding a bicycle in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, early on August 29, with police investigating the incident as a hit-and-run. (News On Japan)

Record-breaking rainfall continued across the Hokuriku region on Saturday, with Himi City in Toyama Prefecture receiving more than 500 millimeters over 72 hours, as authorities warned of further heavy rain, landslides and river flooding through August 30. (News On Japan)

Toyota Motor plans to introduce passenger vehicles equipped with advanced automated driving technology from 2028, allowing drivers to travel with almost no manual operation, including taking their hands off the steering wheel on ordinary roads. (News On Japan)

Consumer prices in central Tokyo rose 1.8% in August from a year earlier, with the pace of inflation accelerating for a third consecutive month as higher food prices continued to put upward pressure on household costs. (News On Japan)

A fake video apparently created with generative AI showing a large bear eating piles of sliced bread has spread on social media following a series of illegal bread dumping incidents in Tottori Prefecture, prompting the prefectural government to warn that misinformation could cause economic harm. (News On Japan)

Severe thunderstorms brought torrential rain, lightning, hail and a tornado to Hokkaido on August 28, disrupting rail and air travel and leaving some passengers stranded overnight at New Chitose Airport, as unstable atmospheric conditions triggered intense downpours across Japan. (News On Japan)

Japan's expansion of effectively free high school tuition is giving families greater freedom to choose between public and private schools, but the policy is also accelerating a shift toward private education, leaving many public schools short of students and raising concerns that new forms of educational inequality are emerging. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government has revised its assessment of active faults across the Kinki region for the first time in about 20 years, increasing the number of fault zones considered at the highest level of concern for earthquakes of magnitude 6.8 or greater from three to eight. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi moved on August 28 to contain market concern over her government’s spending plans, saying Japan will aim to cap new government bond issuance at around 40 trillion yen in the fiscal 2027 budget while still pursuing food-tax relief, growth investment and measures to support households facing higher prices. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 28, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,405.56, up 273.58 points, or 0.41%, as information-technology, software, automaker and selected semiconductor-related shares gained after a U.S. technology rally, while investors remained cautious before Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech. (News On Japan)

Three youths, including a high school student and a junior high school student, have been arrested on suspicion of obstructing police duties after allegedly stealing fire extinguishers and spraying them toward a police station in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Tokyo's Adachi Ward will begin testing a digital screening system in September to identify students at risk of suicide, as schools strengthen prevention efforts during the period following the summer vacation, when child suicides are particularly high. (News On Japan)

Japan's toy market continues to expand despite the country's declining number of children, reaching a record 1.1664 trillion yen in fiscal 2025 as manufacturers increasingly target adults and introduce products reflecting social issues ranging from sustainability to investment. (News On Japan)

JR Kyushu plans to restore full service on the Kyushu Shinkansen from the first train on September 18, nearly two months after the Kumamoto earthquake caused extensive damage to tracks and stations and forced the suspension of services on part of the line. (News On Japan)

A total of 348 recruits who joined the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in April completed about five months of basic training in Maizuru and departed for units across Japan after a graduation ceremony. (News On Japan)

Bear sightings are increasing across Japan this summer as a shortage of food in the mountains drives the animals closer to areas where people live and visit, with authorities in Aomori Prefecture closing a lookout near Lake Towada after a foreign tourist was attacked. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks slipped on August 27, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,131.98, down 130.18 points, as early buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares following Nvidia’s strong earnings forecast faded into profit-taking, while the broader TOPIX edged higher for a sixth straight session. (News On Japan)