Food delivery firms feel the squeeze from rising inflation
The food delivery industry is at a crossroads as intensifying competition and rising prices squeeze profits, forcing some operators to withdraw from the market.
It’s natto as bad as it seems
Sticky, translucent strings dangle from Wesley Smith's chopsticks as the American tourist relishes his natto, the loved-and-hated Japanese fermented soybean superfood going global one slimy mouthful at a time.
Bear spray goes off in post office, five hospitalised
Five people needed hospital treatment after a man accidentally set off an anti-bear spray in a city-centre post office, reports and officials said, as the country grapples with a sharp rise in maulings.
Women MPs to get two more toilets, for a total of four cubicles
Parliament will get two more women's toilet cubicles, officials said, after a petition by 58 female MPs called for more facilities to match their improved representation.
Seeking strength in anime worlds
Researchers explore avatars as mental health tools.
Cops probe another suspected bear attack
Police are investigating another suspected fatal bear attack, a local official said, as the number of such deaths remains unusually high.
Virtual AI police chief introduced in Osaka
A virtual AI police chief has been introduced in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, following a rise in imposter scams, with local police hoping that "AIko" will raise public awareness of such fraud, especially among younger generations, Kyodo News reported.
Bracing for double storms
The country grappled with transport disruptions while bracing for more torrential rain and risks from two approaching tropical storms that spurred authorities to issue high-level landslide warnings and order the evacuation of one million people
Schools in Tokyo suburb to get bear sprays
A Tokyo suburb has announced an emergency spending plan to buy 700 anti-bear sprays for schools and community organisations, the local government said, as the animals increasingly encroach into built-up areas around Japan
PM heckled by anti-war protesters at memorial
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was heckled at a World War II memorial event by protesters angry about Tokyo's further shift away from its decades-long pacifist stance, television footage showed.
