Japan

Rruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed reducing the consumption tax rate on food and beverages from the current 8% to 1% for two years starting April 2027; in the last general election campaign it pledged cutting it to zero

The company making "Monster Wolf" - an animatronic scarecrow with flashing eyes that howls and growls to scare away wild animals - is submersed by orders of the ferocious-looking robot after record numbers of fatal bear attacks on humans last summer

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

Conservative governing coalition has won a landslide victory in Sunday’s elections; PM Takaichi's party LDP won at least 316 seats, surpassing the 261 needed for an absolute majority in the lower house, highest number since the party was founded in 1955

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