Two weeks after attacks on Iran triggered the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, turmoil has spread through the global economy, with rising gasoline prices already hitting consumers while a looming shortage of petrochemical materials threatens to drive up the cost of everyday goods. (News On Japan)

Beyond the cherry blossoms, the Akihabara crossing, or the stories of samurai, Japan hides a dark side that everyone should also know about. (TRNGL)

Many foreign men using escort services known as “delivery health” have been falling victim to a scam called panel magic. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

As tensions surrounding Iran intensify and global markets grow increasingly volatile, attention is turning to how the Bank of Japan will respond at its upcoming monetary policy meeting and what the developments could mean for stock prices and the yen. (News On Japan)

PayPay, a major smartphone payment service under SoftBank Group, was listed on the Nasdaq market in the United States on March 12th, marking the largest U.S. listing ever by a Japanese company. (News On Japan)

JR East raised fares across all of its service areas on March 14th, marking the first fare hike since the company’s privatization and the first major increase in about 40 years, excluding adjustments tied to consumption tax increases. (News On Japan)

Kyoto Prefecture recorded more than 30 million overnight visitors last year, reinforcing its status as one of Japan’s most popular travel destinations. (News On Japan)

Momoka Muraoka secured a silver medal in the women’s sitting giant slalom on March 12th, the seventh day of the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics, bringing her career total to 11 medals—the most ever won by a Japanese athlete at the Winter Paralympics. (News On Japan)

Japan’s sporting traditions remain influential, but fan interaction has increasingly shifted to digital spaces. (News On Japan)

A rapidly advancing technology known as remote sensing—used to observe and analyze Earth from space—is opening new possibilities for predicting disasters and understanding environmental changes. (News On Japan)

Nissan Motor, U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies, and autonomous driving developer Wayve announced on March 12th that they will collaborate on a self-driving taxi business. (News On Japan)

A fierce debate has erupted in western Japan over plans to extend the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture to Shin-Osaka, as competing route proposals, political rivalries, and local opposition have thrown the decades-long project back into uncertainty. (News On Japan)

In the vertical cities of Tokyo and Osaka, your visual presentation is more than just a personal choice; it is a non-verbal form of omotenashi—the Japanese art of hospitality and respect. (News On Japan)

A massive steel pipe buried underground suddenly protruded from the ground in Osaka’s Umeda district on March 11th, prompting ongoing road closures and emergency response efforts as authorities consider cutting the exposed section. (News On Japan)

More than a decade after the nuclear disaster forced all residents of Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture to evacuate, solar panels are now spreading across the town, creating both opportunities and unease as reconstruction tax incentives attract energy projects to the area. (News On Japan)

Fifteen years after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, daily life has gradually returned to areas where evacuation orders have been lifted, but in zones still aiming for their removal and in designated difficult-to-return areas, human activity has yet to resume. (News On Japan)

A container ship owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines that had remained in the Persian Gulf following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was found to have sustained damage, although no injuries were reported among the crew. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government approved a bill on March 10th to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act to establish an electronic travel authorization system called JESTA that would screen foreign visitors before they arrive in Japan. (News On Japan)

Asahi Group Holdings announced its financial results for January through September 2025 on March 10th after delaying the release due to a system failure, reporting a 26.2% year-on-year decline in net profit to 102.8 billion yen. (News On Japan)

JTB on March 10th unveiled to the media the details of a special viewing tour for Japan’s games in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), held at Tokyo Dome. (News On Japan)