The legend of Urashima Taro is said to exist in various parts of Japan, and traces of it have been discovered in Yokohama. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito has sent a congratulatory message to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration ceremony. (News On Japan)

The demand for custom-made suits is growing as professionals increasingly view them as a form of self-investment rather than just “battle gear” for work. (News On Japan)

In the English Premier League, Japan's Mitoma Kaoru has become the league's highest-scoring Japanese soccer player with 15 goals. (NHK)

Young Japanese workers in their 20s and 30s are increasingly resistant to taking on managerial roles. According to a recent survey, Japan ranked lowest among 18 major countries in the percentage of workers aspiring to become managers. (News On Japan)

Yuriko Sakurada, 57, a former deputy speaker of Towada's city council, has become Aomori Prefecture's first female mayor. (News On Japan)

A Japanese high court has ruled that the calculation of earnings a girl with a hearing impairment who died in an accident would have made must be 100 percent based on the average income in Japan. (NHK)

Satoshi Nakagawa, CEO of Tripod Design, has pioneered a groundbreaking technology called "micro energy harvesting," which collects minuscule amounts of electricity from a wide range of everyday materials, including soil, bread, water, and even fruits like tomatoes and apples. (News On Japan)

Fallout continues from a scandal involving a woman and popular TV personality Nakai Masahiro, who is best known as a former member of the disbanded pop idol group, SMAP. (NHK)

At Hojo Beach in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, the annual cold-water swimming tournament took place, drawing enthusiastic participants. (News On Japan)

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on January 17th that the average agreed amount for last year's winter bonuses at major private companies reached 891,460 yen, an increase of 4.93% compared to the previous year. This marks the first record high in five years, surpassing the previous peak set in 2019. (News On Japan)

The Japan Foundation has announced a joint research project with a UK research group to investigate the mysterious oxygen produced in the lightless depths of the ocean, known as 'dark oxygen,' which forms through methods other than photosynthesis. (News On Japan)

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Japan Hidankyo), marking the first time in 50 years that a Japanese entity has received the honor. (News On Japan)

This is a large collaborative video in which we explore the mysterious and fascinating topic of Shinobi (ninja) poetry! (Kings and Generals)

A snowboarder in his 50s was dramatically rescued two hours after colliding with a tree at a Niigata ski resort, with the tense and timely operation captured on camera. (News On Japan)

A Japan Airlines (JAL) international flight faced a major delay after one of its pilots was found to have consumed alcohol exceeding the allowable limits the night before departure. Investigations by FNN have revealed conflicting accounts between JAL and the pilot involved regarding the decision to proceed with the flight. (News On Japan)

At 5:46 a.m. on January 17, 1995, a powerful earthquake struck Kobe, leaving widespread devastation in its wake. Taisuke Matsuzaki, a city official at the time, began documenting the aftermath using an 8mm video camera. (News On Japan)

Sources from the sumo world say Yokozuna, or Grand Champion, Terunofuji is set to retire from competition after deciding he is no longer fit enough to complete a 15-day grand tournament. (NHK)

In response to a surge in home robbery incidents across the Kanto region, Tokyo has announced plans to allocate 4.7 billion yen in its fiscal 2025 budget to support the installation of home security cameras. (News On Japan)

A global language proficiency study ranked Japan 92nd out of 116 countries and regions, raising concerns about whether Japan needs to improve its English communication skills, especially as it continues to draw international attention. (News On Japan)