Japan

The cherry blossom season officially began in Japan with the traditional opening of the Imperial Palace street to the public; an online survey estimates average budget for cherry blossom viewing at -13,8% this year amid consumer concern over inflation

Fifteen years after earthquake and Fukushima disaster, Japan presents plans to reshape the area with F-REI, a hub to study environmental recovery and radiation science and reminds of the importance of memorizing the toll-free disaster phone number

A reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant was shut down as an alarm was triggered during control rod withdrawal operations five hours and 25 minutes after it was restarted - first one to resume operation since the 2011 Fukushima disaster

Portable power banks catching fire in Japan have more than doubled between 2020 and 2024; public and private sectors have begun strengthening safety measures and efforts to raise public awareness amid a series of incidents in public spaces this year

To help trap bears, troops have been deployed in the north after local authorities said besieged communities are coping with an unprecedented wave of attacks, over 100 nationwide this year; the operation began in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture

Lawmakers in Japan elected hard-line conservative Sanae Takaichi as prime minister, making her the first woman in modern times to lead the country; she said she formed her cabinet on equal opportunity, equal chances, participation from all walks of life

The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's biggest gaming events, opened with 1.136 exhibitors and expects 250.000 visitors; evident trends are independent developers that create small-budget innovative titles and the increasing application of AI