News archive
Past daily articles for learners.
- society
Japan tops 100,000 centenarians for the first time — and 88% of them are women
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on September 15 that 107,677 people aged 100 or older were living in Japan as of September 1. It is the first time the figure has passed 100,000 since the count began in 1963, and the 56th year in a row that it has risen. Women make up 94,298 of the total, about 88 percent; men number 13,379. A further 54,294 people will turn 100 during this fiscal year and will receive a congratulatory letter and a silver cup in the prime minister's name. September 15 is Old People's Day, September 15-21 is Senior Citizens' Week, and this year's Respect for the Aged Day public holiday falls on Monday, September 21 — so expect banks, city offices and most clinics to be closed that day, and plan errands around it.
N5N4N3N2N1 - economy
Japan's minimum wage rises to a ¥1,177 national average — but your prefecture's start date may not be October 1
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said on September 3 that all 47 prefectures have now settled their revised regional minimum wages for this fiscal year. The new nationwide weighted average is ¥1,177 an hour, up ¥56 (about 5%) from ¥1,121 — the second-largest rise since the guideline system began in 1978. Increases range from ¥54 to ¥65 depending on the prefecture: Tokyo stays the highest at ¥1,280, while the lowest rate is ¥1,085, and the gap between the two narrowed slightly from last year. The new rates do not all start on the same day — they take effect prefecture by prefecture between October 1 and December 2, 2026, after each prefectural labour bureau director signs off. Minimum wage law covers every worker at a workplace in that prefecture regardless of employment type or nationality, so part-timers, arubaito and foreign workers are all included, and any wage agreement below the floor is void. Look up the rate and the effective date for the prefecture where you work, and once that date has passed, compare it with the hourly rate printed on your payslip.
N5N4N3N2N1 - society
Sumo's Autumn Tournament runs in Tokyo through September 27 — tickets are sold out, but NHK carries every day live
The Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament (the September basho) opened on Sunday, September 13 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, and runs 15 days through the final day, senshuraku, on September 27. The official ticket site says the general sale is sold out, and no same-day tickets are put on sale for days that sell out in advance, so for anyone deciding to follow the tournament now, broadcasts are the practical option: NHK carries it on BS from 1 p.m., on its general TV channel from 3 p.m., and on radio from 4:05 p.m. Doors open at 8:45 a.m. on days 1 to 12; lower-ranked wrestlers fight in the morning, the top-division makuuchi bouts come in the late afternoon, and the champion is decided on the final day. Japan holds six grand tournaments a year, and the next one in Tokyo is the January New Year basho.
N5N4N3N2N1 - society
Asia's biggest sports event opens September 19 in Aichi and Nagoya: 45 countries, 43 sports, and crowded trains
The 20th Asian Games open on Saturday, September 19 and run to October 4, hosted mainly by Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya. Athletes from 45 countries and regions across Asia compete in 43 sports, and the opening ceremony is held at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya. It is Japan's third time hosting the Games and the first in 32 years, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Most venues are in Aichi, but swimming and equestrian events take place in Tokyo and track cycling in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Tickets are sold on the Games' official website, and venues for sports such as athletics, football, baseball and judo also sell same-day tickets at the counter, subject to availability. If you live in or plan to visit the Tokai region during the Games, expect crowded trains and tight hotel availability, and book travel and accommodation early. The 5th Asian Para Games follow in the same host area from October 18 to 24.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Flu shots start October 1 in Japan: most people pay in full, but seniors and children get city help
Japan's seasonal flu vaccination season begins on October 1, and many clinics start taking bookings in September. For most people the shot is preventive rather than treatment, so health insurance does not cover it: you pay the full price, and because each clinic sets its own fee it typically runs about 3,000 to 5,000 yen per dose. Municipalities subsidise the shot for older residents under the Immunization Act. In Hachioji City, for example, residents aged 65 and over — and residents aged 60 to 64 who hold a class-1 disability certificate for heart, kidney, respiratory or immune function — can get one dose per fiscal year for 2,500 yen between October 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027, free for households on public assistance. Many cities also subsidise children's shots. Because flu in Japan usually peaks from December to March, getting vaccinated between October and mid-December is advised. Eligibility, price and dates differ by municipality, so check your own city or ward website before booking.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan's harvest moon is September 25 — but the real full moon comes two days later
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan says this year's chushu no meigetsu, the harvest moon known as jugoya, falls on Friday, September 25. The astronomical full moon, however, arrives two days later at 1:49 a.m. on September 27. A two-day gap is uncommon: it last happened in 2017 and will not happen again until 2043. The dates differ because the old lunar calendar counts from the instant of the new moon, while a full moon is the instant the moon sits opposite the sun. In Tokyo the moon rises at 4:43 p.m. on the 25th, about 50 minutes before sunset, so if the sky is clear you can look for it low in the east from early evening. Many households still mark the night with pampas grass and tsukimi dango.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Suica's penguin is retiring: JR East opens a worldwide vote on three successor designs until September 23
JR East has revealed the three candidate designs that could replace the Suica Penguin, the mascot of its transport IC card since 2001. A selection committee chaired by a broadcast writer narrowed more than twenty ideas from young creators down to three: one featuring a squirrel, one a rabbit, and one an orange creature carrying a mole. Anyone can vote once on the dedicated website until 11:59 p.m. on September 23, regardless of age, gender, occupation or nationality, so residents and visitors alike can take part. The winning design will be announced on November 18, Suica's 25th anniversary. The penguin steps down on March 31, 2027, and the new character takes over the following day.
N5N4N3N2N1 - travel
Tokyo Station's new Yaesu tower opens September 10 — 55 shops and a highway bus terminal underneath
TOFROM YAESU TOWER, a 51-storey complex about 250 metres tall on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station, opens on Thursday, September 10. Sixty-eight shops and restaurants are planned in total, but only 55 open on the first day; the rest follow from this winter. Underneath is Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu, fully opened in March, and the building connects to Tokyo Station through the Yaechika underground arcade, so you can walk between them without going outside even in bad weather. Offices, an 800-seat theatre and a clinic are also in the tower. Expect heavy crowds in the first days — if you have a highway bus to catch, leave extra time.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan's autumn rain front stalls: heaviest rain Sept 9-10, landslide and flood warnings
Japan's autumn rain front (akisame zensen) has settled over the country and is expected to sit near Honshu from Tuesday September 8 into mid-September, bringing cloudy, rainy days from Tohoku down to Kyushu. Forecasters say the heaviest rain is likely around September 9 and 10, when a tropical depression - what is left of Typhoon No. 24 - feeds warm, humid air into the front and makes it more active. Linear rain bands are possible around Kanto and Tokai, and people are being urged to watch for landslides, flooding of low-lying ground, and rivers rising or bursting their banks. Areas that already had record rain earlier this month have loosened ground, so even an ordinary amount of rain can do damage there. Despite the wet spell the heat is not letting up: highs above 30C and muggy conditions are expected across much of central and western Japan into mid-September. Practical steps for anyone living in Japan: check the Japan Meteorological Agency's warnings and your city's hazard map before you go out, stay away from swollen rivers and steep slopes, allow extra time for train delays, and carry rain gear while still guarding against the heat.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan's autumn traffic safety campaign runs Sept 21-30: reflective gear, early headlights, bicycle rules
Japan's Autumn National Traffic Safety Campaign runs for ten days, from Monday September 21 to Wednesday September 30, 2026. Organised by the Cabinet Office, the National Police Agency and other ministries, it is held every autumn because the sun sets earlier and pedestrians become harder for drivers to see between dusk and nightfall. Three nationwide priorities are set for this year: keeping pedestrians safe and encouraging them to wear reflective items; getting drivers to switch their headlights on early at dusk and stamping out drink-driving and phone use behind the wheel; and making sure riders of bicycles and of specified small motorised bicycles - the category that covers electric kickboards, or e-scooters - understand and follow the traffic rules. The final day, September 30, is designated the Day Aiming for Zero Traffic Deaths. For anyone living in Japan the practical takeaway is simple: attach a reflector or wear bright colours when you walk at night, switch on your bicycle light after dark, turn your car headlights on early, and never ride or drive after drinking or while using a phone.
N5N4N3N2N1 - daily life
Japan's 1.06-million-yen wall ends October 1: part-timers working 20 hours a week join social insurance
From October 1, 2026 Japan removes the wage requirement that has kept many part-time workers out of company social insurance. Until now a short-time worker had to earn at least 88,000 yen a month in contracted wages - roughly 1.06 million yen a year, the so-called 1.06-million-yen wall - to join employees' health insurance and the employees' pension. Under the 2025 pension reform law that threshold disappears. From October the remaining conditions are: scheduled work of 20 or more hours a week, an employment period expected to run beyond two months, and not being a student (some night-school and correspondence students still count). For now the employer must also have 51 or more people enrolled in the employees' pension, a size threshold the government will lower in stages between October 2027 and October 2035. Premiums are split evenly between worker and employer, so take-home pay dips at first, but enrolling adds to your future pension and opens up benefits such as the sickness allowance and the maternity allowance. If you have been trimming your hours to stay under the wall, check your weekly contracted hours and your employer's size now, and ask your workplace or a pension office how October will change your pay.
N5N4N3N2N1 - travel
Hikone Castle is Japan's next World Heritage candidate, with the UNESCO decision due in 2028
On September 3 an expert panel of the Agency for Cultural Affairs chose Hikone Castle, in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, as Japan's candidate for the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. The government plans to send a provisional nomination file to UNESCO by the end of September and, after cabinet approval, the formal file by February 1, 2027; an advisory body then inspects the site, and the World Heritage Committee is expected to weigh the listing in 2028. Hikone Castle has sat on Japan's tentative list since 1992, and this is the fifth push for it. Construction began in 1604 on the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu and finished around 1622; the castle served as the seat of the Ii family, and its keep is a National Treasure, still standing alongside turrets, stone walls and the remains of the lord's residence. Nothing changes for visitors yet — the grounds are open as usual and the castle is a short walk from JR Hikone Station — but crowds are likely to grow if the listing goes through, so going early is worth considering.
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