Osaka prosecutors have decided not to indict a 21-year-old man from Shizuoka Prefecture in a case where the body of a Russian woman was discovered in a multi-unit residence in Osaka City in July, concluding on October 18th that the evidence did not warrant pursuing charges. (News On Japan)

Childcare workers in Saitama, a prefecture popular among families for its convenient access to central Tokyo, are increasingly leaving for jobs in the capital due to a growing wage gap, creating deep concern in communities that border Tokyo. (News On Japan)

Osaka City’s proposal to halt new applications for so-called special-zone minpaku at the end of May next year has been approved by the government as noise, waste management issues, and other disturbances continue to draw complaints from local communities. (News On Japan)

Workers began cutting bamboo along the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto on November 19th as the city moved to halt a surge in graffiti damage that has spread across the popular tourist path, where at least 350 stalks have already been defaced. (News On Japan)

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced that the country’s main crop rice harvest for the 2025 season is expected to reach 7.468 million tons, marking an increase of 676,000 tons from the previous year and representing growth of roughly 10 percent. (News On Japan)

The Real Estate Companies Association of Japan has drafted a policy that would prohibit the resale of condominium units before they are handed over to buyers, an effort aimed at curbing speculative short-term flipping that has been cited as one factor behind the sharp rise in condominium prices. (News On Japan)

Core machinery orders — a leading indicator of private-sector capital investment — rose in September, with the Cabinet Office reporting that orders excluding ships and electric utilities climbed 4.2 percent from the previous month to roughly 920 billion yen. It marked the first increase in three months. (News On Japan)

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to introduce routine vaccination for pregnant women as early as April 2026 to protect newborns from the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which can lead to severe symptoms in infants. (News On Japan)

A light aircraft carrying three people that departed from Saga Airport on the morning of November 19th was found crashed in the mountains of Hoshino Village in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, where emergency crews recovered three bodies whose identities and genders have yet to be confirmed. (News On Japan)

Okinawa Hotel in Naha received a commemorative bronze plaque from the Agency for Cultural Affairs after being designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property by the national government. (News On Japan)

Toyota’s experimental urban prototype Woven City, built in Shizuoka Prefecture as a large-scale test site, has entered its second month since opening in September, with the city’s early operations beginning to take visible shape as on-site demonstrations expand and new technologies are trialed across the community. (News On Japan)

Hokkaido hosted a company briefing session in Sapporo aimed at students and career changers on November 19th as part of an effort to energize the region’s space-related industries. (News On Japan)

Nagoya’s November session of the city assembly opened with members receiving a new ordinance proposal that would prohibit the unauthorized removal of aluminum cans and other recyclable materials placed out for collection, a move prompted by a sharp rise in scavenging as soaring material prices increase the value of recovered aluminum. (News On Japan)

A craze for puffy, glossy Bonbon Drop Stickers is spreading rapidly among elementary and junior high school students, turning these colorful seals into one of the most sought-after items of the season while also emerging as an unexpected communication tool for families. (News On Japan)

Tensions between Japan and China showed no sign of easing on November 18th after bureau-level talks in Beijing, where the Chinese side again demanded that Prime Minister Takaichi retract a parliamentary remark regarding a Taiwan contingency, prompting a firm rebuttal from the Japanese delegation. (News On Japan)

Princess Aiko, who is in Laos on her first official overseas duty, attended a state banquet on Tuesday night and delivered a greeting that included some Lao phrases. (News On Japan)

Aomori Prefecture was hit by intensifying snowfall on November 18th as the country’s first heavy snow warning of the season was issued, with the hot spring district of Sukayu reporting more than one meter of snow amid rapidly worsening conditions. (News On Japan)

Takaichi’s administration is moving closer to finalizing its economic package aimed at easing the strain of rising prices, with the government preparing a set of measures that include a gasoline tax cut, fresh investments across 17 priority fields and expanded subsidies for electricity and gas bills. (News On Japan)

Foreign luxury hotels are increasingly incorporating kumiko, a traditional Japanese woodworking technique, into their interiors, with the Four Seasons Hotel Osaka drawing particular attention from overseas visitors for its striking geometric patterns crafted without the use of nails. (News On Japan)

Ever wonder how buildings in Japan stay safe from strong winds, heavy rain, and earthquakes? (News On Japan)