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July 12, 2026
 

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OSAKA

The Osaka High Court
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2026
Court rules KyoAni killer’s withdrawal of death sentence appeal was valid
After the defendant retracted his appeal in January, his lawyers filed with the high court to contest the validity of his decision.
A buried pipe protrudes 13 meters above ground on Wednesday in the city of Osaka.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2026
Construction pipe suddenly rises 13 meters above ground in Osaka
The head of the city’s sewer department apologized for disruptions the pipe’s inexplicable action caused, saying road closures had caused major traffic congestion.
A prosecutor holds a news conference in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Monday after submitting a written request to establish a third-party committee to investigate possible harassment among prosecutors nationwide.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 3, 2026
Prosecutor in Japan calls for third-party harassment probes nationwide
The written request from the prosecutor called for a third-party committee to conduct a fact-finding survey on harassment among prosecution staff nationwide.
The Osaka Prefectural Police's headquarters in the city of Osaka
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 1, 2026
Man arrested over deaths of an elderly couple in Osaka
Police received an emergency call at around 5:10 p.m. on Friday — the caller said “I killed my parents.”
A defaced sign near the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office on Thursday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2026
Osaka police arrest man in his 90s for alleged graffiti
The man later admitted to investigators that he had “dirtied” a sign at a prosecutor’s office in the city of Osaka.
An anonymous donor has gifted Osaka with gold bars worth ¥566 million ($3.6 million) to help repair the city’s aging water pipes.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2026
A Japanese city received 21 gold bars with instructions: Fix your water pipes
Osaka says it will honor the anonymous donor’s wishes by using the money from the gold bars — worth ¥566 million — on the city’s pipes, which are some of the oldest in Japan.
A Myaku-Myaku statue relocated near the Tower of the Sun monument in the 1970 Expo commemorative park, on Saturday in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2026
Myaku-Myaku statues relocated near 1970 expo’s Tower of Sun
The Myaku-Myaku statues welcomed visitors near the Osaka Expo venue’s gates on the artificial island of Yumeshima.
A prosecutor speaks during a news conference in the city of Osaka on Tuesday after suing the state for damages related to a sexual assault case involving a former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2026
Japan prosecutor sues state over sexual assault by boss
The prosecutor said her life “has been chipped away by the prosecution organization’s terrible response over the past two years since reporting the assault.”
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks to reporters as he leaves the Osaka Prefectural Government office Monday evening.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
JIP head Hirofumi Yoshimura hints at possible return to national politics
Osaka’s governor told JIP executives that he might eye national politics if an Osaka metropolis plan for regional administrative reorganization is approved.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks at an executive meeting of the Japan Innovation Party in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
Osaka Gov. Yoshimura to remain JIP leader
In a poll, 619 JIP lawmakers and local assembly members voted against holding an election, compared with 102 who voted in favor.
Osaka’s Dotonbori district in March 2020, commonly referred to as Gurishita, located near the famous Glico sign
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 16, 2026
Harassment dispute allegedly sparked fatal Osaka teen stabbing
The suspect, Ryoga Iwasaki, allegedly harassed a woman shortly before the attack.
Police inspect the scene where three 17-year-old boys were stabbed on Saturday night.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 15, 2026
Stabbing in Osaka leaves 17 year-old dead and two others seriously injured
About 10 hours after a suspect fled the scene, police arrested 21-year-old Ryoga Iwasaki over the incident.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura (left) meet in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
Yoshimura agrees to JIP presence in Takaichi Cabinet
It is not clear what position might be offered to the junior partner of the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition.
Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks to reporters in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 9, 2026
Uncertainty clouds JIP’s role in ruling coalition following LDP’s election win
With the Liberal Democratic Party winning so many seats, the prime minister may begin to disregard its junior coalition partner’s views, one political scientist says.
The Kongo family’s residence and workshop in the Taisho Era, photographed about a century ago.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Feb 9, 2026
What keeps Japan’s 1,000-year-old companies alive?
Across religion, hospitality and the arts, the country’s oldest institutions show how craft and continuity can endure.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Japan Innovation Party, speaks at a news conference with Osaka city Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama after initial results showed the two were set to be reelected to their positions in snap local elections Sunday.
JAPAN / Media
Feb 8, 2026
Reelected governor, Osaka’s Yoshimura eyes referendum on merging city’s wards
Most members of the Osaka City Council are against holding another referendum after voters twice rejected the plan previously.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a speech in the city of Osaka on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
LDP election cooperation with Komeito during 26-year tie-up ‘nonsense,’ says Aso
While the parties were in an alliance, the LDP had asked supporters to cast proportional representation votes for Komeito in exchange for Komeito supporters backing LDP candidates.
A poster board in the Osaka No. 5 district in the city of Osaka. Candidates from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are competing against each other in all single-seat constituencies in Osaka Prefecture in Sunday's Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
In Osaka, LDP faces off against JIP despite being allies
Roughly 66,000 people who voted for Komeito in the last Lower House election are seen as kingmakers in the Osaka No. 5 district.
American rockers The Strokes will perform at the 25th edition of Summer Sonic, one of Japan’s biggest summer music festivals.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 2, 2026
Summer Sonic marks 25 years with expanded 2026 festival
To mark its quarter-century milestone, the music festival is stretching to three days and featuring major acts such as The Strokes, Jennie, Jamiroquai and L’Arc-en-Ciel.
Tokyo police have arrested a 61-year-old part-time worker from Kawachinagano, Osaka Prefecture, on suspicion of registering a fake address to rent an internet server. Investigators have also linked him to a blog that alludes to child prostitution in Laos.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 30, 2026
Police arrest man over suspected involvement in Laos child prostitution blog
According to Tokyo police, the blog in question contained text and photos suggestive of child prostitution in the Southeast Asian country.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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