Overview

• After the Supreme Court annulled the 2013–2015 welfare cuts, an MHLW expert panel held its second meeting on Aug. 29, heard plaintiffs seek full restitution and an apology, and signaled a possible decision by year-end on who qualifies and how much to pay.
• National Police Agency figures show 40,913 people living alone were found dead at home in January–June 2025, a year-on-year rise of 3,686, with 11,669 discovered eight days or more after the estimated time of death.
• A Chiba nursing-care medical facility in Narita was found through recordings and ex-staff accounts to have abused residents with verbal assaults and possible violence; the operator acknowledged abuse and failed to file the required report, and the city is investigating.
• Yomiuri Shimbun published a verification on Aug. 30 admitting it misidentified a Tokyo prosecutors’ target in an Aug. 27 front-page story and announced penalties including two senior editors returning 30% of pay for two months, the social news editor’s reassignment, and seven-day suspensions for desk staff and the reporter.
• Suzuka City in Mie required welfare applicants to empty wallet coins for inspection despite no rule permitting wallet checks, drawing expert criticism for degrading dignity, and separately police officials are considering Anti‑Stalker Law revisions to enable warnings without a complaint and to cover misuse of Bluetooth tracking tags.