A Japan Parade featuring traditional taiko drumming, martial arts, and dance performances was held in New York on May 10th, drawing large crowds and highlighting Japanese culture. (News On Japan)

Most people overlook this one color. It seems dull at first glance—but once you use it, it completely transforms your artwork. (Watercolor by Shibasaki)

A mother duck and her eight ducklings were safely guided across a busy street in Obihiro, Hokkaido on Thursday, thanks to the quick response of local police. (News On Japan)

Nissan announced on May 9th that it has withdrawn its plan to build a new electric vehicle battery plant in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Executives from the company visited the Fukuoka Prefectural Government to deliver the news directly. (News On Japan)

An exhibition highlighting the achievements of Kaoru Omine, who dedicated himself to reviving Okinawan culture in the postwar period, is being held at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum. (News On Japan)

Nagoya is on the verge of a major transformation. Over the next decade, the cityscape is expected to undergo a dramatic shift as large-scale redevelopment projects reshape its urban core. The focus is on three key districts—Meieki, Sakae, and Kanayama—each developing in a way that highlights its own unique strengths. (News On Japan)

Gifu’s Norikura Skyline is set to reopen on May 15th, and in preparation, a bus company in Takayama City conducted a trial run of the shuttle buses that carry visitors to Mount Norikura. (News On Japan)

Panasonic Holdings announced on May 9th that it will cut around 10,000 jobs globally as part of a major restructuring effort aimed at strengthening its management foundation for long-term growth. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo District Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former vice president of Nihon University who sought damages over alleged power harassment by board chairperson Mariko Hayashi in the wake of a drug scandal involving the university’s American football team. The court ruled on May 9th that Hayashi’s conduct did not constitute power harassment. (News On Japan)

An 86-year-old man was arrested for attempting to burglarize an apartment shortly after his release from prison, admitting he had spent 200,000 yen on horse racing the same day he was freed. (News On Japan)

Scholars affiliated with the Science Council of Japan formed a symbolic human chain in front of the National Diet building on May 8th, calling for revisions to the government’s proposed reform bill targeting the council’s structure, as deliberations enter their final phase in the Diet. (News On Japan)

The Ukiha roadside station, ranked No. 1 in the Kyushu and Okinawa region for nine consecutive years in a nationwide roadside station ranking, is set to reopen following large-scale renovations. (News On Japan)

Meitetsu has announced that it will introduce new train cars on its Toyota Line for the first time in 48 years. Starting next fiscal year, the new 500-series trains will operate on the sections shared by the Toyota Line, Inuyama Line, and the Nagoya City Subway's Tsurumai Line. (News On Japan)

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, who is set to retire in June, gave an interview in Tokyo on May 8th, where he expressed a positive stance toward Japan’s potential bid to host future Olympic Games, saying such a move would be "highly welcomed" if the conditions are right. (News On Japan)

As the U.S.-China trade tensions escalate, 151 companies from Shanghai gathered in Osaka for a business fair, with some shifting their focus to Japan by planning store openings and relocating their families. (News On Japan)

Nintendo has announced that it expects a significant boost in revenue for the fiscal year ending March 2026, projecting a 63.1% increase from the previous year to reach 1.9 trillion yen. The strong outlook is driven by the launch of the company’s new home gaming console, the Nintendo Switch 2, set for release in June. (News On Japan)

Across Japan, road collapses have been occurring with increasing frequency, often blamed on aging infrastructure. In one recent incident in Ashioshi, Saitama Prefecture, a truck was swallowed by a gaping sinkhole. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government’s long-anticipated pension reform plan is at risk of being significantly watered down, as the core proposal to raise the basic pension appears to have been dropped from the bill currently under deliberation in the National Diet. (News On Japan)

As NTT Docomo and KDDI move to raise their mobile phone fees, SoftBank has also revealed it is considering a similar hike. (News On Japan)

Gifu’s Mino City has announced that elementary schools will no longer issue report cards for first and second graders starting this academic year, citing concerns over unnecessary feelings of inferiority and the difficulty of report card language for young children. (News On Japan)