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November 12, 2026
 

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TOCHIGI

Zookeeper Tetsuo Iso at the site of frantic search for a wild bear in Utsunomiya on June 9. Iso, 65, was asked by the prefectural government to help capture the bear and it was his shot with a tranquilizer gun that put an end to the saga.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Oct 25, 2026
A dramatic bear hunt in a midsize Japanese city could be a harbinger of what is to come
Utsunomiya¡¯s dramatic three-day ordeal with an at-large bear could be a mere sign of what¡¯s to come for Japanese cities.
Outgoing farm minister Kazuo Yana speaks to reporters after submitting his resignation to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 14, 2026
Scandal-hit agriculture minister Yana announces resignation
His sudden exit deals a blow to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s administration, with key bills involving his ministry being debated in parliament.
Ibaraki police have arrested a 30-year-old man in the town of Oarai after a woman was stabbed with pruning shears outside a restaurant and the establishment's owner was later found dead.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2026
Man held over stabbing outside Ibaraki restaurant whose owner was later found dead
Police believe Kotaro Uchiyama, 30, had been drinking with the woman he allegedly stabbed. The owner of the restaurant was later found dead.
Agriculture minister Kazuo Yana speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2026
Road budget scandal could knock Takaichi¡¯s ambitious agenda off course
Farm minister Kazuo Yana reportedly cut road budgets for two municipalities whose mayors failed to back him in February¡¯s election.
Railway accident investigators at Tobu Railway's Shin-Kanuma Station in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on Thursday
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2026
Inadequate safety monitoring suspected in fatal train accident
The accident, which saw four workers killed, occurred at Shin-Kanuma Station on Tobu Railway¡¯s Nikko Line at around 10:45 a.m. on Aug. 20.
Police officers raid a Tobu Railway group company in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2026
Tochigi police raid Tobu Railway group firm over fatal train accident
The company was raided on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death in connection with the accident that killed four workers last week.
Railway accident investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board examine the site where four workers died after being struck by a train on Thursday at Tobu Railway's Shin-Kanuma Station in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2026
Four railway workers die after being struck by limited-express train in Tochigi
The men, in their 50s and 60s, had been performing weeding on railroad tracks.
Motoaki Iijima, 36, owner of the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 19, 2026
Deadly heat pushes ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï farmers to go nocturnal
Once-busy midday hours are now avoided by farmers as a mortal threat, replaced by after-dark work to protect crops, livestock and themselves.
A local resident walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in a flooded area after heavy rain in the city of Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
Emergency warnings have been downgraded but unstable atmospheric conditions are forecast to persist across Kanto, Nagano and Yamanashi through early Saturday.
Residents are seen walking beside rubble in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in this undated photo taken soon after the end of World War II.
JAPAN / History
Aug 14, 2026
How U.S. bombing survey in Japan shed light on civilian sentiments of WWII
The survey, which a historian in Tochigi Prefecture¡¯s Utsunimoya spent years translating, helped the city come to terms with the war¡¯s consequences.
Seiichi Yamaguchi has spent decades growing rice in Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture. Now in his early 70s, he says modern machinery has allowed him to keep farming longer than he once thought possible.
JAPAN / Society / Photo essay
Jul 31, 2026
A succession crisis in ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï fields
Technology has transformed rice farming in Japan, extending older farmers¡¯ careers while making succession a matter of choice.
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2026
Life inside ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï largest prison for women
Tochigi Prison, which houses 456 inmates, is a microcosm of what female prisons across the nation are facing, from a rising foreign population to mental health issues.
Last year, the number of bear-related deaths in Japan hit a record high of 13. Bear sightings also set a new record.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Dayslong bear hunt in Tochigi Prefecture capital ends with animal¡¯s capture
The city of Utsunomiya had been on high alert following reports of a bear sighting near schools and residential areas since the weekend.
Interpol has placed Kazuhiko Masuda, 48, on its wanted list at the request of the Japanese police.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 6, 2026
Key suspect in Tochigi murder-robbery put on Interpol wanted list
At the request of Japanese police, the International Criminal Police Organization has issued a Red Notice for Kazuhiko Masuda, 48.
Kazuhiko Masuda, who is suspected of orchestrating a high-profile robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, is believed to have fled Japan and is believed to be in Southeast Asia.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 3, 2026
Suspect in Tochigi robbery-murder who fled abroad ordered to return passport
Kazuhiko Masuda, the suspected orchestrator of a robbery-murder in Tochigi Prefecture, is believed to be in Southeast Asia.
Investigators with the Tochigi Prefectural Police load cardboard boxes believed to contain seized items into a vehicle after completing a search of the Yokohama apartment of two suspects in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, on May 21.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 30, 2026
Fifth high school boy arrested in Tochigi robbery-murder case
The 18-year-old student allegedly used a communication app to introduce the boy, 16, to another, despite knowing he would be used to help carry out the crime.
An alleged mastermind behind a recent robbery-murder in Tochigi Prefecture left Japan from Narita International Airport for China, police say.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2026
Tochigi robbery-murder mastermind fled Japan via Narita Airport
Police are investigating the possible involvement of a ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨± anonymous and fluid criminal group.
Tochigi police have issued an arrest warrant for a man in his 40s in a robbery-murder case, saying he is believed to have instructed a married couple to carry out the attack.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2026
Police issue arrest warrant for potential mastermind in Tochigi murder case
The man fled to China after the incident in which a 69-year-old woman was killed at her home during a break-in.
A teenager (center, wearing sandals) arrested for his involvement in a murder-robbery case is sent to prosecutors on May 16 in the city of Shimotsuke, in Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 22, 2026
Tochigi murder-robbery case reflects ¡®³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨±¡¯ adapting to crackdowns
In typical schemes, hired perpetrators are strangers to one another, but due to crackdowns on online recruitment, many are turning to word of mouth and familiarity.
Police on Thursday search the Yokohama apartment of Kaito Takemae, who is accused of directing four teenage boys in the robbery and murder of a 69-year-old woman in Kaminokawa, Tochigi Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
May 22, 2026
Defeating ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨± requires more than just better law enforcement
The problem of ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨±, or anonymous crime groups, was thrust back into headlines last week, after the robbery and murder of an elderly woman
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Jensen Huang¡¯s woes evoke sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan
Hsiao Kui-yu, 68, owner of Yuchan Candied Fruit, stands in front of photographs of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang displayed at the shop, which Huang frequently visits during trips to Taiwan, in Taipei on Tuesday.
G7 diplomats speak out on Taiwan as China ramps up military drills
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a working lunch focused on international crises and challenges during the Group of Seven foreign ministers' summit at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris on Monday.
½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Rapidus is said likely to miss mass production deadline
The Rapidus Analysis Center and the IIM-1 Innovative Integration for Manufacturing foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido
¡®Godzilla Minus Zero¡¯ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki¡¯s ¡°Godzilla Minus Zero¡± marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake¡¯s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi¡¯s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She¡¯ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized ¡°Peace Crystal¡± sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation¡¯s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet¡¯s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ¡®Ocarina of Time¡¯ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

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Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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