Urakawa, a Hokkaido town of about 10,000 people known as one of Japan's leading thoroughbred breeding centers, is seeing a rapid increase in Indian residents as local farms turn to experienced overseas workers to offset a shrinking pool of Japanese horse trainers. (News On Japan)

The Bank of Japan's decision on June 16 to raise its policy interest rate to 1%, the highest level in roughly 30 years, is expected to increase annual net burdens by more than 20,000 yen for households in their 30s with two or more members once higher interest income on deposits and increased mortgage repayment costs are both taken into account, according to estimates by an economist. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, on a state visit to the Netherlands, reunited with Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Dutch princess who was photographed holding hands with Princess Aiko 20 years ago, in a visit that highlighted the long friendship between the Japanese imperial family and the Dutch royal house. (News On Japan)

A damaged and badly decomposed body of an adult man was found inside a large freezer near the entrance of a locked apartment in Kobe on June 20, prompting police to investigate the case as a possible crime. (News On Japan)

Shizuoka Prefecture has launched a working group to consider enforceable restrictions on off-season climbing of Mount Fuji, after a series of reckless ascents during the mountain’s closure period led local leaders to demand tighter entry controls and a system requiring climbers to pay rescue costs. (News On Japan)

A major pet-related product fair opened in Osaka on June 20, bringing together more than 400 companies and showcasing new technologies and products ranging from a bone-conduction hearing device for dogs to furniture designed for cats and their owners to relax together. (News On Japan)

The KAGRA gravitational-wave research facility in Kamioka, Hida, Gifu Prefecture, was opened to the public on June 20 for the first special viewing in nine years, giving 200 visitors a rare chance to tour the underground observatory with Nobel laureate Takaaki Kajita. (News On Japan)

Mosquitoes are appearing earlier than usual this year, raising fears of a major summer outbreak as experts warn that warm May weather and repeated light rain have created ideal breeding conditions across residential areas. (News On Japan)

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for an infected liver cyst and is expected to return to work on June 23 while continuing outpatient care for about two weeks. (News On Japan)

Centrist Reform Alliance leader Ogawa has secured agreement from the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito to establish a consultative body to discuss a possible merger of the three parties. (News On Japan)

A bill to revise the national referendum law, which sets procedures for constitutional amendments, was approved by the House of Representatives plenary session and is expected to enter deliberation at the House of Councillors Commission on the Constitution on June 24. (News On Japan)

Japan will face Tunisia in its second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 21 in Monterrey, a northern Mexican city known for its mountains, modern skyline and unexpectedly strong connections with Japan. (News On Japan)

A cargo ship carrying vehicles from Osaka to Tokyo ran aground off Toshima in the Izu Islands before dawn on June 19, creating an unusual scene in which a large freighter appeared to have docked at a part of the island with no port. (News On Japan)

Eleven pupils and teachers were injured after a fire broke out at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo's Kita Ward at around 11 a.m. on June 19, forcing more than 300 children to evacuate and briefly trapping several pupils on a narrow ledge outside a fourth-floor classroom. (News On Japan)

Japan's nationwide consumer price index rose 1.4% in May from a year earlier, staying below 2% for the fourth straight month as lower rice, gasoline, utility and school tuition costs helped curb the overall increase. (News On Japan)

Heavy rain is expected across a wide area of Japan this weekend, with western Japan facing cloudy and rainy conditions on June 19 and Kyushu likely to see torrential rain and thunderstorms before rain clouds move eastward toward eastern Japan and Tohoku through June 21. (News On Japan)

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Monterrey, Mexico, after holding a mostly closed training session near Nashville, Tennessee, on June 18 as it prepares for a key Group F match against Tunisia on June 20 local time, or June 21 in Japan, at Monterrey Stadium. (News On Japan)

New cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in Fukuoka Prefecture remained at alert level for the third consecutive week, prompting the prefectural government to urge residents to take preventive measures against the infection, which spreads through droplets and physical contact. (News On Japan)

The eruption alert level for Mount Tokachidake in Hokkaido was raised to Level 2 on June 18 for the first time in 12 years, prompting authorities to restrict entry within 1.5 kilometers of the crater and close parts of hiking trails just days before the mountain’s official opening for the summer climbing season. (News On Japan)

Nara Prefectural Police have arrested the mother of a man accused of leading a group that allegedly confined the 19-year-old son of a company executive, expanding an investigation that has already led to the arrests of the victim's father and six others. (News On Japan)