Ministop, a major Japanese convenience store chain, is under scrutiny following revelations of tampered expiry dates on in-store food items. President Masatsugu Hotta held a press conference at 4 p.m. on September 1st, formally apologizing again for the issue that came to light on August 18th. (News On Japan)

An 18-year-old high school student from Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, has been arrested for attempting to murder his uncle by lacing his miso soup with poisonous plant leaves in July. (News On Japan)

AI is rapidly integrating into everyday life in Japan, with new applications ranging from real-time speech translation on smartphones and recipe planning to grading children's homework in seconds. (News On Japan)

Japan’s manufacturing sector suffered a noticeable blow from the so-called Trump tariffs, with transport equipment makers particularly hard-hit. (News On Japan)

The Osaka District Court on September 1st sentenced Kenshi Nishimura, a 29-year-old karateka who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman who was unable to resist due to intoxication. (News On Japan)

If you run a small hotel in Japan—a family ryokan in Hakone, a six-room machiya in Kyoto, a compact business hotel near a Shinkansen stop—you already know busy seasons can feel like controlled chaos. (News On Japan)

Japanese women are marrying later than ever. In 2023, the average age at first marriage hit 29.7 for women and 31.1 for men. Many young adults aren't dating at all. Only 53.7% of 20-year-olds reported having dated someone in 2025, the lowest rate since 2016. (News On Japan)

Police are investigating a theft at To-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto, after an offertory box was found missing. At around 1:50 p.m. on August 30, a monk reported to a nearby police box that the entire offertory box had disappeared. (News On Japan)

Hyogo Prefectural Police School is often called Japan’s toughest. The academy imposes grueling, highly regimented training designed to test aptitude—what the school calls the “kyojo,” a crucible that weeds out those who are not suited to police work. (News On Japan)

A Tokyo startup that failed to launch its small “Kairos No. 2” rocket from a site in Wakayama Prefecture has disclosed that a malfunctioning sensor was to blame. (News On Japan)

Honda said it will relocate its headquarters to the Yaesu district in front of Tokyo Station sometime in 2029. The company will transfer part of its ownership interest in its headquarters building in Minami-Aoyama, which is currently under reconstruction, to Mitsui Fudosan Residential. (News On Japan)

A glider crashed on land near the Menuma Glider Airfield along the Tone River in Kumagaya, Saitama, at about 11:55 a.m. on August 31, and the pilot, a woman believed to be in her 20s, was confirmed dead. (News On Japan)