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July 12, 2026
 

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RAINY SEASON

Bereaved family members lay flowers during a memorial ceremony to mark the sixth anniversary of the heavy rain disaster in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2026
Memorial held for 2020 rain disaster in Kumamoto
Participants included bereaved family members, land minister Yasushi Kaneko and Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura.
A map depicting rainfall brought by Tropical Storm Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2026
Two tropical storms bring heavy rains to parts of Japan
The two storms helped shatter June records for rain in a number of areas in eastern and southern Chiba Prefecture.
A Japan Meteorological Agency official in Tokyo explains on Thursday about the two tropical storms approaching Japan.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2026
Heavy rain continues across country with two approaching tropical storms
Central Japan Railway said the Tokaido Shinkansen may be delayed or suspended Saturday, while East Japan Railway warned of possible regular train line delays over the weekend.
The arrival of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes the Tokyo metropolitan area, is about the same time as the average year and one day later than usual for the central Tokai region
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2026
Rainy season begins in Kanto and central Japan
The arrival of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes the Tokyo metropolitan area, is about the same time as the average year.
Japan's improved weather warning system, rolled out ahead of the rainy season, features five alert levels for flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges.
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
Japan rolls out revamped weather warning system ahead of rainy season
The improved system features five alert levels for flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges.
As the rainy season appears to have ended in most regions, including Kanto, the Meteorological Agency is calling on people to take measures against heat waves.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2025
Rainy season ends in the Kanto region, a day earlier than average
Areas from southern Tohoku to the Kyushu region are expected to see extremely hot days next week.
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2025
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters ‘once-in-a-decade’ heat wave
Included among the alerts were the first of the year for central Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.
Yoko Koiso, who lost her daughter in the 2021 mudslide in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, prays during a memorial ceremony held in the city on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025
People mourn victims of Atami mudslide four years on
Participants offered silent prayers for the 28 victims as sirens blared around the city.
Visitors to the Osaka Expo walk under the sun in the city of Osaka on Friday as the rainy season ended at the earliest date on record in the country's western regions that day.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025
Western Japan sees earliest end to rainy season on record
The rainy season usually lasts from June to July, but for a large swath of the country — from Kyoto to Kyushu — it ended about three weeks earlier than usual.
People cross a street under the hot sun in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2025
Last week’s heat wave in Japan not possible without climate change, analysis shows
The heat wave, which came shortly after the rainy season was declared, caused a surge in ambulance calls for heat-related illnesses.
A screenshot from the Meteorological Agency website shows tropical storm Sepat approaching Japan on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 24, 2025
Heavy rain forecast in Japan as tropical storm Sepat set to weaken
As of early Tuesday, the tropical storm was located roughly 170 kilometers north of Chichijima, moving north-northwest at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour.
In Tokyo, at least 562 people have been taken to the hospital for suspected heatstroke so far this month.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 20, 2025
What happened to the rainy season?
The mercury has climbed across much of Japan in recent days, but the seasonal rain front is expected to return early next week.
People walk under the scorching sun in Tokyo's Omotesando area on Tuesday as temperatures rise above 35 degrees Celsius in much of eastern Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 17, 2025
Japan sweats under extreme heat despite ongoing rainy season
The weather agency warned of heat waves throughout the week as a high-pressure system stretches across eastern and northern Japan.
Get those umbrellas out, rainy season has arrived in much of Japan.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 12, 2025
In the forecast for June — a lot of talk about the weather
From “tsuyu” to “amayadori,” the current season has no shortage of vocabulary for downpours, floods and wet weather.
People walk in the rain at the Osaka Expo site on Monday. Most regions in Japan have entered the rainy season.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025
Rainy season officially underway across most of country
Authorities are urging residents to remain on alert for landslides, river overflows and flooding in low-lying areas such as underpasses.
Experts are calling on people not to miss children's signs of trouble, particularly in June after fatigue can accumulate over the two months since the beginning of the school year in April.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 9, 2025
Experts warn of ‘June syndrome’ among children in Japan
Much like the better-known May syndrome, or May blues, June syndrome is a general term for mental and physical disorders and is medically classified as adjustment disorder.
As humidity rises in the rainy season, it’s a good idea to get some moisture absorbers and place them around the home.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 30, 2025
How to talk about change in Japanese — one forecast at a time
Use the changing seasons as a springboard to learn how Japanese expresses cause-and-effect shifts.
Houses along canal with heavy steam and mist in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. The Meteorological Agency announced the arrival of rainy season in the southern part of the Kyushu region, making it the first time the season began in the area before any other region since records began in 1951.
JAPAN
May 17, 2025
Japan’s rainy season begins in southern Kyushu
This is the first time since statistics began in 1951 that southern Kyushu has entered the rainy season earlier than any other region in Japan.
Water is seen at the bottom of the No.1 shaft, which maintains and controls the inflow and discharge channel as part of a complex of underground tunnels at the Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, which protect Tokyo and its suburbs against floods.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2024
Japan expands underground complex to counter climate change rains
The Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel has already prevented more than ¥150 billion in flood damage.
The Ishizawa River in Yurihonjo, Akita Prefecture, is seen bursting its banks on Friday due to heavy rain.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2024
Two dead and three missing in Tohoku deluge
Yamagata and Akita prefectures are likely to see severe rain continue until around Tuesday.
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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