U.S. President Donald Trump announced on May 30th that his administration plans to double the current tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50 percent. Speaking at a plant owned by major American steelmaker U.S. Steel, Trump declared that the existing 25 percent tariff on steel imports would be raised to 50 percent starting June 4th. The same rate will also apply to aluminum products, with the measure expected to affect exporters globally. (News On Japan)

Japan and the United States held their fourth ministerial-level talks on tariffs on May 30th, with Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa stating that "progress toward an agreement was confirmed" during the meeting. (News On Japan)

JR East Japan's group company has come under suspicion for overcharging labor costs in a government-commissioned project, claiming 65 people were working on a project while on 3 were involved. (News On Japan)

Okinawa resident Sueko Urasaki, who appeared as a trembling child in a U.S.-filmed recording of the Battle of Okinawa, has spoken publicly for the first time in 80 years about her harrowing experience, expressing a heartfelt plea for peace to future generations. (News On Japan)

Opposition parties submitted three bills to the Diet on May 30th seeking to introduce a system allowing married couples to retain separate surnames—a topic that returned to parliamentary deliberation for the first time in 28 years. (News On Japan)

SoftBank has teamed up with Intel and the University of Tokyo to establish a new semiconductor memory development company in Japan focused on artificial intelligence applications. Named SAIMEMORY, the new firm aims to develop cutting-edge memory chips with enhanced performance and lower energy consumption. (News On Japan)

Amid mounting financial strain and work reform policies, Japan’s university hospitals are struggling to maintain the quality of their medical research, threatening the future of healthcare in the country. A recent survey of approximately 3,000 physicians working in university hospitals revealed that 60% spend less than five hours a week on research, with 22% reporting zero research time. The main reason: they are simply too busy with clinical duties to conduct research. (News On Japan)

Concordia Financial Group, which will change its name to Yokohama Financial Group in October, is seeking to reinforce its identity as a strong regional bank group centered on Yokohama Bank. President Tatsuya Kataoka, who also serves as head of Yokohama Bank, discussed the strategy behind the rebranding, the group's structural reforms, and its ambitions for stronger financial performance during a joint interview with Nikkei Financial. (News On Japan)

In a time when environmental concerns are reaching a critical point, businesses across the world, but mainly in Europe and the Middle East are ramping up their recycling efforts, an increasingly powerful driver of both ecological protection and economic opportunity. (News On Japan)

Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family and now living in the United States, has given birth to her first child, the Imperial Household Agency announced on May 30th. The agency stated that the birth was disclosed during a press conference after some media reports surfaced, despite their intention to allow Komuro to live in a quiet environment following her departure from the Imperial family. (News On Japan)

Akie Abe, widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited the Kremlin on May 29th and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the meeting, Akie was seen tearfully listening to Putin’s words, reflecting the emotional nature of their exchange. Following the conversation, she was invited to ride in Putin’s official limousine to the Bolshoi Theatre, where the two attended a ballet performance together. (News On Japan)

Okinawa Prefecture announced during a meeting with the tourism industry on May 27th that it is aiming for its annual tourism revenue to exceed 1 trillion yen for the first time in fiscal 2025, and plans to introduce a lodging tax during fiscal 2026. (News On Japan)

A 20-year-old man who went missing while attempting to swim across Hakata Bay from Nokonoshima Island to the mainland was found in the water and later confirmed dead. (News On Japan)

The body of an 87-year-old man who served as the chairman of a civil engineering and construction firm was found buried beneath a pile of soil at a materials storage yard in Kitakyushu on May 20th, prompting an ongoing investigation that now includes possible murder charges. The police arrested the chairman’s son the following day, and on May 23rd, also arrested a woman acquainted with the son, believing the two had conspired to abandon the body. (News On Japan)

Toyota Motor announced that its overseas vehicle sales in April reached a record 756,190 units, up 9.7% from the same month last year. The surge was driven in part by last-minute demand in the United States ahead of additional tariffs on imported vehicles proposed by the Trump administration. (News On Japan)

A gas cylinder recovered from the scene of an explosion in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward bore a stamp indicating it was manufactured in November 1964, according to investigative sources. The blast, which occurred on May 27th at a construction site, injured 10 people. (News On Japan)

Ten months after the release of Japan’s redesigned banknotes, an unusual detail has caught the public’s eye: the letter F on the new bills appears oddly rounded. (News On Japan)

A visiting family in Tokyo’s Asakusa district was left shaken after witnessing a sudden outburst by a foreign tourist who punched their car and made aggressive gestures in the middle of the road. (News On Japan)

A trial opened on May 29th at the Osaka District Court for 28-year-old Kazuya Nagaya, who is accused of seriously injuring a man by kicking him from behind and stealing his bag in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture. Nagaya admitted to the charges, stating, "No doubt, it’s exactly as you said." (News On Japan)

Japan’s largest known cluster of horizontal tombs lies in the southeastern Osaka city of Kashiwara, where more than 160 cave tombs have been confirmed in what is now known as Takai Horizontal Tomb Park. Including uninvestigated areas, the total may exceed 200 burial chambers. (News On Japan)