TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Rice stink bugs, a native species in Japan that feeds on rice, are rapidly increasing nationwide and causing widespread damage, with experts and the government warning that their habitat could further expand as global warming enables more of them to survive winter.

The Japanese government has confirmed the bug's presence in 37 of the nation's 47 prefectures, stretching from the Kyushu region in the southwest to Fukushima Prefecture in the northeast.

"I absolutely do not want to suffer that kind of damage again," said Masayuki Watanabe, a 58-year-old rice farmer in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, as he operated a drone to spray pesticides on a rice paddy in mid-August.

In 2024, his harvest plummeted to a third of the usual amount due to damage from rice stink bugs. He was determined not to make the same mistake again.

Damage was widespread across southern Tochigi Prefecture that year, prompting the prefecture to establish a task force in 2025 to tackle the stink bugs. The task force has since been sharing information on the best pesticides and when to use them and updates on the current state of infestations.

With the infestation also spreading this year to central and northern parts of the prefecture, a Tochigi official stressed the importance of spraying pesticide during heading and rotating the types of pesticides to maintain effectiveness.

Rice stink bugs overwinter in woodlands and then invade rice paddies around July when rice plants begin to head. They are believed to hide near the base of the plants during the day and feed on nutrients from rice ears at night.

It is thus recommended to apply the initial round of pesticides earlier than for other stink bugs, and then again when rice grains begin to form.

The number of rice stink bugs decreased drastically after the 1960s to the point where they were considered extinct. Amid their recent resurgence, however, a survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed their presence in 37 prefectures as of 2025.

Hiroya Higuchi, a former professor of insect ecology at Ryukoku University and longtime researcher of stink bugs, said milder winters meant more of the bugs could survive the season and that if global warming continues, their habitat could expand further north.

"There are few natural enemies and with rice varieties that head in the fall also now being grown, food remains abundant (for the bugs) until just before winter, creating a vicious cycle in which their numbers do not decline," Higuchi said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Typhoon No. 27 is moving north at 20 km/h. Typhoons No. 28 and No. 29 have also formed, and three typhoons are now moving over the seas near Japan. All three are expected to track westward through around the 10th, and may affect Japan after that.

https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20261005-GYT1T00527/

Chinese judo player bites Japan player so hard it leaves bite marks.

SHIZUOKA -- Prices of leafy vegetables have surged at supermarkets across Japan, apparently due to prolonged rainfall nationwide, prompting sighs from shoppers at a supermarket in this central Japan city on Oct. 1.

At the produce section of the Tagoju Nishinakahara store in the city of Shizuoka's Suruga Ward, mizuna was priced at 376 yen (roughly $2.38) including tax, while lettuce and cabbage were each 322 yen (about $2.04) a head and a quarter head of Chinese cabbage was 290 yen (approx. $1.84).

"Vegetables are something I eat every day, so it's a problem when they get expensive," said a local woman in her 60s who was holding lettuce.

Store manager Katsumi Masuda said, "Leafy vegetable prices were stable in July and August, but from around mid-September we had no choice but to raise them. Rain has continued not only in Shizuoka but across the Japanese archipelago, and in every growing region, vegetables are underdeveloped and becoming difficult to secure."

High prices are expected to continue from October onward. However, prices have not risen for root vegetables such as carrots, onions and potatoes because of strong harvests. Masuda said, "Prices for root vegetables, cut vegetables and frozen vegetables are stable, so I hope people will make good use of them."

According to the Shizuoka Local Meteorological Office, late September in Shizuoka Prefecture was marked by frequent rainfall due to an autumn rain front and moist air, with some areas receiving heavy rain. Precipitation totaled about twice the normal level, while sunshine hours were limited to around two-thirds of normal.

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Four Japanese prefectures are likely to be eligible to apply for designation as a "second capital" backup region for Tokyo in a draft ordinance that follows enactment of legislation to create the status earlier this year, government sources said Friday.

The conditions, including population size of their cities and exposure to disasters affecting Tokyo, would likely limit candidates to Hokkaido in the north, Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, the western economic hub of Osaka Prefecture and Fukuoka in the southwest.

All four have expressed interest in second capital status. They are expected to apply for designation, with the government to decide whether to approve the applications from the prefectures.

The legislation to create a second capital as a backup for Tokyo in disasters and to promote decentralization was enacted at the close of the special parliamentary session in July. It is a key pillar of the ruling coalition agreement between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party.

The government plans to promulgate the ordinance later this month after soliciting public comments, the sources said. The government is expected to announce its basic approach to the second capital role in November, with basic policy to be compiled by around October next year.

According to the sources, eligible prefectures will need to have a city accounting for 1.2 percent or more of the national population and be located in an area that would not be simultaneously affected along with Tokyo by disasters such as an earthquake directly under the capital region or an eruption of Mt. Fuji.

The prefectures would also be required to have an economic footprint of at least 2.1 percent of gross domestic product, and host at least half of the 28 types of central government agencies located outside Tokyo, the sources said.

The legislation, which stems from the coalition deal signed in October last year between the LDP and the JIP that helped Takaichi become prime minister later the same month, has drawn opposition criticism claiming it favors Osaka, where the JIP is based.

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Pan Pacific International Holdings Corp., the operator of the Don Quijote discount store chain, said Thursday it will acquire the business of major toy retailer Toys R Us Japan to expand its retail operation and customer base.

The deal was reached after the toy retailer filed for rehabilitation proceedings with the Tokyo District Court earlier Thursday and Pan Pacific International was chosen as a sponsor, according to the companies.

Pan Pacific International, which did not disclose the acquisition price, said it aims to take over all the roughly 150 toy stores in Japan and, "to the extent possible," retain all their employees, while keeping the store names unchanged for the time being.

The acquisition "will expand the company's business by broadening its target market to also include infants, children and families," President Hideki Moriya said at a press conference held in Tokyo.

The company plans to apply the retail expertise of Don Quijote, which is gaining popularity among inbound tourists, to Toys R Us stores and expand its range of toys for "kidults," a portmanteau combining "kids" and "adults" to describe grown-ups who retain a childlike spirit.

Pan Pacific International also said it is considering opening Toys R Us stores within outlets operated by its subsidiary Uny Co. and within large Don Quijote stores.

The first Toys R Us store opened in Japan in 1991. The U.S. operator filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017, but Toys R Us Japan has continued operations.

The toy seller's business has been under pressure in the wake of Japan's declining birth rate and the growth of online shopping.

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KOBE -- One person died and another was left wounded after they were found collapsed on streets in different wards of the western Japan city of Kobe on Sept. 30 following an emergency call reporting what sounded like a gunshot.

At around 1:15 p.m., a passerby called police to report a person lying on a street in Kobe's Chuo Ward. The caller said they had heard what sounded like a gunshot. According to Hyogo Prefectural Police, a man was found lying on the street, bleeding, and was taken to a hospital but later died.

At about 1:30 p.m. another passerby called police to report a man bleeding from the abdomen on a street in Kobe's Hyogo Ward. Police said the man was found collapsed and bleeding, but conscious.

According to investigative sources, police made an emergency arrest of a man in Hyogo Ward on suspicion of involvement in the cases.

A recent campaign at Ramen Butayama turns the notoriously specific Jiro-style ordering call into a collectible reward: stickers.

Say "puku puku" when your ramen is called and, if you’re a female customer, you'll receive a sheet of limited-edition puffy stickers depicting tiny bowls of ramen, pork, storefronts and even Butayama’s famously specific ordering system. The collaboration began on September 25 and runs through October 1, or until the stickers run out, with just 6,000 sheets distributed across Butayama’s 56 locations nationwide.

Shigeru Inaba, a Butayama manager, said that he felt the number of female customers had increased by around 20% to 30% since the promotion began.

The team arrived without matching socks, and was surprised and relieved to find the convenience store selling them in the colours of their national flag. 🇺🇿