National civil servants will be able to have up to 10 days of paid leave per year to receive fertility treatment from next January, in a bid to support population growth against a declining birth rate

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