Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate reached 3% on September 1, its highest level since 1996, as government bond selling accelerated on expectations of a possible Bank of Japan rate hike, rising U.S. yields and growing concerns over Japan's fiscal outlook. (News On Japan)

When you are trying to attract your best life, motivation is key. Visualizing your desired outcome is a particularly powerful way to increase your motivation and attract your best life. (News On Japan)

Working with a Forex broker is a great idea if you want to learn the ropes as a trader, or if you have more experience within this niche. (News On Japan)

Have you ever taken a close look at a university diploma when it's sitting framed on someone’s wall? More than just the paper it was printed upon, it’s an object that has been carefully designed so that it looks as good as it feels to the person who achieved it. (News On Japan)

Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, has announced the final name for one of its 19 emperor penguins, completing a public naming campaign that attracted more than 30,000 submissions. (News On Japan)

Police forces across Japan are struggling to recruit enough officers, with the number of people taking police recruitment examinations falling to less than half the level of a decade ago and concerns growing that persistent staffing shortages could eventually affect public safety. (News On Japan)

Universal Studios Japan is considering its first expansion since opening in 2001, with plans to use about 60,000 square meters of former Nippon Steel factory land adjacent to the park and potentially increase its total area by roughly 10%. (News On Japan)

The leaders of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito have agreed to abandon plans to merge their three parties, leaving the Centrist Reform Alliance effectively split. (News On Japan)

Honda and Nissan Motor have agreed to jointly develop an operating system and onboard computers for next-generation vehicles, aiming to introduce the technology in new models from fiscal 2029 as they seek to compete with U.S. and Chinese automakers. (News On Japan)

Officials in Nara are urging visitors to treat the city's famous deer with care and respect as tourist numbers rise and the autumn mating season approaches, when male deer can become particularly aggressive. (News On Japan)

The Japan Sumo Association announced the rankings for the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on August 31, with last tournament's champion Aonishiki returning to ozeki after two tournaments and taking the second position on the east side of the rankings. (News On Japan)

Osaka Metro began testing an artificial intelligence-powered humanoid robot at Umeda Station on August 31, using the machine to provide passengers with transfer directions and information on nearby tourist attractions as the railway operator explores ways to ease staffing shortages. (News On Japan)

Japan began producing a commemorative 1,000-yen silver coin marking 100 years since the start of the Showa era at the Japan Mint in Osaka on August 31, with a first-striking ceremony held to mark the start of production. (News On Japan)

Japan will lower the statutory speed limit on certain residential roads from 60 kilometers per hour to 30 km/h from September 1, with police in Hyogo Prefecture urging drivers to familiarize themselves with the new rules and drive more carefully in neighborhood areas. (News On Japan)

A new large ferry linking Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture with Otaru in Hokkaido has been unveiled ahead of its first voyage on September 1, offering spacious passenger facilities and a journey time of about 21 hours. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out at a shopping arcade near Ise Jingu in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on the afternoon of August 31, sending red flames and thick black smoke into the air as firefighters continued battling the blaze with no immediate prospect of bringing it under control. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks ended mixed on August 31, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,311.93, down 93.63 points, or 0.14%, after briefly plunging more than 1,500 points in early trading, while the broader TOPIX rose 9.58 points, or 0.23%, to 4,156.29 for its eighth straight gain. (News On Japan)

About one in three unmarried young people in Japan say they have no intention of marrying, according to the first large-scale survey of young people conducted by the Children and Families Agency, with financial insecurity emerging as the biggest perceived obstacle to marriage. (News On Japan)

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate briefly climbed to 2.95% on August 31, its highest level in about 30 years, as investors sold government bonds on expectations of further Bank of Japan rate increases, rising U.S. yields and concerns over the outlook for government spending. (News On Japan)

Japan's education ministry unveiled a draft of its new national curriculum guidelines on August 31, placing stronger information education for the AI era and greater flexibility in allocating classroom hours among the central pillars of the major overhaul carried out roughly once every decade. (News On Japan)