The Nikkei Stock Average surged by more than 1,900 yen at one point on the Tokyo market on October 7th, setting a new intraday record high. It was the first time in history the index has climbed into the 47,000 range, surpassing the symbolic 46,000 mark. (News On Japan)

A security camera installed at a home in Sapporo’s Nishi Ward captured three bears, including two cubs, walking through a forested area on October 5th, prompting police to heighten their alert. (News On Japan)

A collision occurred on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line on the night of October 5th when a local train attempting to arrive at Kajigaya Station in Kawasaki City struck a stationary out-of-service train, causing several cars of the latter to derail. Investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board arrived at the scene on the morning of October 6th to begin examining the cause of the accident. (News On Japan)

A future where people control machines simply by thinking may be closer than science fiction suggests. At the forefront of this research is Masayuki Hirata, a neurosurgeon and specially appointed professor at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Medicine, who is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows high-tech devices such as smartphones or robotic arms to be operated by thought. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Kyoto for the first time in six years to attend an international forum that began on October 5th, where discussions focused on the role and implications of artificial intelligence in society. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Kyoto for the first time in six years to attend an international forum that began on October 5th, where discussions focused on the role and implications of artificial intelligence in society. (News On Japan)

A Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear while visiting Shirakawa-go, the UNESCO World Heritage village in Gifu Prefecture known for its traditional thatched-roof houses, on October 5th. The incident adds to a growing number of bear encounters reported across Japan in recent weeks. (News On Japan)

From October, a new policy has come into effect requiring some people aged 75 and over to pay 20% of their medical costs at the counter, doubling the previous burden for many elderly patients. For those living on pensions, the increased costs are squeezing already tight household budgets and fueling concern about how to manage daily life. (News On Japan)

A mobile battery caught fire inside a train on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line on October 4th, injuring two women and disrupting operations on both northbound and southbound tracks. (News On Japan)

Richard Keita Kusama, a 29-year-old member of the idol group Aぇ! Group under STARTO Entertainment, was arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police on suspicion of public indecency. (News On Japan)

Sanae Takaichi, elected as the Liberal Democratic Party’s new president on October 4th, declared on stage, “I ask everybody to work like a horse,” after defeating agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff to become the party’s first female leader. (News On Japan)

Sanae Takaichi won the leadership race of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on October 4th, defeating former environment minister Shinjirō Koizumi in a runoff election that sets her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister. With the LDP holding a majority in the lower house, her confirmation in parliament is considered almost certain, opening a new chapter in Japanese politics. (News On Japan)

A man in his twenties who was abducted in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, in June and later killed has been confirmed dead after his remains were found as bones in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture. (News On Japan)

A string of so-called “honey trap” cases is drawing attention across Japan as schemes once limited to extortion have become increasingly violent, involving physical assaults and life-threatening intimidation. (News On Japan)

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated that the pace of Japan’s economic growth is expected to temporarily slow due to the effects of tariffs, while predicting that growth will pick up again as overseas economies recover. Speaking in Osaka on October 4th at a meeting with the Kansai business community, Ueda stressed that monetary policy would be guided by overall economic and price conditions. (News On Japan)

Sakai City will begin operating sightseeing hot-air balloons on October 4th, offering aerial views of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The balloons will take off and land at Daisen Park, with a maximum capacity of 30 passengers. (News On Japan)

Tokiwair, a Niigata-based airline, is planning to produce lightweight sport aircraft (LSA), a category of small propeller planes, in collaboration with factories in the Tsubame-Sanjo area of Niigata Prefecture. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation has reduced 206 Toei bus services in its October timetable revision, underscoring how the nationwide shortage of drivers is now taking a serious toll on the capital’s public transport. (News On Japan)

At the World Heritage-listed Shosoin in Nara, the annual ‘Opening Ceremony’ was held, during which the doors of the treasure house were unsealed. (News On Japan)

Right now in big cities in Japan, there are more and more protests by Japanese people against the government's immigration policies. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)