Police searched the Sapporo office of a Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated crime syndicate on July 31 after nine people, including gang members, were arrested on suspicion of illegally harvesting sea cucumbers off Wakkanai in northern Hokkaido. (News On Japan)

A fraud group accused of causing about 650 million yen in losses nationwide allegedly purchased popular social media accounts, impersonated their former influencer owners and used the trust built with followers to sell fraudulent side-job programs. (News On Japan)

An elderly woman was rescued from a collapsed home by five Vietnamese workers as the death toll from the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake rose to 34 on July 30, while severe water shortages disrupted daily life and hampered firefighting across the disaster zone. (News On Japan)

A 41-year-old doctor has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a high school girl's gym uniform from her bag on a train in Hyogo Prefecture, marking his third arrest over alleged offenses involving female students' clothing. (News On Japan)

A metal screw about 1.5 centimeters long was found inside the mouth of a 4-year-old child having lunch at a kindergarten in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, city officials said. (News On Japan)

Japan's Japanese-national population fell below 120 million as the country recorded its largest annual decline since comparable data began, according to a survey released Wednesday. (News On Japan)

Rescue operations continued across Kumamoto Prefecture more than 24 hours after a powerful earthquake registered the maximum seismic intensity of 7, leaving 12 people dead, six in cardiac arrest and three Aeon Mall Kumamoto employees still unaccounted for. (News On Japan)

A Tokyo prosecutor who played a leading role in a major political funds investigation has been dismissed for having a sexual relationship with a female suspect before her criminal case was resolved and accepting electronic money from her. (News On Japan)

The Japan Coast Guard has searched Doshisha International High School on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death and injury following a boat accident off Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, that killed a female student and a boat captain. (News On Japan)

Authorities in Laos have detained 51 foreign nationals, including five Japanese men and women, on suspicion of involvement in an online fraud operation selling furniture and home appliances. (News On Japan)

Keigo Higashino, the Naoki Prize-winning author whose prolific career produced such bestsellers as Journey Under the Midnight Sun and The Devotion of Suspect X, died of colon cancer in the early hours of July 23, his publisher said. He was 68. (News On Japan)

A wave of pear thefts has prompted police and farmers to strengthen patrols as growers warn that stolen fruit is likely being resold online or from roadside vehicles. (News On Japan)

Kozo Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army who took part in a 1972 mass shooting at an Israeli airport, has died at age 78 in Lebanon, where he had lived for decades under political asylum. (News On Japan)

Average life expectancy in Japan rose for both men and women last year for the first time in two years, with Japanese women retaining the world's top ranking for the 41st consecutive year. (News On Japan)

The Japanese government is considering requiring certain stalking offenders to wear GPS tracking devices under a new system that would alert victims when an offender approaches their home, workplace or another protected location. (News On Japan)

A 61-year-old unemployed man has been arrested after allegedly subjecting a quiet Kyoto neighborhood to years of relentless radio broadcasts and amplified guitar music, leaving nearby residents with sleep disorders and other health problems. (News On Japan)

A police officer shot and wounded a 21-year-old man who allegedly robbed a convenience store in Koshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, and then approached officers with a kitchen knife on the evening of July 22. (News On Japan)

An unexploded U.S.-made bomb believed to date from World War II has been discovered at a housing construction site in a residential district of Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, potentially requiring the evacuation of nearly 5,000 people during its disposal. (News On Japan)

A 55-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly capturing an endangered butterfly in the Norikura Highlands of Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, marking Japan's first arrest involving the protected species. (News On Japan)

A 27-year-old police officer arrested after crashing into a utility pole in Hiroshima was found to have been driving under the influence, with a blood test detecting nearly three times the legal alcohol limit. (News On Japan)