News archive
Past daily articles for learners.
- government
One app instead of two: Japan's new "Myna App" merges ID checks and government paperwork
On August 25, 2026 Japan's Digital Agency launched the "Myna App" (マイナアプリ), a renamed and upgraded version of the Myna Portal app that now absorbs the separate Digital Authentication app. One app handles My Number Card identity verification for both government and private services - banks, telecom carriers and the like - alongside administrative tasks such as filing an address change after a move, applying for a passport, and attaching an electronic signature. On iPhone, once you register your card to the device you can verify with face authentication alone, without taking the physical card out. On Android you still tap the card and enter your PIN for now, with biometric-only verification expected in an autumn update. Using the app requires a screen lock (PIN, face or fingerprint) on your phone. If you already had the Myna Portal app, there is nothing new to download - just update it. The Digital Agency says the former portal had roughly 85 million users and covers more than 300 government services.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan issues its first bear-spray performance guidelines, and warns about counterfeits
Japan has never had an official standard for bear repellent spray. On August 25, 2026 the Ministry of the Environment published its first recommended performance requirements: a capsaicin-type concentration of roughly 1.0-2.0%, a spray reach of at least 7.5 metres and a spray time of at least 6 seconds at normal temperature with no wind, delivered as a spreading mist rather than a straight liquid jet. The same day the Consumer Affairs Agency, the Ministry and the National Consumer Affairs Center issued a joint alert, warning that products of very different quality are on sale, including anti-personnel tear gas sprays marketed for bears and counterfeits copying the labels of registered overseas products. If you hike or live near bear country: buy a spray made for bears, check the expiry date, practise with a training canister, carry it in a holster on your waist or chest rather than inside your rucksack, spray toward the bear's face from about 5-10 metres while standing upwind, and remember it cannot be taken on a plane. Above all, the alert stresses avoiding an encounter in the first place: check local sighting reports and avoid moving around at dawn and dusk.
N5N4N3N2N1 - society
Record rain in Ishikawa and Toyama: a Level 5 emergency warning, and why the danger lasts after the rain stops
Early on August 27 the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 heavy rain emergency warning (大雨特別警報) for Hakui City, Shika, Hodatsushimizu and Nakanoto in Ishikawa Prefecture, and for Himi City in Toyama Prefecture. Hakui recorded 237.5 mm of rain in six hours and Himi about 180 mm, all-time records for both. A linear rain band stalled over the Kaga area, landslides cut roads, and part of the JR Nanao Line was flooded. The emergency warning was later lifted, but heavy rain warnings stayed in place and up to about 200 mm more rain was forecast for the Hokuriku region through August 28. The practical point for anyone living in Japan: once the ground is saturated, even light rain can set off a landslide or flood a river, so keep checking your city or town's evacuation information and the JMA's Kikikuru risk maps, and plan to be somewhere safe by alert Level 4.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Flu in midsummer: Kanagawa and Yokohama enter the epidemic period 1.5 months early
Influenza has arrived in Japan while it is still hot. Yokohama announced on August 19, 2026 that the city had entered the influenza epidemic period: reports from designated sentinel clinics reached 1.22 patients per clinic per week, above the 1.00 threshold that marks the start of an epidemic, with 11 of the city's 18 wards over the line. Kanagawa Prefecture followed on August 20 at 1.37 per clinic, about a month and a half earlier than last season, which crossed the line in late September. Numbers are highest in the west of the prefecture (Ashigarakami 2.5, Atsugi 2.0), and cases are being reported not only in children but across a wide range of ages. With the second school term about to start, the city asks residents to wash hands with soap, use cough etiquette such as masks or tissues, ventilate rooms regularly, keep indoor humidity around 50-60%, and get enough rest and balanced meals. If you are thinking about a flu shot, note that protection takes time to develop, so it is better to be vaccinated before the peak rather than during it.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan's autumn outlook: heat lingers into October, autumn leaves run late
The Japan Meteorological Agency released its September-November outlook on August 25, and it points to a long, late summer. Average temperatures from western Japan through northern Japan are expected to run above normal for all three months. September is likely to keep producing days of 35C or more, October may still see days above 30C, and November should stay warmer than average too; Okinawa and Amami are put at near normal or above. Rainfall is forecast to be roughly normal nationwide, although the Pacific side of eastern and western Japan may get normal-to-above amounts in November as autumn rain fronts pass. Forecasters attribute the warmth to westerly winds running further south than usual and to the broader warming trend. Practically, that means autumn arrives late: keep taking heatstroke precautions through September and into October, drink water even on days that feel mild, and expect the best autumn leaf colours later than usual, so check local timing before booking a leaf-viewing trip.
N5N4N3N2N1 - economy
Japan's new rice is getting cheaper — advance payments to farmers fall 20–40%
Japan's 2026-crop rice looks set to be markedly cheaper than last year's. Kyodo News reported on August 20 that the "gaisankin" — the advance payment JA co-operatives make to rice farmers when they collect the crop — is being set 20 to 40 percent below last year in Hokkaido and three Hokushin'etsu prefectures; JA Zen-Noh Niigata fixed ordinary Koshihikari at 18,500 yen per 60 kg of brown rice, 38 percent under the 2025 crop. Supply is the reason: the 2025 harvest came in at 7.47 million tonnes against 6.79 million a year earlier, government stockpile releases added more, and private inventories at the end of June stood at 2.43 million tonnes versus 1.55 million a year before. Shops are already reflecting it — the national supermarket average for August 3-9 was 3,220 yen per 5 kg, 13.8 percent below the same week last year — and prices may ease further once new-crop rice reaches shelves in quantity from September. If you buy rice in Japan, it is worth comparing prices again in September rather than stocking up now. The flip side is that a sharp fall leaves some farmers unable to cover production costs, which raises questions about how much rice gets planted next year.
N5N4N3N2N1 - government
Japan's residence application fees jump on October 1 — permanent residence goes from 10,000 to 200,000 yen
Japan is preparing a large increase in the fees charged for residence procedures. Under a draft cabinet order published by the Immigration Services Agency and put out for public comment from July 3 to August 2, 2026, the flat 6,000 yen fee for extending a period of stay or changing a residence status would be replaced by a tiered fee of 10,000 to 75,000 yen, depending on how long a period of stay is granted, and the permanent residence fee would rise from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen. The planned start date is October 1, 2026, and the fee is set by when the application is received, not when it is approved — so applications accepted by September 30 are expected to keep the current amounts. Some categories are set cheaper for online applications than at the counter, and a reduced fee is planned for applicants in serious financial hardship. A renewal can be filed from three months before your period of stay expires, so if your card expires this autumn, applying in September is worth considering. Check the Immigration Services Agency website for the final confirmed amounts.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Typhoon No. 18 May Hit Okinawa on Aug 25–26 — Right in the Middle of the Islands' Old Bon
Typhoon No. 18, called Soudel (ソウデル) in Japan, was near the Mariana Islands on August 22 and is moving north-northwest at about 20 km/h. The Japan Meteorological Agency expects it to intensify to a "very strong" typhoon around August 24, with central pressure near 925 hPa. Current forecasts take it past the Daito Islands on the 25th and bring it very close to — possibly directly over — the main Okinawa island on the 26th, with Miyako and Yaeyama at risk on the 27th. For the afternoon of the 26th the forecast is central pressure of 960 hPa, sustained winds of 40 m/s and gusts to 55 m/s, so violent wind, high waves and heavy rain are all possible at once. The Okinawa Meteorological Office expects to issue a storm warning for the Daito Islands around the 25th, and possibly for the main island the same day if the track shifts south. Okinawa's Old Bon (kyu-bon, the lunar-calendar Bon) falls on August 25–27 this year, so grave visits, family gatherings and heavily booked flights and ferries all overlap with the storm. Check the latest forecast, change or cancel travel early while fees are still avoidable, clear your balcony, and keep drinking water, food and a charged power bank ready in case of outages or water cuts. The track can still change.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
August is the summer's biggest electricity and gas discount — and nobody has to apply
Japan's government is discounting household electricity and city gas for July through September 2026 usage, and August is the most generous month of the three: 4.5 yen off per kWh of low-voltage electricity and 18 yen off per cubic metre of city gas, compared with 3.5 yen and 14 yen in July and September. No application is required — your electricity and gas companies apply the discount automatically, so August usage shows up as a reduction on the bill or meter-reading slip that arrives in September. Only city gas is covered; households on propane (LP gas) are not. A typical household is expected to save roughly 5,000 yen across the three months, and the support is currently set to end with September usage, so it is worth budgeting for higher utility bills from October.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Water shortage in western Japan: Shikoku's Sameura Dam enters a third-stage intake cut, Kagawa's supply halved
Very little rain has fallen across western Japan since early July, and the drought is now biting. Sameura Dam in Kochi Prefecture — the reservoir that supplies much of Shikoku — moved to a third-stage intake restriction at 9 a.m. on August 19, the first time in about four years. The water sent to Kagawa Prefecture is cut by 50 percent and the water sent to Tokushima by roughly 18 percent; the cuts were tightened in stages from 20 percent on August 3 and 35 percent on August 10. The dam's storage rate was in the 37 percent range on August 17, far below the seasonal norm of around 80 percent, and Kagawa has started drawing emergency water from Lake Hozan in Mitoyo City. Rainfall from early July to mid-August was only around 10 percent of normal at places such as Tokushima and Miyazaki, and the storage rate at Sugesawa Dam in Tottori fell below 15 percent. The land ministry set up a drought information desk on August 6 and is urging people to save water. No wide-area shutoff is planned for now, but water pressure may drop and tap water may briefly run cloudy. If you live in the affected areas, check your local water bureau's notices and cut back where you easily can: shorter showers, reusing leftover bath water for laundry, and filling the sink instead of running the tap.
N5N4N3N2N1 - travel
A record July: about 3.44 million overseas visitors came to Japan
The Japan National Tourism Organization said on August 19 that an estimated 3,442,100 people visited Japan in July 2026 — almost flat against the same month last year, but the highest figure ever recorded for a July. South Korea sent the most travellers, about 894,700, while Taiwan set an all-time monthly record of about 763,800, passing 700,000 in a single month for the first time. Sixteen of the 23 markets JNTO tracks set July records, though some markets fell sharply. JNTO points to strong summer-holiday demand from East Asia, Western countries, Australia and the Middle East. For anyone living in or travelling around Japan, the practical takeaway is simple: airports, popular sightseeing areas and hotels are likely to stay busy, so book transport and accommodation early.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan's Disaster Prevention Week is Aug 30–Sep 5: stock a week of water, check your hazard map
September 1 is Japan's Disaster Prevention Day, and the Cabinet Office has set this year's Disaster Prevention Week for August 30 to September 5, when drills and awareness events are held nationwide. Households are asked to do three things: stockpile drinking water, food and toilet supplies for at least three days, and a week if possible; use the local hazard map to check the risks around home and workplace and the route to the nearest evacuation site; and agree in advance on how family members will confirm each other's safety if they are apart. The government also warns against the "I'll be fine" mindset, which delays evacuation. August 26 is Volcano Disaster Prevention Day, and municipalities are asked to practise delivering information in multiple languages and formats so that foreign residents and visitors, and people with visual or hearing disabilities, are not left out. Foreign residents and travellers can get multilingual alerts free through the Japan Tourism Agency's Safety tips app.
N5N4N3N2N1