The family of a 22-year-old cosmetics store employee killed in the explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto said she had safely evacuated after the powerful earthquake but returned to the building under instructions from her company, calling her death a "man-made disaster." (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered August facing a sharper test of her economic leadership after Japan and the United States carried out a rare coordinated currency intervention to support the yen, turning the government’s cost-of-living agenda, fiscal policy and relationship with the Bank of Japan into one of the most politically sensitive issues of her administration. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks fell on August 3, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,445.53, down 1.4%, as electronics and auto shares were sold after coordinated U.S.-Japan yen-buying intervention drove the currency sharply higher, cutting into the weak-yen support that had underpinned exporters. (News On Japan)

U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States intervened to buy yen because of its strong relationship with Japan, describing the action as a sign of friendship and pledging that Washington would always support the country. (News On Japan)

Six airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and Air Do, will move the baggage check-in deadline for domestic flights at Haneda Airport to 30 minutes before departure from September 1. (News On Japan)

All 54 frog species found in Japan have been brought together for a special exhibition at the Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Natural History in Kainan, Wakayama Prefecture. (News On Japan)

A 39-year-old woman visiting the coast of Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, with her family died on August 2 after a falling rock struck her in the head near the Yodo sea cave. (News On Japan)

A 29-year-old Osaka University researcher is developing technology to produce sugar from carbon dioxide in the air, seeking to create a faster and more sustainable source of livestock feed as population growth, extreme weather and poor harvests raise fears of future food shortages. (News On Japan)

A 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a male relative in the abdomen with a small chainsaw in a parking lot in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Watch the Men's highlights between Japan and USA of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 in Ningbo Beilun (China)! (News On Japan)

Tokyo's public bathhouses raised their adult admission fee by 50 yen to 600 yen on August 1 as operators struggle with rising fuel and other costs, prompting concerns that some customers may reduce their visits. (News On Japan)

A high school student in Nagano Prefecture who had been unable to speak in unfamiliar places or in front of strangers because of selective mutism found the confidence to use his voice through three years of training with his school's competitive soba-making club. (News On Japan)

Japan and the United States conducted coordinated yen-buying intervention in the foreign exchange market to curb the currency's excessive decline, with Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama expected to announce the move on August 3, according to people familiar with the matter. (News On Japan)

Business sentiment among Japanese companies operating in China deteriorated in the first half of 2026, with 44% reporting that conditions had worsened or somewhat worsened as tensions between Japan and China weighed on corporate confidence. (News On Japan)

Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, visited Ise Jingu in Mie Prefecture on Monday, paying respects at the shrine ahead of her first viewing of a traditional timber-hauling ceremony. (News On Japan)

Geisha and maiko in Kyoto's Gion district made their traditional rounds on August 1 to express gratitude to teahouse proprietors, teachers and others who support them throughout the year as part of the annual Hassaku observance. (News On Japan)

An ancient zelkova tree believed to be about 800 years old toppled at Suzume Shrine in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, on August 1, with no injuries reported. (News On Japan)

Two female employees who died in the explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto were ordered by their company to return to the building after initially evacuating following the earthquake so they could place sales proceeds in a safe, company executives said on August 2. (News On Japan)

The Aomori Nebuta Festival opened in Aomori city on August 2, with vividly colored warrior lantern floats illuminating the summer night as dancers filled the streets with energetic chants and leaps. (News On Japan)

A woman in her 60s suffered an ear injury requiring about 10 stitches after a deformed bullet smashed through the rear window of her light truck while she was driving in Happo, Akita Prefecture, shortly after a monkey crossed the road. (News On Japan)