A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men. (News On Japan)

A black bear has been spotted near one of the most popular hiking trails on Mount Takao in western Tokyo, prompting authorities to urge visitors to take precautions ahead of the five-day Silver Week holiday and the approaching autumn foliage season. (News On Japan)

Starbucks is considering selling a majority stake in its Japanese business, potentially valued at as much as $3 billion, or about 470 billion yen, as the U.S. coffee chain seeks to concentrate management resources on its struggling North American operations. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on September 17, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 64,136, up 213.25 points, as investors bought selected technology, pharmaceutical, insurance and consumer-related shares after the Federal Reserve’s rate hike, though gains were capped by a stronger dollar, renewed yen weakness and caution before the Bank of Japan’s policy decision. (News On Japan)

Hakone, one of the Kanto region's most popular tourist destinations, has been left with just two operating gas stations after a series of closures, prompting the town to provide more than 10 million yen in subsidies to help reopen a shuttered facility. (News On Japan)

Prolonged rain is disrupting tourism ahead of Japan's Silver Week holidays, forcing Nagatoro's popular river cruises to remain suspended for an 11th consecutive day while increased water flow at Fukuroda Falls in Ibaraki Prefecture is drawing more visitors. (News On Japan)

Copper roofing has been stripped from Shinano-no-miya Shrine in Oshika Village, Nagano Prefecture, leaving the wooden structure exposed in the latest of a series of similar thefts reported at shrines across the prefecture. (News On Japan)

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has concluded that a large Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that lost communication off Tottori Prefecture on September 15 crashed into the sea. (News On Japan)

A second-year high school student was arrested at the scene after allegedly releasing tear gas spray inside a classroom at Osaka University of Commerce Sakai High School on September 16, leaving 24 students complaining of coughing, throat pain and other symptoms. (News On Japan)

A 27-year-old nightclub employee and influencer known online as Yamatorino was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possessing cocaine at her home in Tokyo's Roppongi district, along with her 28-year-old boyfriend. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched a new Liberal Democratic Party executive team on September 16, retaining most of the party’s senior leadership while pledging to unite the government and ruling party to overcome a difficult political and economic environment. (News On Japan)

Japan's Halloween Jumbo Lottery went on sale nationwide on September 16, offering a combined top payout of 400 million yen for the first prize and its adjacent-number prizes. (News On Japan)

Japan's National Tax Agency is preparing a major overhaul of the way unlisted shares are valued for inheritance tax, a reform that could significantly affect business succession at profitable, asset-rich companies and would mark the first fundamental revision of the rules since they were introduced in 1964. (News On Japan)

Police have arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of acting as a top-level planner in an anonymous, fluid criminal group known as a "Tokuryu," with investigators believing he was involved in a series of theft-related crimes in Kyoto and other areas between December 2025 and March 2026. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on September 16, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,923, up 438.90 points, as futures-led buying lifted the index into a high close before the Federal Reserve’s policy decision, while investors remained cautious over oil prices, rising interest rates and the Bank of Japan’s meeting later this week. (News On Japan)

As global financial markets face shifts in liquidity and heightened volatility in 2026, the demand for high-performance brokerage infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region has reached an all-time high. (News On Japan)

A 37-year-old man was arrested at Chubu Centrair International Airport after allegedly injuring a police officer who warned him about walking two toy poodles without leashes inside the airport complex. (News On Japan)

A new top-tier "Supreme Class" offering fully private compartments above the level of Green Car service will debut on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen on October 1, with passengers able to experience the new seating at a demonstration booth at Shin-Osaka Station. (News On Japan)

Benchmark land prices released on September 15 showed continued gains in urban areas across Kansai, led by strong increases in central Osaka and parts of Kyoto, with experts expecting the upward trend to continue for the time being while warning of growing effects on housing costs and regional disparities. (News On Japan)

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Kyoto City on September 15 for Ronald McDonald House Kyoto, a residential facility where children undergoing medical treatment will be able to stay together with their families. (News On Japan)