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June 24, 2026
 

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HYOGO

Police said a body found in a freezer in a Kobe apartment was identified as Yutaka Nishiguchi, who lived in the apartment.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 23, 2026
Bisected body of man who died in 2011 found in Kobe apartment freezer
An autopsy revealed that the person, who lived in the apartment where his severed body was found, died around December 2011.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito will not be indicted after a citizens' panel decided to uphold a prosecutors' decision not to indict the governor.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2026
Panel upholds decision not to indict Hyogo governor
The committee in Kobe determined that the prosecutors¡¯ decision was reasonable, rejecting an appeal filed by a professor and a lawyer.
A lawyer representing the mother (left, blurred for privacy reasons) of a girl who died after being detained speaks during a news conference in Kobe on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2026
Japanese mother sues state over teen¡¯s ¡®hostage justice¡¯ death
The mother of a girl who died from emaciation following detention and alleged interrogations by authorities is seeking compensation, in the latest case of ¡°hostage justice.¡±
Hyogo Prefectural Police have confirmed that a body found floating in a river in the city of Tatsuno was that of Kenji Oyama, the suspect in a recent double murder case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 4, 2026
Body found in river confirmed as suspect in Hyogo double murder case
Kenji Oyama, 42, had been wanted on suspicion of killing a 52-year-old woman and her 74-year-old mother at their home last month.
Mamoru Hase, the father of a boy murdered in a series of attacks on elementary schoolchildren in 1997, speaks during an interview in Kobe earlier this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 25, 2026
Father still searching for answers 29 years after Kobe child murders
For 70-year-old Mamoru Hase, whose son was one of two elementary schoolchildren killed by a 14-year-old boy in 1997, there is no such thing as closure.
Kenji Oyama in 2017 (left) and from security camera footage earlier this month, as featured in a police wanted poster.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 25, 2026
Arrest warrant issued for man suspected of Hyogo mother-daughter murder
Kenji Oyama, 42, emerged as a suspect based on forensic analysis and security camera footage from around the scene.
A mother and her daughter were found dead at their home in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 20, 2026
Mother and daughter found dead in Hyogo Prefecture home in apparent stabbing
The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding their deaths, suspecting that the two may have been caught up in a crime as no weapons have been found.
The former Suma Belt Conveyor Tunnel is used as a filming location for "City Hunter"
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 7, 2026
Film commissions give economic boost to local communities
The nonprofit entities provide help with location-hunting, site coordination and filming operations free of charge.
A memorial ceremony for victims of a 2005 train derailment is held in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2026
Victims mourned 21 years after JR West train crash in Amagasaki
On April 25, 2005, a train entered a curved section at a speed far exceeding the limit and derailed, with the first and second cars colliding with a nearby apartment building.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito (center) has denied any involvement in the leaking of the private information of a whistleblower who died in July 2024.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2026
Hyogo governor not indicted over information leak case
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito has denied any involvement in the leaking of the private information of a whistleblower who died in July 2024.
The revised antistalking law, enforced Dec. 30, bans the installation of antiloss tags to gain information on a target's location without their permission.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 19, 2026
First action taken against tracker abuse under antistalking law in Kobe
The revised antistalking law, enforced Dec. 30, bans the installation of antiloss tags to gain information on a target¡¯s location without their permission.
Centrist Reform Alliance candidate in Hyogo¡¯s No. 8 district, Yoshie Hirokawa (center), stands on the stage after pitching her candidacy to Komeito¡¯s supporters in the Sonoda district of Amagasaki together with members of Hyogo Prefectural Assembly and Amagasaki City Assembly.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2026
Where will Komeito¡¯s votes go? The answer might come from this Hyogo district
Amagasaki is now a heated battleground as campaign teams rush to woo supporters of the ruling party¡¯s former coalition partner.
Stars Kobe (in solid blue), the Kansai region's first professional ice hockey team, has introduced the sport to a whole new audience since beginning play in September of last year.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Jan 28, 2026
Kansai¡¯s first pro ice hockey team chases fans and wins
Stars Kobe¡¯s first win gave Kansai its first taste of pro hockey joy, but now comes the hard part: growing the fan base in a market ruled by baseball.
People observe a moment of silence at a memorial ceremony marking the 31st anniverary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, in Kobe on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2026
Kobe marks 31st anniversary of Great Hanshin Earthquake
At a memorial gathering at park in Kobe, participants lit bamboo and paper lanterns and offered a silent prayer at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck.
Radio hosts Floyd Gillis and Thelma Sasao, Nishinomiya residents who hail from Canada and the Philippines, respectively, record a conversation with guest Leslie Ou (right) for an episode of "Bridges Across World Communities" airing on Sakura FM.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jan 9, 2026
Local radio connects Nishinomiya¡¯s foreign residents
Since 2007, ¡°Bridges Across World Communities¡± has been both a conversation hub and a purveyor of information to the growing population of foreign residents in this commuter town.
Hyogo Prefectural Police executives have been disciplined over gifts and other favors received from a company contracted to provide services to the police, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 24, 2025
Hyogo police executives punished over favors from contractor
The gifts included souvenirs, taxi fare money and free items while dining.
The Hyogo Prefectural Police imposed penalties on nine male officers on Monday, including pay cuts and six-month suspensions from duty, for alleged illegal gambling at online casinos.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2025
Nine Japanese police officers suspected of online casino gambling
All of the officers are suspected of engaging in online casino gambling outside work hours.
West Japan Railway¡¯s completed facility to preserve a train involved in the 2005 Fukuchiyama Line derailment, in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2025
Facility to preserve crashed JR West train completed
The April 2005 crash in Hyogo Prefecture killed 106 passengers and the train¡¯s driver.
Fisheries minister Norikazu Suzuki explains measures to support oyster farmers during a news conference at the ministry on Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2025
Japan unveils measures to tackle mass oyster deaths
The measures include financially supporting affected oyster farmers and identifying the cause of the mass deaths.
Osaka Gas President Masataka Fujiwara speaks during an interview on Dec. 2 in Osaka.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 9, 2025
Osaka Gas to focus more on LNG supply to vessels, president says
The company¡¯s President Masataka Fujiwara said more vessels are expected to use liquefied natural gas for fuel, instead of fuel oil and gas oil, to try to reduce carbon emissions.
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
Study finds large gap in daily steps people in Japan take, depending on area
Employed people walk more than those without jobs, a study from the University of Tokyo found, suggesting factors beyond the environment also shape how much people walk.
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
How a U.S. author found ¡ª and helped build ¡ª community in a Japanese hot spring town
American author Hannah Kirshner recently opened Mokkei as a hub for local knowledge-sharing and a retreat for tourists. Kirshner had spotted the century-old farmhouse years ago and dreamed of making it a ¡°lifelong art project.¡±
Japan-South Korea detente persists ¡ª but breakthrough remains elusive
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
Can automation offset Japan¡¯s military workforce shortage?
A Ground Self-Defense Force uncrewed ground vehicle takes part in a live-fire military exercise at the Higashi Fuji Training Field in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 7.
Japan¡¯s World Cup picture comes into focus after rout of Tunisia
Japan&#039;s Ko Itakura clears the ball during the first half against Tunisia during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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