Emperor Naruhito sowed rice seeds on April 9th in a traditional ceremony aimed at promoting agriculture, held at a seedbed near the Biological Laboratory within the Imperial Palace grounds. (News On Japan)

Three masked intruders broke into a luxury goods purchase shop in Hiroo, Tokyo, in the early hours of April 8th, stealing approximately 80 million yen worth of high-end bags and jewelry before fleeing the scene. (News On Japan)

A truck driver arrested over a fatal accident on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, on March 20th, which left six people dead including three children, has admitted to looking at her smartphone at the time of the crash. (News On Japan)

A scaffold collapsed during crane dismantling work at a factory in Kawasaki on April 7th, causing five workers to fall, leaving three dead and one missing as authorities continue search efforts. (News On Japan)

A man in his 60s was arrested in the act after allegedly threatening a route bus driver with a knife while the vehicle was in motion in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward on April 7th. (News On Japan)

A bus carrying riot police from Nara overturned on the Joban Expressway around noon on April 5th in Ibaraki Prefecture while en route to Fukushima to provide security for an upcoming visit by the Emperor and Empress, leaving one officer with minor injuries. (News On Japan)

A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of obstruction after allegedly spreading a liquid and setting it on fire at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo on April 3rd. (News On Japan)

A 41-year-old Iranian man who was found collapsed on the grounds of a hospital in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, has been confirmed dead, with police suspecting he was assaulted before his body was abandoned. (News On Japan)

Posts using vegetable and broccoli emojis—commonly seen on social media—are in fact coded messages referring to cannabis, as authorities warn that such disguised posts are contributing to a rapid increase in drug use among young people. (News On Japan)

Three individuals, including the operator of a Tokyo-based outcall sex service, were arrested for allegedly providing locations for prostitution to Vietnamese women believed to have entered Japan on short-term visas, authorities said. (News On Japan)

The number of people apprehended nationwide for cannabis-related offenses, including possession and use, reached a record 6,832 over the past year, with more than 70 percent of those involved aged 20 or younger, highlighting the growing spread of the drug among younger generations, according to data compiled by the National Police Agency. (News On Japan)

Prince Hisahito visited Kyoto over two days from February 26th to 27th, 2026, making a private pilgrimage to sites including the mausoleum of Emperor Meiji following the completion of his coming-of-age ceremony, with previously undisclosed photos later released by the Imperial Household. (News On Japan)

Japan’s divorce system is undergoing a major transformation from April 1st, introducing optional joint custody and a new legal framework that allows child support to be claimed without prior agreement between parents, sparking both support and concern among divorcees and legal professionals as the country adapts to a new era of family law. (News On Japan)

A new type of fraud exploiting multi-function copy machines at convenience stores has been reported across Japan, where victims are deceived into printing fake legal documents and handing over money. (News On Japan)

A new “blue ticket” system for bicycles will be introduced on April 1, targeting riders aged 16 and older with monetary penalties for traffic violations, as authorities move to tighten enforcement amid rising accident numbers. (News On Japan)