The crude oil tanker "Idemitsu Maru," which passed through the Strait of Hormuz, is scheduled to arrive at Nagoya Port around noon on May 25th, drawing attention as Japan faces a sharp decline in crude imports from the Middle East following the effective closure of the strategic waterway. (News On Japan)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda at the Prime Minister’s Office on May 22nd, urging the central bank to implement appropriate monetary policies while taking into account the government’s efforts to combat rising prices and promote crisis-management and growth-related investment. (News On Japan)

A historic temple hall on Mount Misen in Hiroshima Prefecture was destroyed by fire, but the famed "undying flame" believed to have burned continuously for more than 1,200 years was safely preserved elsewhere, according to the temple's chief priest. (News On Japan)

The film 'Kokuhou,' which swept 10 categories at this year's Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony in March, has become one of Japan's biggest box office successes in decades, helping fuel record profits at major distributor and production company Toho. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average climbed sharply again on May 22nd, closing at a record high of 63,339 as investor sentiment improved on expectations that fighting between the United States and Iran could soon come to an end. (News On Japan)

Education Minister Yohei Matsumoto said on May 22nd that Doshisha International High School's planning, on-site response and safety management during a study trip to Okinawa were "grossly inappropriate," placing extremely heavy responsibility on the school and its operator after two small boats carrying students capsized off Henoko in Nago, killing a student and a captain. (News On Japan)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving toward legislation that would punish acts of damaging or defiling the national flag in public, with a party project team broadly approving the outline of a proposed law on May 22nd while excluding decorative flags used in children's meals, artwork and digital content. (News On Japan)

Japan's next-generation homegrown supercomputer, Fugaku NEXT, is being developed with a radically different strategy from its predecessors, abandoning the single-minded pursuit of the world's fastest calculation speed in favor of artificial intelligence capabilities expected to accelerate breakthroughs in fields ranging from drug development and batteries to disaster prevention and food production. (News On Japan)

Two Japanese nationals and a Chinese citizen were injured after a 59-year-old man attacked them with a knife at a Japanese restaurant in a commercial building in Shanghai on May 19th, with Chinese authorities investigating the motive after disclosing that the suspect had a history of treatment for mental illness. (News On Japan)

Three men, including a company executive, are suspected of smuggling gold from Hong Kong into Japan dozens of times last year to avoid paying consumption tax and other charges, with investigators believing the precious metal was handed over inside a toilet at Kansai International Airport. (News On Japan)

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) has begun renting out a wayfinding device for visually impaired visitors, becoming the first theme park in Japan to introduce the technology. (News On Japan)

Elementary schools in Sapporo will begin their sports day season from this Saturday, and for children eager to run faster in footraces, a special lesson was held to teach the basic techniques that can make the difference. (News On Japan)

A new Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers’ group aimed at advancing the policies of the Takaichi administration held its first meeting, with Vice President Aso appointed as supreme adviser and former Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato named chairman. (News On Japan)

A black bear was filmed walking directly toward a camera from only a few meters away at around 2 p.m. on May 21st in the parking lot of a tourist facility in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, as the person recording the scene could be heard saying, "Call someone. Wait a minute. This is bad, it is coming this way. We could get hurt." (News On Japan)

A sex business allegedly operating under the guise of a massage parlor in an area where such operations are prohibited has been raided by police, leading to the arrest of its female operator and others. (News On Japan)

The Nozomi service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, which has already switched to all-reserved seating during extended holiday periods such as the year-end and New Year break, will also operate with reserved seats only on three-day weekends from October this fiscal year. (News On Japan)

Nagoya Customs released its April trade report on May 21st, showing clear signs that tensions in the Middle East are affecting both imports and exports, with shipments to the region falling 82.4% from a year earlier to 26.17 billion yen. (News On Japan)

Honda will launch a new compact electric vehicle in Japan as it seeks to expand EV sales and rebuild its four-wheel business following its first annual loss since listing. (News On Japan)

After days of near-summer heat through May 20th, rain believed to mark the start of Japan's rainy season front swept across the country on May 21st, bringing sharp temperature drops, strong winds, and warnings for potentially heavy downpours. (News On Japan)

More people are skipping the couple's getaway in favor of booking a flight with their closest friend. It's a shift that says something about how priorities have changed. (News On Japan)