Overview
- Severe summer rains caused widespread road flooding in Chiba, leading to multiple vehicle entrapments, confirmed fatalities and ongoing searches while JR East suspended service on the Kogota–Ishikoshi segment of the Tohoku Line.
- The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism warned that when water reaches a car’s door bottom the outside pressure can prevent doors from opening and urged drivers to avoid flooded roads and exit vehicles early if inundation occurs.
- The bereaved parents of 17‑year‑old Chika Takeishi delivered an urgent request to Doshisha’s governing body seeking public disclosure of the independent verification framework after a third‑party report found safety‑duty failures but did not review the program’s appropriateness.
- Three city council factions in Yokohama jointly demanded Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka’s resignation following a third‑party finding of power harassment, while the mayor has apologized but signaled he intends to remain in office.
- Regulatory and police actions are progressing: the Japan Boxing Commission suspended Yasuhiro Yakushiji’s license until February 12, 2027, amid criminal charges over forged adoption documents, and Fukuoka police warned residents about suspicious doorstep visits by a man claiming to be a waterworks worker.