Water shortages are worsening across Japan amid what meteorologists describe as 'once-in-30-years' low rainfall, with riverbeds exposed, reservoirs falling to record lows, and dry conditions fueling a renewed surge in influenza infections. (News On Japan)

A deep-sea exploration vessel that successfully recovered mud containing rare earth elements from a depth of 5,600 meters for the first time in the world has returned to Shimizu Port in Shizuoka City. (News On Japan)

A startup is working to curb global warming by feeding seaweed to cattle in an effort to reduce methane emissions from their burps, with plans to commercialize the technology in the coming years. (News On Japan)

The arrival of pollen season has once again begun to affect large parts of Japan, but new research aimed at preventing cedar pollen from dispersing is raising hopes that the future could bring relief for millions of sufferers, with scientists working on a method to wither only the male flowers of cedar trees and stop pollen at its source. (News On Japan)

Tokyo Electric Power announced that it has restarted the reactor at Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, which had been halted shortly after its initial restart due to equipment problems. (News On Japan)

About 3,000 Steller sea lions have appeared on an uninhabited island off Hokkaido, marking the largest number for this time of year and adding to fishing losses estimated to exceed 1 billion yen. (News On Japan)

Influenza is once again spreading rapidly across the Kansai region, with Osaka Prefecture reaching an advisory-level outbreak for the second time in a single season for the first time in 15 years as infections surge again after the New Year. (News On Japan)

Japanese startup ALE announced on February 4 that it will conduct its third demonstration experiment to generate artificial shooting stars in 2028, positioning the project as a step toward eventual commercialization rather than a one-off spectacle. (News On Japan)

High-resolution 3D images created from aerial photographs taken after the Great East Japan Earthquake have revealed how large-scale fires spread in the aftermath of the tsunami, showing that in Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture, debris left behind by the waves covered wide areas of the town and rendered roads ineffective as natural firebreaks, allowing flames to expand unchecked. (News On Japan)

Japan has successfully recovered rare earth–bearing mud from a depth of 6,000 meters off Minamitorishima as part of a trial mining project aimed at developing a domestic supply of critical minerals, government officials said. (News On Japan)