Part of the exterior wall of a commercial building collapsed in Osaka on May 10th, causing a nearby highway signpost to topple onto a taxi in what authorities suspect may have been linked to the building’s aging condition. (News On Japan)

A shortage of designated garbage bags began emerging in Hokkaido's Hokuto City in late April, with residents reporting that the bags had disappeared from store shelves and become difficult to purchase. (News On Japan)

Police searched the offices of a bus company on May 8th following a crash on the Banetsu Expressway in Fukushima Prefecture on May 6th that left one high school student dead and 20 others injured, with the driver of the microbus claiming he was not asleep at the wheel. (News On Japan)

A man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder after a woman was killed at a hotel in Osaka’s Minami district. (News On Japan)

As bears increasingly appear in residential areas across Japan, emergency gun hunts to eliminate the animals have also been carried out repeatedly in Aomori Prefecture, where a local hunter has spoken publicly about the difficulties involved in firing a weapon in populated areas. (News On Japan)

Security camera footage obtained by reporters captured a person placing a suitcase beside a fence in a quiet Tokyo residential neighborhood before walking away and never returning, highlighting a growing problem of abandoned luggage around Ikebukuro. (News On Japan)

A father arrested over the killing of his elementary school-aged son in Kyoto Prefecture has told investigators that he acted alone throughout the crime, including the murder and disposal of the body, police sources said. (News On Japan)