Closures and bankruptcies among Japanese rice farmers are running at a record pace in 2026, with 32 cases recorded from January through August as an aging workforce, rising costs and falling rice prices make it increasingly difficult for producers to remain in business. (News On Japan)

Japan's men's volleyball team defeated Australia in straight sets on September 9 to complete the preliminary round of the Asian Championship with three consecutive victories, advancing to the knockout stage as pool winner and moving within three wins of securing a place at the Los Angeles Olympics. (News On Japan)

Traffic accidents involving rental cars driven by foreign visitors are rising sharply in Japan, with some rental car businesses even stopping rentals to overseas tourists as concerns grow over unfamiliar traffic rules and driving practices. (News On Japan)

Osaka Metro plans to abolish magnetic tickets and replace them with QR code-based tickets around fiscal 2031, as declining use and the cost of maintaining conventional ticket gates accelerate the shift toward digital fare systems. (News On Japan)

A landslide on Mount Fuji buried three vehicles as torrential rain battered wide areas of Japan on September 9, while Nagoya continued to assess extensive flooding damage a day after the city recorded its heaviest hourly rainfall on record. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks edged lower on September 9, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,143, down 126.55 points, as a stronger yen and crude oil’s move toward $100 outweighed support from selected artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares. (News On Japan)

A 62-year-old Kyoto Prefectural Government employee has been suspended for three months after repeatedly entering a women's restroom at his workplace and taking used sanitary products, with the employee subsequently resigning voluntarily. (News On Japan)

Osaka-based spray nozzle maker IKEUCHI is expanding applications for its proprietary "Dry Fog," an ultra-fine mist that can cool, humidify and create visual effects without leaving surfaces wet, with the technology now being used in factories, livestock farming, crop cultivation and tourist attractions in Japan and overseas. (News On Japan)

Fluorescent lamps that have illuminated Japanese homes and workplaces for decades are approaching the end of production, with Panasonic preparing to wind down a business it has operated since 1951 while experts warn that incorrectly replacing some fixtures with LEDs could create a fire risk. (News On Japan)

Prosecutors have sought a fine of 200,000 yen for entertainer Dewi Sukarno, widely known in Japan as Dewi Fujin, who is charged with two counts of assault against former members of her agency staff, arguing that the 86-year-old has not shown sufficient reflection on her actions. (News On Japan)

JR East has unveiled three finalists to become the new image character for its Suica transportation IC card, as the long-serving Suica Penguin prepares to "graduate" in March next year after more than 20 years as the face of the service. (News On Japan)

Japan's sporting calendar moved deeper into its busy autumn season on September 8, with the professional baseball pennant races tightening, Shohei Ohtani indicating that his pitching season is probably over, Japan completing an unbeaten preliminary round at the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, and preparations accelerating for the Asian Games, the September Grand Sumo Tournament and a succession of major international events. (News On Japan)

Ticket sales for the Asian Games are gathering pace with less than two weeks until the competition begins, with more than 60% of tickets sold for the opening ceremony and 31 sports as of September 7, although organizers say seats remain readily available for events including soccer and baseball. (News On Japan)

A man in his 40s who went to collect overdue rent at an apartment in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, was repeatedly stabbed on September 7, with police arresting a 66-year-old resident who was three months behind on rent and was scheduled to vacate the property that day. (News On Japan)

Police investigating a fire that killed three people at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, have found a gasoline container and multiple knives in the burned-out building and are examining whether a 70-year-old company executive who died after the incident brought the fuel to the scene. (News On Japan)

Kyoto is preparing to effectively prohibit new private lodging operations in residential areas and other parts of the city as complaints over noise, smoking, garbage and operators ignoring existing rules intensify, even as some traditional townhouse owners say tourist accommodation can help preserve the city's historic architecture. (News On Japan)

South Korean semiconductor giant Samsung Electronics has begun full-scale operations at a new semiconductor research center in Yokohama, seeking to accelerate development and strengthen cooperation with Japanese suppliers as demand for chips used in artificial intelligence continues to grow. (News On Japan)

Prolonged heavy rain linked to the autumn rain front and other weather systems has transformed tourist destinations across Japan, swelling waterfalls, damaging flower fields and disrupting travel as record rainfall continues in several regions. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered the final stretch before the Bank of Japan’s September policy meeting facing a new version of the currency problem that has shaped her summer: the yen is no longer collapsing, but its sharp rebound is now forcing her government to explain how far it is prepared to tolerate higher interest rates to restore market confidence. (News On Japan)

Torrential rain caused widespread flooding across central Japan on September 8, inundating roads in central Nagoya and other cities as linear rainbands formed over Aichi and Gifu prefectures and authorities warned that similar conditions could develop in the Kanto region through September 9. (News On Japan)