A 1.2-meter bear was shot and killed just before noon on November 8th at a hot spring inn in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, after entering the building overnight and causing extensive damage. (News On Japan)

A 27-year-old elementary school teacher in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, who became the seventh suspect arrested in a voyeurism scandal involving a group of educators, has retracted his earlier confession and now denies filming any illicit footage. (News On Japan)

The National Police Agency announced on November 6th that it has revised the National Public Safety Commission regulations to allow police officers to use rifles for bear control. The amendment will take effect on November 13th. (News On Japan)

A 51-year-old man has been arrested for forcing a 12-year-old Thai girl to work illegally at a private massage parlor in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, in what police believe may be part of a human trafficking operation. (News On Japan)

Tajiri, a town of just about 8,300 residents, has surged from 10th to 3rd place in the Kansai Happiness Ranking thanks to its strong community ties and family-focused support funded by Kansai Airport taxes. (News On Japan)

Emergency contraceptive pills, used to prevent unintended pregnancies, are set to become available over the counter in Japan as early as by the end of this fiscal year, marking a major shift after nearly a decade of debate. (News On Japan)

A bar manager and his female employee in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district were re-arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of forcing a female staff member to work under threat and violence, after previously being detained for compelling her to engage in prostitution. (News On Japan)

The number of U.S. military personnel arrested for criminal offenses in Okinawa has reached 77 so far this year, already surpassing the record total for all of 2024 as of the end of September. (News On Japan)

Thirteen Japanese nationals are among 57 foreigners detained in a police raid on a special fraud base in southeastern Cambodia, according to local reports. Footage captured by JNN showed Cambodian authorities raiding a facility believed to be used for large-scale international scams. (News On Japan)

A police officer responding to a traffic accident in Hyogo Prefecture died after falling from a bridge on November 3rd in Nishinomiya City, with authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. (News On Japan)

Japan’s record-breaking bear crisis has entered a new and deadly phase, with authorities confirming that a 79-year-old woman missing in Akita Prefecture was found dead in the mountains, believed to be the 13th fatality from bear attacks this year. (News On Japan)

A woman armed with a knife was subdued by police after causing a disturbance inside a movie theater in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district on November 2nd. (News On Japan)

Police in Yokohama are investigating a possible case of corpse abandonment after a headless and partially dismembered body was found floating near Yamashita Park. (News On Japan)

A truck that had fallen into a river in the town of Okoppe on the Sea of Okhotsk side of Hokkaido was found on the morning of November 2nd, with the body of a man discovered inside. (News On Japan)

A suspicious package was discovered at Keihan Railway’s Chushojima Station in Kyoto on November 1st, prompting police to investigate the possibility of an explosive device. (News On Japan)

Halloween Eve in Shibuya still drew a festive atmosphere, with people gathering in costume and enjoying the night. Tokyo police deployed several hundred officers, including the well-known “DJ police,” to manage the crowds and prevent congestion at the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing. (News On Japan)

A man accused of killing and injuring four family members with a crossbow in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, was sentenced to life in prison on October 31st, after the Kobe District Court rejected the prosecution’s demand for the death penalty. (News On Japan)

Bear attacks are reaching unprecedented levels across Japan, with a record 12 fatalities so far this year as sightings continue daily from mountain towns to city centers, disrupting schools and local institutions. (News On Japan)

Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward has installed barricades around the Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya Station as part of safety measures ahead of Halloween on October 31st. (News On Japan)

The traditional ritual of Paantu, in which masked gods covered in mud ward off evil spirits, took place on October 28th in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, filling the village with laughter and screams. (News On Japan)