Over 11.000 athletes have competed in almost 350 events in the Tokyo 2020 Games: an epic undertaking in pandemic conditions; the closing ceremony, without public and athletes having to leave 48hrs after their competition, will handle the baton to Paris

Unable to get married legally in Japan, LGBTQ couples are celebrating their special bond by donning traditional kimonos and fashionable formal wear for "photo weddings"; still, these choreographed images are often kept hidden in the conservative society

Bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka were halted for hours on Saturday afternoon due to a power failure, as a sweltering heat wave hit the Pacific side of the Japanese archipelago; the stop affected around 97.000 travelers

The number of people who required assistance on Japanese mountains hit a record 3.568 cases in 2023, police remind at the start of this summer season, as climbers return to Mount Fuji and other popular peaks after the full easing of COVID-19 restrictions

Millions of cash and vending machines will have to be replaced as they are incompatible with the new 10000, 5.000 and 1.000 yen banknotes that will be put into circulation in July; there are almost 4 million such machines currently in operation