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July 12, 2026
 

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INTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY

Japan's internal affairs industry may introduce artificial intelligence agents at local governments facing labor shortages.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2026
Japan weighing AI agents for understaffed local governments
A study group will compile an interim report by the end of fiscal 2026 and aim to release its final report around summer 2027.
The government plans to invest ¥150 billion in Rakuten Mobile in a push to develop a homegrown satellite communication system and reduce reliance on firms such as Starlink.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Japan to invest ¥150 billion in Rakuten’s domestic satellite project
The investment is part of a push to develop a homegrown satellite network and to reduce Starlink’s dominance in the field.
Japan's National Diet Building in Tokyo. Japan has released an online visualization tool that makes it easier to analyze the fiscal conditions of local governments.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Japan releases tool to visualize local government finances
Users can examine revenues, expenditures and fiscal indicators of local governments through graphs and color-coded maps.
Japan’s real wages have risen 1.9% from a year earlier, extending gains to a fourth month and reinforcing expectations for another Bank of Japan rate hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 5, 2026
Japan’s real wages rise for fourth month, backing BOJ hike
Inflation-adjusted wages rose 1.9% from a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 1.4% gain in the previous month, the labor ministry reported Friday.
Japan is looking into ways to protect children from the features of social media platforms that can cause addiction.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 3, 2026
Japan weighs stricter age verification for social media users
The government is not considering a blanket age restriction like Australia’s, however.
Internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a meeting on cybersecurity in Tokyo on May 21.
JAPAN
May 30, 2026
Japan to set special aid category for community-based startups
The internal affairs ministry aims to promote what is known as AI transformation, in which companies reform themselves by placing AI at the center.
Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 1.4% in April from a year earlier, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2026
Japan’s inflation eases to four-year low, complicating BOJ hike
Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 1.4% in April from a year earlier, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
Internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi noted Tuesday that fees paid by local governments to intermediary operators as part of the <i>furusato nо̄zei</i> hometown tax donation program have reached a high level. The ministry plans to urge such portal site operators to lower their commission fees as part of plans to increase the amount of donated funds made available to local governments.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2026
Commission fees for furusato nōzei portal sites exceed 10% of donated funds
The ministry plans to urge such portal site operators to lower their fees, as part of plans to increase the amount of donated funds made available to local governments.
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in Tokyo, the smallest gain since March 2022, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Tokyo inflation cools on childcare support, backing BOJ caution
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in the capital, the smallest gain since March 2022.
By the end of March 2027, Japan aims to have around 10,000 people working to revitalize nonurban areas after relocating from urban areas under a government-subsidized program.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2026
Record 8,196 in Japan serve as ‘community reactivators’
The government aims to increase the number of community reactivators to 10,000 by the end of March 2027.
Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, is known for its traditional townscape, including shrines and stone-paved streets, but turning this heritage into a stronger draw for tourists had long been a challenge.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2026
Financial support program for community-focused startups draws growing interest
The continuation rate for supported projects is high, and the program has received positive reviews from communities for providing tangible benefits.
Japan’s household spending fell for a third consecutive month in February, dropping 1.8% year-on-year despite real wages turning positive, highlighting weak domestic demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2026
Japan’s households cut spending even after real wages advance
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation fell 1.8% in February from a year earlier, a faster decline compared with January’s 1% retreat.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 1.7% in the capital from a year earlier in March, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 31, 2026
Tokyo inflation cools for now as BOJ monitors Mideast impact
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 1.7% in the capital from a year earlier in March, marking the smallest increase since April 2024.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Several local government websites become inaccessible
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference Wednesday that the central government and others are gathering information to identify the cause of the problem.
As concentration of the population in the Tokyo area is ongoing, addressing the situation remains a challenge for Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 3, 2026
Net population inflow into Tokyo area slowed in 2025, but concentration persists
As concentration of the population in the Tokyo area is ongoing, addressing the situation remains a challenge for the country.
Early voting turnout for Sunday's election fell 2.54% from the previous Lower House election in 2024, a decline believed to be partly due to heavy snow, particularly in Hokkaido, the Tohoku region and the Hokuriku region.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
4.56 million people vote early for Lower House election
The number of early voters for the Feb. 8 election fell by 2.54% from 4.68 million over the same period in the previous 2024 election.
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 2.9% in November from a year earlier, with the advance driven by outlays on cars and communications, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2026
Japan’s household outlays rose ahead of Takaichi’s stimulus plan
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 2.9% from a year earlier, with the advance driven by outlays on cars and communications, the internal affairs ministry reported.
Consumer prices in Tokyo, excluding fresh food, rose 2.3% in December from a year earlier, slowing from 2.8% in November, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 26, 2025
Yen weakens as Tokyo inflation cools more than expected
Consumer prices excluding fresh food in the capital rose 2.3% in December from a year earlier, slowing sharply from 2.8% in the previous month.
The issuance of My Number cards began in 2016.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2025
Number of My Number cards held tops 100 million
The internal affairs ministry said that the number equates to 80.3% of the country’s population.
A symposium promoting the passing on of memories of the war organized by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, on Aug. 3 in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, attended by actor Fumiya Takahashi (second from right) and others.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan works to preserve and pass on wartime memories as witnesses age
In August, for the first time, over half of participants at the Japan’s national memorial service for those who died in World War II were born after it ended.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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