A bill to revise the Kyūtoku Law, aiming to improve the treatment of Japan's public school teachers by gradually raising the salary supplement in place of overtime pay from 4% to 10%, was approved by the Lower House Committee on Education on Wednesday after ruling and opposition parties agreed on revisions. (News On Japan)

Tokyo's push for river-based commuting is gaining momentum with the launch of a new weekday evening ferry route connecting Gotanda and Tennozu. (News On Japan)

JR East has announced its first-ever time-limited discount sale offering up to 60% off Shinkansen fares, with tickets available through its online reservation platform, Ekinet. (News On Japan)

A 36-year-old unemployed man has been arrested on suspicion of abducting a teenage girl who was later found dead in Yamagata Prefecture. The suspect, Hiroki Kishinami from Fukushima City, has previously been arrested three times for offenses including the abduction of minors and assisting in suicides. (News On Japan)

A growing number of Chinese tourists in Japan are converting their foreign driver's licenses into Japanese ones by listing their hotel addresses as proof of residence, drawing criticism and prompting a policy shift from authorities. (News On Japan)

Loose socks, once a symbol of 1990s gyaru fashion, are making a stylish comeback among Japan's Gen Z, driven by a broader 'Heisei retro' trend that celebrates nostalgic aesthetics. In Harajuku, young people are pairing the evolved, shorter versions of the socks with miniskirts and shorts. (News On Japan)

A lawsuit over the right to education in Japanese Sign Language concluded at the Sapporo High Court on May 13th, with a junior high school girl using the language in court to state that "Japanese Sign Language is my identity." (News On Japan)

SoftBank Group has returned to profitability for the first time in four years, reporting on May 13th a net profit of 1.1533 trillion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2025, driven by a global rebound in stock markets that sharply boosted the value of its investment holdings. (News On Japan)

Zensho Holdings, operator of the Sukiya beef bowl chain, reported a 17.7% rise in annual revenue to 1.1366 trillion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2025—marking the first time a domestic restaurant company in Japan has exceeded 1 trillion yen in sales. (News On Japan)

There has been a major development in the so-called "Trump tariffs" negotiations, in which Japan is also involved. The United States and China, which had been imposing more than 100% tariffs on each other, agreed on May 12th to reduce those tariffs by 115%. (News On Japan)

A growing number of people report experiencing physical and mental fatigue after Japan's Golden Week holiday, a phenomenon often referred to as "May sickness." (News On Japan)

Greater Bay Airlines, which resumed regular flights between Sendai and Hong Kong last December for the first time in 13 years, currently operates four round trips per week. However, starting this week and continuing through the end of October, the airline will reduce that to three weekly round trips due to declining travel demand. The number of flights to Tokushima will also be cut. What is behind this sudden downturn? (News On Japan)

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced has that the Kuroshio Large Meander, a phenomenon that has lasted for 7 years and 9 months, is expected to come to an end. The agency is urging people to stay updated, noting that changes in the Kuroshio Current may affect both fish species and fishing grounds. (News On Japan)

A prized early-season melon from Hokkaido's Iburi region fetched 300,000 yen for five pieces at the season's first auction held on the morning of May 13th in Sapporo. (News On Japan)

A deer was repeatedly sighted in central Sapporo on the morning of May 13th, prompting police to patrol the area and urge caution. (News On Japan)

The opening race of the Kyojo Cup, a women-only motorsport competition, was held on May 12th at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, where Okinawa-born driver Ongane Miki claimed a podium finish. (News On Japan)

A growing number of credit card fraud cases in Japan has been linked to a shadowy underground labor network, where Chinese nationals are suspected of stealing Japanese consumers' card data. (News On Japan)

A new matcha product priced at 4,320 yen for just 30 grams is drawing attention amid a global boom in Japanese green tea, as surging demand has made matcha increasingly difficult to procure even within Japan. (News On Japan)

A century after the 1925 Kita-Tajima Earthquake, the city of Toyooka is hosting a special exhibition to preserve the memory of the disaster and its aftermath. (News On Japan)

Nissan Motor has decided to cut nearly 20,000 jobs globally as it struggles with worsening business performance. (News On Japan)