Overview
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs used final 2025 census figures to find 18 lower‑house constituencies exceed the roughly twofold vote‑value disparity benchmark, with Hokkaido’s Sapporo-based districts 1, 2 and 3 among them.
- The House electoral district revision panel said it will accelerate redistricting work to bring constituency populations closer in line with constitutional guidance and reduce the disparity that can prompt court rulings.
- Osaka City Council on September 30 unanimously approved a city motion to seek court orders and damages against a resident who made more than 600 abusive phone calls or visits to staff, with the city planning an October suit that includes roughly ¥400,000 in lost‑work compensation.
- The Transport Safety Board’s interim report on the Tokyu Den‑en‑toshi Line collision found a trainee driver was instructed to run at excessive speed during a drill, causing automatic brakes to stop the train about 23 meters short and leaving part of the train in another track’s path, and investigators are probing training safety management.
- Separate recent developments include a Yokohama apartment fire that left two people dead as police work to identify them, the Orix Buffaloes’ announcement of rookie catcher Shiyo Nogami’s death on September 30, and veteran actor Shirō Itō’s planned retirement next June.