Overview
- Tokyo Electric Power Company postponed the planned January 20 restart of Kashiwazaki‑Kariwa Unit 6 to complete further checks after a control‑rod alarm failed to sound during pre‑restart testing on January 17.
- The new 10‑year Japanese government bond yield rose to about 2.220% on January 19, a level not seen since 1999, as investors reacted to political talk of cutting consumption tax on food and the potential for fiscal deterioration.
- Aichi Prefectural Police opened a murder‑and‑arson investigation in Toyota after an autopsy found a charred body died from asphyxiation due to neck compression, and a dedicated investigation headquarters was established.
- Authorities reported two additional public‑safety developments: Sapporo police arrested two suspected cash‑collection operatives in an attempted special‑fraud case, and the Hokkaido Board of Education said a high‑school teacher leaked contact details for 38 people by sending LINE screenshots to a consumer‑finance firm.
- FamilyMart said it will expand prize‑game installations such as crane machines to around 5,000 stores, roughly tripling the current footprint to build out "playable" convenience locations.