The pandemic has caused many, especially young people and women, to consider escaping cramped, overpriced, and overworked lifestyles in greater Tokyo and moving to rural areas. The government supports this trend, which it hopes will help close Japan’s urban-rural population and income divide.

Two death row inmates are suing the Japanese government over same-day notifications of executions. Retaining capital punishment makes Japan, like the US, an outlier among developed nations, and the practice of not informing prisoners until the day of their hanging has been a particular target of criticism.

More schools in Japan are letting female students choose either uniforms with a skirt or with pants, while proposals for unisex uniforms are also being considered. Increased options are seen as having practical benefits, as well as accommodating non-gender-conforming students or those with body image issues.

In two cases, in 2017 and 2019, an engineer and a salesperson at top automaker Toyota took their own lives due to on-the-job pressure including so-called “power harassment” by superiors. The company’s failure to rein in abusive bosses points to wider issues with Japan’s workplace culture.

A government source said on Wednesday that Princess Mako and her boyfriend Kei Komuro plan to have a low-key wedding by the end of the year. She will likely decline a lump-sum payment that is usually given to royal women upon their departure from the household.