The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that satellite images from the Himawari-9 weather satellite are currently unavailable due to a communication failure. While some functions have been restored through the backup satellite Himawari-8, key nighttime observation data such as infrared imagery remain inaccessible. (News On Japan)

Join me as I provide detailed feedback on a beautiful sunset landscape painting by Misaki-san from Kumamoto. She shared how she and her children were captivated by the ever-changing colors of the evening sky, exclaiming "Beautiful! Beautiful!" This heartwarming story inspired today's critique session. (Watercolor by Shibasaki)

A 23-year-old woman was arrested on the afternoon of October 12th in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, after she allegedly slashed the neck of an 83-year-old man with a knife inside a residential home, leading to his death shortly after. (News On Japan)

The abrupt collapse of the long-standing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)–Komeito coalition ahead of the upcoming prime ministerial vote has thrown Japanese politics into flux, complicating the path for Takaichi to take office and intensifying behind-the-scenes maneuvering among all major parties. Takaichi, who visited the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) headquarters earlier this week, was met with criticism over remarks describing an opposition figure as “damaged goods,” a sign of heightened tensions just two days before Komeito’s dramatic departure from the coalition. (News On Japan)

Police have arrested six people, including 51-year-old Reo Yagi, on suspicion of taking a university student to Cambodia to participate in a special fraud scheme. (News On Japan)

A woman riding a bicycle was killed after being dragged about 250 meters by a truck following a collision at an intersection in Osaka’s Fukushima Ward, with police arresting the driver at the scene. (News On Japan)

As bear sightings in Hokkaido’s urban areas surge beyond expectations, Tamaki Yasuo, head of the brown bear control unit of the Hokkaido Hunters’ Association’s Sapporo branch, warns that the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to manage and that humans cannot predict what might trigger a bear to panic. (News On Japan)

Police in Sapporo are searching for a man who set fire to the back of a woman's blouse at around 1 p.m. on the platform of Odori Station on Sapporo's Tozai Line on October 4th. (News On Japan)

Mazda, the automaker synonymous with Hiroshima — a prefecture of 2.7 million people — is fighting to reinvent itself from within as the global automobile industry undergoes a once-in-a-century transformation. The company is launching a five-year internal reform to reshape its corporate culture and stay competitive amid the global shift to electric and eco-friendly vehicles. (News On Japan)

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department held a community event in Suginami Ward on October 11 to raise awareness and prevent special fraud schemes that continue to target residents. (News On Japan)

The Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki reaffirmed on October 11 that his party will not cooperate with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) in unifying opposition candidates for the upcoming prime minister designation vote in the next extraordinary Diet session. (News On Japan)

With just three days left until the Osaka-Kansai Expo closes, total attendance had surpassed 28 million as of October 10th, and the venue remained packed on October 11th as visitors continued to pour in for the final weekend. (News On Japan)

The number of foreign residents in Japan has reached a record high of nearly 4 million, according to the Immigration Services Agency. As of the end of June, 3,956,619 foreign nationals were living in the country, an increase of about 190,000 from the end of 2024, marking the highest total on record. (News On Japan)

Welcome to Kagoshima — Japan’s southern gem where samurai history, active volcanoes, and amazing local food come together! (TabiEats)

An officer of the Osaka Prefectural Police has been arrested and indicted for allegedly committing indecent acts against a girl he met through “papa katsu,” a practice in which older men provide financial support to younger women in exchange for companionship. (News On Japan)

Komeito leader Saito informed Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Takaichi on October 10 that his party intends to withdraw from their coalition, bringing an end to a political partnership that has lasted 26 years, including periods when the LDP was in opposition. Leaders and secretary-generals of both parties met in the Diet at 1:45 p.m. on October 10 to discuss whether to continue the alliance, with Komeito insisting during the meeting that strengthening regulations on corporate and organizational political donations be accepted as a condition for maintaining the coalition. (News On Japan)

Tokyo has confirmed its first case of a dog infected with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a potentially fatal disease transmitted by ticks. It is the first time an animal infection has been recorded in the capital. (News On Japan)

Japan’s new administration under Liberal Democratic Party President Takaichi faces its first major diplomatic test: an inaugural summit with President Trump, expected on October 28. How that meeting unfolds—and how Takaichi responds if Trump presses Japan to lift defense outlays to 3.5% of GDP—will shape Tokyo’s security posture. With Beijing wary of Takaichi’s stance, the trajectory of Japan–China relations is also in focus. (News On Japan)

Four former executives of Alts, an AI development company previously listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Growth Market, were arrested on October 9 on suspicion of falsifying financial statements. (News On Japan)

Sumitomo Life Insurance has reported that around 80% of households in Japan are being impacted by rising prices, with monthly living costs now about 9,600 yen higher than a year ago. The findings come from the company’s latest survey on household finances, which shows that inflation is putting significant pressure on family budgets. (News On Japan)