A joint patrol was conducted in Okinawa City by local police and the U.S. military over the weekend, the second such operation following a similar patrol in April, as part of efforts to prevent further incidents after a U.S. serviceman was arrested in connection with the assault of a woman. (News On Japan)

A man has been arrested on suspicion of unlicensed driving and other offenses after fleeing the scene of a car accident in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where a vehicle plunged from a city road onto the Tōmei Expressway. (News On Japan)

A Japanese woman working with Doctors Without Borders has delivered a harrowing account from Gaza, where severe food shortages and relentless Israeli airstrikes have pushed local hospitals and residents to the brink of collapse. (News On Japan)

A female employee was fatally stabbed at a child welfare facility in Saga City on May 31st. Police arrested a 28-year-old woman at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. (News On Japan)

Japan has officially abolished both penal servitude and imprisonment without labor, replacing them with a newly introduced 'custodial sentence' system. This marks the first major reform of the country's penal code since it was established in 1907. (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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

"Please let me die with dignity." This was a social media post believed to have been written by a woman suffering from ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, before she was killed in 2019 at her own request. The case, in which two doctors were arrested and tried, ignited a national debate on euthanasia in Japan—specifically, the ethical and legal implications of assisting the terminally ill to end their lives. (News On Japan)

More than 20 Japanese nationals have been detained by authorities in northwestern Cambodia on suspicion of being involved in a special fraud operation based in a local building. (News On Japan)

Tokyo police have arrested four more suspects in connection with an extortion scheme that used a matchmaking app designed for people with disabilities to lure victims to a bar and demand excessive payments. (News On Japan)

In the town of Tobe in Ehime Prefecture, a woman was caught on camera shouting loudly, "What’s your problem? Come out! Come out now!" while throwing an object into her neighbor's yard. A man living next door has filed a complaint, saying the harassment has been ongoing for two years. (News On Japan)

An 850-year-old sacred tree with ties to Ryoma Sakamoto has collapsed at Takenobu Inari Shrine in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, damaging parts of the shrine's main and auxiliary buildings. No injuries were reported. (News On Japan)

An unauthorized drone flight that came dangerously close to Tokyo Skytree has drawn sharp public criticism and is now under review by authorities for potential violations of Japan's aviation laws. (News On Japan)

At night, Kego Park in central Fukuoka becomes a gathering place for youth with nowhere else to go—teenagers and young adults who have lost their footing at home or in school. The area has come to be known as "the Kego scene." (News On Japan)

Faded and illegible intersection signs are causing confusion and concern among residents in Himeji, a city in Hyogo Prefecture known for its iconic Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site. With around 520,000 residents and high vehicle traffic, the deteriorating condition of road signage is becoming a serious issue, especially in areas frequented by tourists. (News On Japan)