Typhoon Dujuan brought torrential rain and landslides to eastern Japan, killing at least four people and leaving 45,000 homes without power. Nearly 1.6 million people were ordered to evacuate as the storm approached Tokyo.
Asset manager VanEck has rated Tokyo-listed Metaplanet as the only 'Bad' company for executive equity compensation among the 10 largest digital asset treasury firms, criticizing the Bitcoin treasury company's stock dilution practices despite recent reform efforts.
Alphabet's Waymo announced plans to partner with Japanese taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu to launch Japan's first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo in 2027. The expansion marks Waymo's first international city for commercial driverless rides, pending regulatory approval.
Record-breaking rainfall has caused severe flooding in Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo, killing at least 5-8 people and forcing the evacuation of approximately 230,000 residents. The flooding has stranded travelers and submerged roads across the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, 2026, traveling to Iturup, the largest island in the chain. Tokyo issued a strong condemnation, stating the visit has made any improvement in Russia-Japan relations more difficult.
Tokyo-listed Metaplanet purchased Siiibo Securities for approximately $13 million (2.1 billion yen), gaining a Type I securities brokerage license to develop Bitcoin-backed credit products and tokenized securities in Japan's regulated market. The move signals a strategic shift from passive Bitcoin accumulation to building an active Bitcoin-focused financial platform.
Lawson, Japan's third-largest convenience store chain, will test accepting the JPYC yen-pegged stablecoin at its Tokyo Takanawa Gateway City location beginning early August, with merchant services provided by Netstars.
China imposed new export controls on 40 Japanese entities, including defense contractors and research institutes, citing concerns about Japan's 'remilitarization.' The move escalates tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
Sakana AI unveiled Fugu and Fugu Ultra on June 22, 2026, a multi-agent orchestration system that coordinates multiple AI models to match performance of leading models like Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos without training its own frontier model. The approach aims to reduce single-vendor dependency in enterprise AI deployments.
A bear that wandered into Utsunomiya, a city of 500,000 people north of Tokyo, was captured Tuesday after its first-ever sighting in the municipality prompted officials to close all 94 primary and secondary schools for several days. The incident reflects a broader rise in bear encounters across Japan.
