KIMONO-CLAD PETS BLESSED AT JAPAN FESTIVAL LACKING ENOUGH KIDS - TOKYO JAPAN

KIMONO-CLAD PETS BLESSED AT JAPAN FESTIVAL LACKING ENOUGH KIDS - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

Chanting and swishing a wooden wand, a Japanese priest blessed a cat, a shiba inu and several Yorkshire terriers at a shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, in a rite usually reserved for children.

The annual "Shichi-Go-San" festival literally means "Seven-Five-Three" and traditionally allows families to celebrate the growth of their children at those ages.

But with Japan's population in decline, more and more worshippers are bringing beloved animals to the event instead.

"I came here to pray for my pet's healthy growth and well-being," Shoko Kodama, a 46-year-old doctor, told AFP at Ichigaya Kamegaoka Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine in the capital.

The 46-year-old doctor said she had spent two months hand-crafting a bespoke, bright-red kimono for her cat, a five-year-old British shorthair called Amber.

"This little one is like my child," she said. "Just having her around makes all the unpleasant things in life melt away."

Outside the shrine, other pet owners dressed their fluffy companions in colorful kimonos and posed them for photos to mark the special occasion.

They then brought them into the inner sanctuary, where the priest, Kenji Kaji, performed a purification rite with a wand decorated with white paper streamers.

He told AFP the role of pets in people's lives had shifted as "the family structure has changed" in Japan, which is grappling with an ageing population and a low birth rate.

"I think the number of instances where people who don't have children, or have finished raising them, and welcome a dog or cat as a member of the family has been increasing," Kaji said.

Kaji's shrine has been accepting around 400 families for each festival since the early 2000s, due to demand from pet owners.

Miyu Shiro, the 23-year-old owner of two Yorkshire terriers, said marking the event with her dogs "feels perfectly natural".

"They're part of our family," she said, as she snapped photos of her pups, neatly combed and wearing flower-shaped hair clips.

Data in June showed that Japan's fertility rate fell again last year to a record low, underscoring the demographic crisis gnawing at the world's fourth-largest economy.

With a median age of 49.9 years, Japan also has the second-oldest population in the world, after the tiny city-state of Monaco, according to the World Bank.

Koichi Ohara, 57, who attended the festival with his wife and friends, said his three Chihuahuas gave him "unconditional love".

"They're more affectionate than human children. They listen to what we say too," he laughed, adding that he had three kids. "Just like us humans, I hope they can live long and in peace."

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TOKYO EMBRANCES HALLOWEEN CROWDS UNDER TIGHT SECURITY BY POLICE - TOKYO JAPAN

TOKYO EMBRANCES HALLOWEEN CROWDS UNDER TIGHT SECURITY BY POLICE - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

People took to the streets and participated in events to celebrate Halloween on Saturday in Tokyo, while police officers and local government officials called on the public to abide by the rules and stay safe.

In the northwestern area of the Japanese capital, many fans of Japanese anime and manga clad in costumes took part in the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival 2026.

Ikebukuro, known as a pop culture and entertainment hub, is one of the bustling districts where the municipal government and local businesses welcome Halloween goers to boost the local economy.

The cosplay festival, launched in 2014, drew crowds of some 160,000 during the three-day event last year.

"We are able to fully celebrate in a safe manner as operation rules are firmly implemented," said Natsu Iwasaki, 22, from Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, who was donning a costume of a character from the popular anime series Gintama.

"I can see the good influence. I hope people will come back to Ikebukuro after the event," the chief of a local shopping association said.

Tighter security measures against disruptive celebrations have been introduced in major districts, as larger crowds were expected this year with the event falling on a Saturday.

In some busy districts that have had issues caused by Halloween crowds, municipality officials and police officers were on high alert and strengthened patrols.

The famous Hachiko statue outside Shibuya Station was fenced off with a banner that read, "Goodbye Bad Halloween."

People strolling the Shibuya Center-Gai shipping street were instructed, both in Japanese and English, not to drink on the street.

Police referred 10 men to prosecutors for allegedly overturning a small truck during a Halloween event in 2018 in Shibuya.

In the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku Ward, officials were patrolling the area with holding a sign, saying "No drink on the street."

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JAPAN EMBASSY OFFICIAL MEETS REPORTER NEARLY 2 WEEKS AFTER RUSSIA DETENTION - TOKYO JAPAN

JAPAN EMBASSY OFFICIAL MEETS REPORTER NEARLY 2 WEEKS AFTER RUSSIA DETENTION - TOKYO JAPAN  

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TOKYO

A Japanese Embassy official in Russia conducted a consular visit Monday with a Japanese journalist detained in the country nearly two weeks ago, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The ministry said the Japanese national, who had been transferred to Moscow from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East right after being detained, had no health issues.

Russia's security agency, the FSB, said on Oct. 13 that a correspondent for the Sapporo-based Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper was detained in Sakhalin on suspicion of espionage.

It said he was collecting information under instructions from a Japanese intelligence service, a claim flatly denied by the daily. The Japanese government has denied engaging in spying activities.

The embassy in Moscow declined to elaborate on what the journalist told the official about the espionage allegations against him. It also said it does not know when another visit will take place.

The embassy added that the journalist will meet separately with a lawyer chosen by the Japanese newspaper.

The journalist has been remanded in custody until Dec. 12, while the FSB continues its investigation.

Japan will continue urging Russia to "immediately release the Japanese national and ensure humanitarian consideration and fair and impartial treatment," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Japanese government had unsuccessfully sought for days to secure a consular visit following the individual's detainment. A bilateral treaty provides for the right to consular access within four days when one country takes a national of the other into custody.

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JAPAN SETS 'SECOND CAPITAL' CRITERIA; 4 PREFECTURES QUALITY - TOKYO JAPAN

JAPAN SETS 'SECOND CAPITAL' CRITERIA; 4 PREFECTURES QUALITY - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

The Japanese government approved an ordinance Tuesday setting requirements for designation as a "second capital" to back up Tokyo in disasters and promote decentralization, with Osaka and three other prefectures qualifying.

To qualify, a prefecture must meet several conditions, including accounting for at least 2.1 percent of Japan's gross domestic product and containing a city with at least 1.2 percent of the country's population.

Hokkaido in northern Japan, Aichi in central Japan, Osaka in the west and Fukuoka in the southwest aim to apply for the status.

Legislation to create a second-capital system, enacted in July, is a pillar of a coalition agreement signed a year ago between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior ally, the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party.

The law, set to take effect Friday, does not limit the number of second capitals to one, leaving open the possibility that multiple prefectures could be designated.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the top government spokesman, said at a press conference later Tuesday that all four prefectures would be designated if they applied and met all the criteria.

The ordinance also calls for a backup capital to be located outside areas at risk of severe damage from a major earthquake in the Tokyo area or an eruption of Mt. Fuji, Japan's highest peak, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures.

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JAPAN MUNICIPALITIES STEP UP MEASURES AGAINST DISCRUPTIVE HALLOWEEN CROWDS - TOKYO JAPAN

JAPAN MUNICIPALITIES STEP UP MEASURES AGAINST DISCRUPTIVE HALLOWEEN CROWDS - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

With Halloween approaching, Japanese municipalities are stepping up measures against disruptive celebrations in major entertainment districts as larger crowds are expected this year with the event falling on a Saturday.

Halloween is not a traditional festivity in Japan, but has evolved into a major urban event in recent years, particularly in Tokyo's Shibuya district, where revelers in costumes gather for street celebrations.

The festivities have increasingly become associated with public disorder, with revelers drinking on the streets, littering and causing disturbances. Concerns intensified after crowds overturned a small truck in Shibuya during Halloween celebrations in 2018.

Shibuya, which has introduced restrictions on street drinking and imposed a 2,000 yen fine for littering, also plans to deploy additional patrols. Elsewhere, Tokyo's Shinjuku district as well as Nagoya and Fukuoka are also tightening restrictions such as on alcohol consumption or access to crowded areas.

The peak crowd around Shibuya Center-Gai, a popular shopping area near Shibuya Station and one of the main gathering spots for revelers, on Halloween fell from about 20,000 in 2024 to about 4,500 in 2025, partly also due to rain.

"I hope Shibuya's Halloween fever is gradually dying down. This year is an important turning point," Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe said.

Nagoya has blocked access to parts of a downtown commercial complex at night since 2021 after fights and thefts were reported there during Halloween celebrations. The city plans to implement similar measures this year.

"I understand the desire to celebrate, but I want people to refrain from gathering in one place and causing a commotion," Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa said at a news conference last week.

Meanwhile, Fukuoka has restricted entry to Kego Park in the city's Tenjin entertainment district after 5 p.m. since Tuesday.

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OVER 1,000 STILL IN SHELTER 3 MONTHS AFTER M7.1 QUAKE HIT KUMAMOTO JAPAN

OVER 1,000 STILL IN SHELTER 3 MONTHS AFTER M7.1 QUAKE HIT KUMAMOTO JAPAN 

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KUMAMOTO

More than 1,000 people are still sheltering in evacuation centers, awaiting temporary housing three months after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, damaging their homes.

The quake occurred at around 4:27 p.m. on July 28. As of Monday, the official death toll stood at 38 -- 36 from confirmed disaster-related causes and two suspected to be disaster-related.

The figure could rise if more deaths are recognized as disaster-related. According to a Kyodo News survey of municipalities conducted last week, 45 applications for such recognition have been filed by bereaved families.

Evacuation centers remain open at 21 locations in seven cities and towns. In Yatsushiro, 579 people, accounting for more than half of the evacuees, remain in shelters, followed by 263 in Uki, 155 in Hikawa and 65 in Uto.

The number of damaged homes stands at 82,223, including 2,585 that were completely destroyed.

Around 1,200 temporary housing units were in use as of Friday, but many people remain on waiting lists for such housing.

Yuka Miyazawa, 54, who is living in an evacuation center in Yatsushiro, had her apartment partially destroyed. She did not apply for temporary housing because only those whose homes were at least half-destroyed are eligible.

"I feel I've been left behind these past three months. I want people to pay more attention to those in need," she said.

Yoichi Yamaguchi, 74, who has been staying at an evacuation center in Yatsushiro, said, "I can't sleep well, and I just feel exhausted all the time."

His home was half-destroyed, and although he applied for temporary housing, he was not selected. "I don't know how many more months it will take before I can leave here."

Kumamoto Prefecture released a draft restoration and reconstruction plan Tuesday, outlining measures to help residents rebuild their lives, including providing temporary housing as quickly as possible.

Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura said Tuesday at a meeting on reconstruction, "We must make this plan a ray of hope for the disaster-stricken areas."

The prefecture has drawn up a roadmap through fiscal 2028 for measures aimed at rebuilding people's lives and restoring social infrastructure.

For example, in light of challenges including extreme heat and water outages that took a month to resolve, the plan outlines measures such as revising evacuation shelter operation manuals, strengthening water and sewer systems, and providing physical and mental health care for disaster victims.

The plan also includes new tsunami countermeasures amid concerns that a fault segment extending offshore near the quake's epicenter did not rupture during the earthquake.

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DEAD FAWNS WITH BODY PARTS MISSING FOUND AT NARA TEMPELS - NARA JAPAN

DEAD FAWNS WITH BODY PARTS MISSING FOUND AT NARA TEMPELS - NARA JAPAN  

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NARA

Four dead fawns with missing body parts were found in recent months at famous temple sites in Nara Park, a popular tourist spot known as a habitat for over a thousand deer, the local government in western Japan said Friday.

An expert organization that was consulted by the Nara prefectural government said it appeared unlikely that other animals had eaten the carcasses. The local government shared information with police, given the possibility that the animals had been harmed by humans.

Nara Gov Makoto Yamashita said he would like to "bring attention" to the incidents and obtain more information from the public.

"While there is no firm evidence of criminal intent, the cases appear extremely unnatural," he said.

The carcasses were found on an approach to Kofukuji Temple and elsewhere on Aug 21 and Oct 1, and near Todaiji Temple's hall enshrining the Great Buddha statue on Aug 27 and Sept 17. The fawns were likely less than a month old.

The prefecture and temples have strengthened patrolling.

The deer in Nara are protected under the cultural properties protection law.

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MAN ARRESTED FOR USING SHOE WITH MINIATURE CAMERA TO FILM UP WOMEN'S SKIRT - FUKUOKA JAPAN

MAN ARRESTED FOR USING SHO
E WITH MINIATURE CAMERA TO FILM UP WOMEN'S SKIRT - FUKUOKA JAPAN

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FUKUOKA

Police in Fukuoka have arrested a 66-year-old man on suspicion of violating the law against illicit sexual photography by allegedly using a miniature camera attached to his shoe to film up a woman’s skirt.

According to police, Ryuichi Matsuo, a public high school teacher, is accused of attempting to film a 53-year-old woman’s underwear by positioning a small camera attached to his shoe underneath her skirt while on a platform at Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station in Tenjin at around 6 p.m. on Thursday, TBS reported.

A station employee spotted him and contacted the police.

Police said Matsuo has denied the allegation and quoted him as saying, "My intention was to capture scenery from a different perspective. I did not attach the camera for the purpose of filming up women's skirts.”

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MAN ARRESTED OVER ROBBERY - MURDER OF BAR OWNER IN KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE - KAGOSHIMA JAPAN

MAN ARRESTED OVER ROBBERY - MURDER OF BAR OWNER IN KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE - KAGOSHIMA JAPAN 

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KAGOSHIMA

Police in Kanoya City, Kagoshima Prefecture, have arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of robbing and killing a 49-year-old woman who ran a snack bar in July.

According to police, Takaaki Higo, a restaurant owner who was arrested on Friday, is accused of breaking into the home of Satsuki Osumi in the early hours of July 28, NTV reported. He is suspected of asphyxiating her and then stealing cash.

Police identified Higo by analyzing footage from security cameras installed near the victim's home. Police said Higo has denied the allegation and quoted him as saying,"It is true that I met with her, but I did not kill her, nor did I steal anything."

While it is known that Higo and Osumi were acquainted, the exact nature of their relationship remains unclear, and the police are continuing their investigation.

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FOREIGN VISITOR'S SPENDING IN JAPAN HITS RECORD YEN 7 TRILLION IN JANUARY - SEPTEMBER 2026 - TOKYO JAPAN

FOREIGN VISITOR'S SPENDING IN JAPAN HITS RECORD YEN 7 TRILLION IN JANUARY - SEPTEMBER 2026 - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

Spending by foreign visitors to Japan hit a record 7.06 trillion yen in the nine months through September, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday.

The spending, which includes shopping and accommodation costs, rose 1.9 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Spending from July through September increased 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.2 trillion yen. By country and region, Taiwan topped the list with 382 billion yen, followed by China with 358 billion yen.

For the three months through September, average spending per visitor was 233,677 yen, up 6.1 percent.

The number of foreign visitors during the nine months, meanwhile, fell 2.9 percent to 30.73 million, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

It was the first decline for the January-September period since 2021, during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Visitors from China dropped 55.5 percent amid strained relations with Japan following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in November suggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a response by the Self-Defense Forces in support of the United States.

South Korea topped the list with 8.3 million visitors, up 21.6 percent during the three quarters from January, followed by Taiwan with 6 million, up 19.1 percent, China with 3.3 million, the United States with 2.5 million, up 5.2 percent, and Hong Kong with 2 million, up 7.7 percent.

The September total alone was 3.1 million, down 5.0 percent from a year earlier. Visitors from China fell by 44.5 percent to 430,800, marking the 10th consecutive month of year-on-year decline.

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MORE DATA BREACHES REPORTED BY PREFECTURAL POLICE FORCES, COMPANIES - TOKYO JAPAN

MORE DATA BREACHES REPORTED BY PREFECTURAL POLICE FORCES, COMPANIES - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

The personal information of officers and other employees at 22 prefectural police forces in Japan may have leaked following a recent data breach at disaster information services firm Arcadia Inc, National Police Agency officials said Wednesday.

The possible leak affecting nearly half of the country's 47 prefectural police forces comes amid a string of similar incidents at Japanese companies in various industries.

The potentially exposed data include about 125,000 records such as names and email addresses of police officers and other employees at 20 prefectural police forces.

Among the police forces, Kyoto and Fukuoka police as well as those in Shimane and Yamaguchi suffered leaks of about 16,000 email addresses of residents registered for security alert services.

No investigative information was leaked, the agency said.

Meanwhile, IwaiCosmo Securities Co said the same day a cyberattack on a contracted company's computer system, which processes the Osaka-based brokerage firm's trading orders, resulted in the execution of unauthorized orders in seven customer accounts.

The attack on Oct 14 targeted the system run and maintained by Trade Works Co, based in Tokyo, but did not involve account hijacking.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in a press conference that the Financial Services Agency has requested IwaiCosmo to analyze the break-in and formulate preventive measures.

The brokerage said the affected accounts have been restored to their state before the unauthorized orders.

The cyberattack, believed to be carried out with the use of artificial intelligence, also resulted in the exposure of 4,975 customers' names and email addresses, but transaction passwords were not stolen, it said.

Earlier in the day, Recruit Co revealed a possible leak of personal information involving 3.7 million accounts for its Carsensor used car information service.

The potential leak includes names and addresses, including those of used car dealership representatives, but not credit card payment information. No misuse has been confirmed so far.

Recruit detected suspicious external access to its systems on Saturday and determined the number of potentially leaked personal records on Tuesday.

The incident led to suspensions of used car information services of Nissan Motor Co., Mitsubishi Motors Corp and Mazda Motor Corp relying on Recruit's system.

Aeon Co. said Wednesday it has detected external unauthorized access to some websites operated by group companies, leaving 13 unavailable during security-related system maintenance.

The Japanese retail giant said systems related to business operations and e-commerce sites have not been affected, and it is investigating whether any personal information has been leaked.

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