News archive
Past daily articles for learners.
- daily life
Japan's autumn saury forecast is the lowest on record — fewer fish, smaller fish
Sanma (Pacific saury) is Japan's signature autumn fish, but this year's season looks difficult. In late July the Fisheries Agency and the Fisheries Research and Education Agency published their long-term forecast for the August-to-December season: about 430,000 tons of saury are expected to come near Japan, roughly 40% of last year's figure and the lowest since this survey began in 2003. The fish are also expected to be smaller, around 100 grams each, because the share of one-year-old fish that the fleet normally targets has dropped sharply. The schools are travelling through waters far from Japan, so boats must go further to find them. Stick-held dip net fishing opened in Hokkaido on August 10, and the first saury landed at Nemuro were noticeably small. Changes in the ocean environment are seen as the background. For shoppers, that means grilled saury may again be expensive and thin this autumn — frozen or imported saury, or other autumn fish such as mackerel and salmon, are cheaper alternatives, and prices usually settle a little once the larger boats are fishing at full strength.
N5N4N3N2N1 - society
Chiba's record rain: over half the flood damage was outside the hazard map
Record rain hit Chiba Prefecture from the night of August 13 into the early hours of August 14. Chiba City measured 348 mm in 12 hours — its heaviest on record, and roughly three times the normal rainfall for the whole month of August — while about 110 mm fell in a single hour near Kashiwa. Weather company Weathernews then analysed around 20,000 reports sent in by users and found that more than half of the flood damage occurred outside the flood zones coloured on official hazard maps. Urban drainage is generally designed for about 50 mm of rain per hour, so when far more than that falls in a short time the water has nowhere to go and pools on roads, in underpasses and in basements even when no river overflows — what Japan calls naisui hanran, inland or urban flooding. The practical takeaway for anyone living in Japan: do check your local hazard map (city offices publish them online and on paper), but treat an uncoloured area as unmapped, not as safe. If you are in a low-lying spot, near an underpass or below ground level, move to an upper floor early and follow your municipality's evacuation information instead of waiting to see how bad it gets.
N5N4N3N2N1 - society
Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi: five mountain fires close Obon tonight at 8 p.m.
Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi, the fires that send ancestral spirits back after Obon, takes place on the night of August 16. The first fire, Daimonji on Mount Nyoigatake in the eastern hills, is lit at 8:00 p.m., followed at five-minute intervals by Myoho (8:05), Funagata (8:10), Hidari Daimonji (8:15) and Toriigata (8:20). Each fire burns for about 30 minutes. The event is a registered intangible folk cultural property of Kyoto City and is kept alive by local preservation groups. Watching is free and the fires can be seen from open spots and riversides around the city, but ignition times can shift with the weather, and roads and trains near the viewing areas get very crowded from early evening — public transport and setting out early are recommended.
N5N4N3N2N1 - society
81 years since the war ended: the noon silence and Japan's national memorial ceremony
August 15 is the day Japan marks the end of World War II — 81 years in 2026. The government's annual Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead was held at the Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, attended by the Emperor and Empress and by families of the war dead, remembering roughly 3.1 million people who died in the war. The ceremony opens at 11:51 a.m. and everyone observes one minute of silence at noon; it is broadcast live, and many people around the country pause at the same moment. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 3,270 bereaved family members were due to attend this year, of whom 1,840 were born after the war — more than half for the second year running, and the highest number on record. Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae delivered the address for the first time since taking office. Practical note for residents: August 15 is not a public holiday, so banks, city halls and offices follow their normal Saturday schedule, but it falls inside the Obon travel period, when many people are visiting family graves. If you are out at noon, you may notice television and radio go quiet for a minute.
N5N4N3N2N1 - economy
Pork and chicken hit record prices in Japan as a weak yen lifts feed costs
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries released its monthly food price survey on August 12, and meat prices set new records. Pork loin averaged 290 yen per 100 grams, up 3 yen from the previous month and a record for the second month in a row, while chicken thigh reached 156 yen per 100 grams, the highest since the survey began in 2003. The figures come from 470 stores nationwide surveyed between August 3 and 5. A weak yen has pushed up the cost of imported animal feed, and fuel and labour costs have added to production expenses. Beef eased slightly, with imported loin at 442 yen and domestic loin at 836 yen per 100 grams, but both remain above their five-year averages. If you shop in Japan, comparing the price per 100 grams, watching for supermarket sale days, and switching to cheaper cuts or to eggs and tofu are practical ways to soften the impact.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Obon starts today: welcoming fires and grave visits, but banks stay open
August 13 is the first day of Obon in most of Japan. During Obon (August 13-16) families welcome the spirits of their ancestors home: many people return to their hometowns, visit the family grave in the morning, and light a small welcoming fire called mukaebi in front of the house around dusk. A send-off fire, okuribi, follows on the 16th, most famously Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi. One point that surprises many residents from abroad: Obon is not a national holiday. Banks, post offices and city halls run their normal weekday schedule on the 13th and 14th, while many private companies take summer leave and small shops and clinics may close for several days. If you need an office, a clinic or a favourite restaurant this week, check its opening days first, and reserve seats early because trains and expressways are at their busiest.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks: New Moon Makes the Night of August 12 the Best Chance
The Perseids, one of Japan's three big annual meteor showers, reach their peak at about 11 a.m. on August 13 — daytime in Japan, so the peak moment itself cannot be seen. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan says the best viewing is the night of August 12 into the pre-dawn hours of August 13, with a second good night on August 13–14. Around 3 a.m. in Tokyo, a dark site away from city lights could show roughly 35 meteors an hour, and about 30 an hour at dawn on the 14th. This year the peak falls on a new moon, so there is no moonlight to wash out the sky — unusually good conditions. No equipment is needed: spend at least 15 minutes letting your eyes adapt to the dark, and scan a wide area of sky rather than staring at the radiant. Clouds tied to the typhoon may cover some regions, so check the latest forecast before heading out.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
August 11 is Mountain Day — and Japan's mountain accidents hit a record 3,623 people
August 11 is Mountain Day (Yama no Hi), a Japanese national holiday created by a 2014 change to the holiday law and first observed in 2016; its stated purpose is to give people a chance to get close to mountains and to appreciate what mountains give us. In 2026 it falls on a Tuesday, right before the Obon travel period, so more people head for the hills. Safety is the other side of the story. The National Police Agency's figures for 2025 show 3,122 mountain accidents involving a record 3,623 people, with 332 dead or missing and 1,480 injured. Getting lost caused about 31% of cases, followed by slipping down slopes and falling over; 75.6% of those involved were 40 or older, Nagano recorded the most cases at 358, and accidents involving visitors from abroad reached 174 cases and 246 people, the highest since counting began in 2018. If you plan to climb, file a tozan-todoke (climbing plan) — some local governments require it by ordinance and many now accept it online — check the forecast, carry rain gear and something warm, leave margin in your schedule, and plan to be back down while it is still light.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Typhoon No. 15 May Land in Southern Tohoku or Kanto on August 11 — Peak Obon Travel Day
Typhoon No. 15, named Chanhom, is moving north-northwest over the sea east of Japan and may approach or make landfall in southern Tohoku or the Kanto region on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 11. Its central pressure is about 990 hPa with maximum sustained winds near 20 m/s and gusts to 30 m/s, and it is expected to strengthen slightly as it nears land. Unusually, it is travelling from the east toward the west rather than curving up from the south, and the forecast cone is wide, so the landfall point and timing may still shift. Heavy rain, strong winds and high waves are likely on the Pacific side. August 11 is Mountain Day, a national holiday, and falls in the middle of the Obon travel peak, so trains, flights and expressways may be disrupted. Check the latest forecast and transport updates before setting out, allow extra time, and stay away from the coast.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Consumer trouble in Japan? The tourist hotline hit a record 698 calls
Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center reported on August 5 that its Consumer Hotline for Tourists handled 698 consultations in fiscal 2025 — the most since the line opened in December 2018, and a third straight annual rise after 305 in FY2023 and 513 in FY2024. Typical cases are faulty goods bought in Japan, unreasonably high restaurant bills, hotel rooms that differ from the booking, and inflated rental-car repair charges. The line, 03-5449-0906, answers in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, French and Japanese on weekdays from 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00; the caller pays the call charge, and advisers help you negotiate with the business yourself — they have no power to punish it. If you live in Japan rather than visiting, dial the consumer hotline 188 instead and you will be connected to the consumer affairs center nearest you.
N5N4N3N2N1 - economy
Japan decides to cut the food consumption tax to 1% for two years from April 2027
On August 5, 2026, the Japanese cabinet approved a basic policy to cut the consumption tax on food and drink from the current reduced rate of 8% to 1% for two years, from April 2027 through March 2029. It would be the first time the consumption tax rate has come down since the tax was introduced. What counts: groceries you buy at a supermarket or convenience store, and takeout meals. What does not: eating in at a restaurant and alcoholic drinks, which stay at 10%. The rate was set at 1% rather than 0% because zero would need about a year of point-of-sale system rework, while 1% can be done in roughly half a year. Alongside the cut, the policy includes about 600 billion yen a year in cash payments to lower- and middle-income households, which the government says brings the effective burden close to zero. Nothing changes at the register yet: the related bills still have to pass the extraordinary Diet session this autumn, so shop prices stay as they are until then.
N5N4N3N2N1 - government
One card instead of two: Japan's combined residence + My Number card is now live
Japan's Immigration Services Agency has started issuing the "special resident card" (tokutei zairyu card), which merges a residence card and a My Number Card into a single card. The system went live on June 14, 2026, and regional immigration bureaus began accepting applications the next working day, June 15. It is open to mid- to long-term residents and special permanent residents who are on the resident registry, and taking it is entirely optional — you may keep carrying two separate cards. Applications are counter-only: at an immigration bureau when you file a residence-status application or a residence card notification, or at your city or ward office when you report your address. The online residence application system cannot be used for it for the time being. The payoff is fewer trips — when immigration issues the card, the My Number side is updated at the same time, so no separate visit to city hall is needed. The trade-off is time: issuance takes longer than for an ordinary residence card and there is no same-day service, so apply with room to spare before your period of stay runs out. Check the Immigration Services Agency site for current conditions and any fees.
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