News picks

Violent Typhoon No. 30 is expected near the Sakishima Islands on 23–24 October, with heavy rain possible in Kyushu and on the Sea of Japan side this weekend. JMA forecast, new warning levels, and steps to take before the wind picks up.

Many Japanese websites and apps went into emergency maintenance on the night of October 21, 2026, to install a critical PHP security fix. Which services paused, when they plan to reopen, and what users and site owners should check.

Japan’s food makers raised prices on 3,153 products in October 2026. The liquor tax changed on 1 October: beer down ¥9.10 per can, happoshu and new genre up ¥7.26, chu-hai up ¥7. What comes next, including the planned 1% food tax from April 2027.

Japan's police recorded ¥236 billion in scam losses from January to August 2026, up 33%. The biggest types: investment and romance scams that start on social media, and fake police calls. How they start, a free call-warning app, and #9110 in English.

Japan raised the basic deduction to ¥1.04 million for total income up to ¥4.89 million in 2026. Monthly tax does not change; the difference comes back in the year-end adjustment. Dependant limit rises to ¥1.36 million salary. What to check if you leave Japan before December.

Japan's minimum wage rises to a national average of ¥1,177 an hour, but 22 prefectures only switch between 8 October and 2 December 2026. See every start date, what counts as pay, and where to ask in English.

Amazon Japan's Prime sale runs 13–19 October 2026, and fake Amazon messages copy the real ones. How to check in the Message Centre and order history, plus fake government survey calls.

The ¥3.50/kWh government discount ended with September usage. Major power companies' model bills rise by about ¥800–¥1,600 on the November bill. What changed, when you will see it, and what you can do.

From 1 December 2026, Docomo raises the monthly fee on older plans such as eximo, Gigaho and irumo by ¥110 to ¥550, and ahamo becomes a three-step plan from 40GB for ¥3,135 with an automatic 40GB cap. What changes, who is affected, and what to check before the end of November.

Tokyo Gas is raising the monthly basic charge on household city gas by ¥150 from 1 October 2026, its first price-raising revision in 46 years. It first appears on the November bill, which is also the first bill without the government’s ¥14/m³ discount. What changes, which bills, and how to read the key lines.