Overview
- JR West announced on June 22 that regular services for the iconic 500-series on the Sanyo Shinkansen will end on January 13, 2027, with occasional special runs continuing until service fully stops by July 2027.
- JR West also said its T5 Doctor Yellow inspection train will cease operation in January 2027 and that track and equipment checks will be carried out using diagnostic gear installed on newer revenue trains.
- The Cabinet Office IP Strategy Office and the Fair Trade Commission published guidance on June 22 to make contracting between content commissioners and creators fairer and to require commissioning parties to pay for out‑of‑scope rework or cancellations.
- Hyogo prefectural police plan to seek the arrest of a Japan‑national suspected ringleader of a Cambodia‑based ‘fake police’ phone‑scam ring after Thai authorities detained him and prepare to transfer him to Japan for questioning and charges.
- The Ministry of Health held a June 22 ceremony marking 30 years since the leprosy prevention law was abolished and reported that 551 residents remain in 13 national sanatoria with an average age of about 89 years.