Honda announced on February 26th that it will introduce a new model of its SUV, the CR-V, with prices starting at 5,122,700 yen. (News On Japan)

Mizuho Financial Group has decided on a policy to improve operational efficiency through the use of artificial intelligence, aiming to reduce administrative work equivalent to as many as 5,000 employees over the next decade. (News On Japan)

The name of a Japanese figure involved in a national government project has appeared more than 8,000 times in investigative records related to the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with sex trafficking and other crimes, sparking controversy and raising concerns over the future of the state-backed initiative. (News On Japan)

A man indicted on murder charges over the killing of a 31-year-old nailist in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is suspected of attaching a location-tracking “lost-item tag” to the victim’s car, investigative sources said, with police planning to rearrest him on March 2nd on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law. (News On Japan)

An eight-year-old Australian girl died after a snowmobile overturned in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, at around 11 a.m. on February 28th, with authorities investigating the cause of the accident. (News On Japan)

I finally tried the newly revived hovercraft (HOVERDRIVE) in Oita, Japan. It was absolutely worth a ride. I'm not saying it was comfortable, though! (Solo Travel Japan)

Yōkōkan Teien is a traditional Edo-period stroll garden (kaiyū-shiki teien) located in Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture. (Japanese Garden Collection)

The number of foreign visitors staying at accommodation facilities across Japan reached a record 177.87 million guest nights last year, marking the highest level ever recorded and highlighting a continued shift toward regional destinations. (News On Japan)

A bearded American man was arrested after allegedly stealing a truck in central Tokyo on February 14th and repeatedly fleeing crash scenes, with one victim saying the driver appeared to be laughing as he sped away. (News On Japan)

The assembly of a massive shield machine for tunnel construction at the Kanagawa Station site of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen has been completed, with the site opened to the media as excavation prepares to move forward toward Nagoya. (News On Japan)

The Japan Tourism Agency announced in its accommodation travel statistics survey that both the number of guests and total overnight stays at lodging facilities across Japan increased in 2025, with some prefectures posting striking gains driven by unexpected promotional efforts. (News On Japan)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has submitted to the metropolitan assembly Japan’s first ordinance proposal that would in principle ban the installation of new utility poles, but how far has the effort to remove poles from above ground across the capital actually progressed? (News On Japan)

In February, a male university student who climbed onto drift ice along the coast of Koshimizu in Hokkaido’s Sea of Okhotsk region was swept out to sea and later rescued, prompting experts to issue fresh warnings that such actions carry life-threatening risks. (News On Japan)

Tsurui Village in Hokkaido is moving to purchase land designated for a large-scale solar power project near the Kushiro Wetland from an Osaka-based developer, in a bid to protect the surrounding landscape. (News On Japan)

Although February is typically the height of the hibernation season, bears have already been sighted across Japan, raising concerns of another wave of deadly encounters. (News On Japan)

The lay judge trial has begun for a man accused of fatally assaulting his six-year-old niece and concealing her body in concrete, after the remains were discovered at a residence in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, with the defendant telling the court on February 26th that the charges were “correct.” (News On Japan)

The number of children born nationwide last year fell for the tenth straight year to a record low, but Tokyo saw a year-on-year increase for the first time in nine years, highlighting how local support measures and job opportunities may help counter Japan’s declining birthrate. (News On Japan)

The Japan Fair Trade Commission has conducted an on-site inspection of Microsoft’s Japanese subsidiary on suspicion of violating the Antimonopoly Act by potentially restricting the use of rival services. (News On Japan)

Food delivery service Wolt announced that it will withdraw from Japan on March 4th as competition in the domestic delivery market intensifies. (News On Japan)

A drone capturing aerial footage of a waterfall in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, suddenly plunged from the sky after being attacked by a hawk, destroying equipment worth around 100,000 yen but leaving the operator with what he described as 'the best footage.' (News On Japan)