Overview
- The Cabinet approved a draft amendment on Friday that would make land purchases within roughly 1,000 meters of Self‑Defense Forces bases and other security‑important facilities subject to prior government permission.
- The bill would render unauthorized transactions void and create criminal penalties of up to three years in prison or a fine of up to ¥3,000,000 to deter covert or strategic acquisitions.
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry officials visited Kushima City on Friday to explain a literature survey for possible high‑level radioactive waste siting and local leaders said they were surprised because no formal request had been made.
- The Imperial Household Agency is finalizing procedures, including a possible new ceremony, ahead of the revised Imperial House Law taking effect on Oct. 24 to mark male‑line adoptions from former imperial branches that would create new imperial family members.
- Local consequences of recent disasters and national attention on sports persist: Kumamoto’s Hinagu district has lost its only supermarket after July’s quakes leaving more than 6,000 people with reduced access to groceries, and professional drafts on Oct. 22 featured 14‑year‑old Rentaro Seki taken by the Yomiuri Giants and pitcher Sena Hoshino picked first by DeNA.