Japanese elementary and junior high school students are spending more time on social media and watching videos while devoting less time to studying, according to a nationwide government survey released on August 4. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government faced a widening policy test on August 4 as officials tried to calm inflation concerns after rare U.S.-Japan yen intervention, while the latest defense white paper framed Japan’s military buildup as part of a broader strategy for economic growth and national resilience. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks edged higher on August 4, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,957.53, up 202.63 points, or 0.32%, as buybacks in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares helped offset caution over further yen-buying intervention and a weaker tone in some exporters. (News On Japan)

The operators of cosmetics and apparel stores at Aeon Mall Kumamoto disclosed new details on August 4 about how five employees who had initially evacuated the building later returned inside before being killed in an explosion following the earthquake. (News On Japan)

A Tokyu train struck a truck that had been forced onto the tracks by a road collision in Yokohama on the morning of August 4, temporarily suspending all services on the Kodomonokuni Line, although none of the roughly 100 passengers and crew aboard the train were injured. (News On Japan)

Japan's Immigration Services Agency on August 4 released draft guidelines that would tighten the requirements for foreign nationals seeking permanent residency, including new income and pension standards designed to ensure applicants have economic conditions equal to or better than those of Japanese people. (News On Japan)

Suntory Holdings is turning to a specialized corporate intelligence unit led by a former Mitsubishi Corporation researcher to assess the duration of Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and protect supply chains threatened by soaring energy and raw-material prices. (News On Japan)

Nissan Motor returned to profitability in the April-June quarter of 2026, posting net income of 3.761 billion yen as cost-cutting measures and a weaker yen helped the struggling automaker end eight consecutive quarters of losses. (News On Japan)

Off-price apparel stores selling new clothing at discounts of up to 90% are attracting growing interest in Japan as prolonged inflation pushes consumers to seek cheaper alternatives, with Geo Holdings planning to increase its Luck Rack chain roughly tenfold to 500 locations by fiscal 2035. (News On Japan)

Three female lions at Tama Zoological Park have died in succession after suffering dehydration and multiple organ failure, with heatstroke suspected as the cause. (News On Japan)

The conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel may be entering a more dangerous phase, with Tehran appearing increasingly willing to initiate attacks rather than merely respond to US strikes, while disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz threaten oil and liquefied natural gas supplies worldwide. (News On Japan)

As the behavioral health landscape continues to evolve, families seeking compassionate, evidence-based therapeutic support for autism and other developmental needs are turning to specialty organizations that provide clinical excellence and authentic care. (News On Japan)

A fire destroyed a wooden reception building at a subtemple within the grounds of Kodaiji in Kyoto on August 3, burning about 60 square meters but leaving no one injured and causing no damage to the temple's main buildings or cultural properties. (News On Japan)

Kumamoto residents struggling to recover from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake were forced to halt cleanup work on August 3 as the temperature in Kumamoto City reached 40.3 degrees Celsius, adding a second life-threatening disaster to communities already devastated by the quake. (News On Japan)

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)