Timeline for July 2025

1

Roadside land prices, which are used for calculating inheritance and gift taxes, rise 2.7% on average, increasing for the fourth consecutive year. One of the factors is the rise in demand for housing and hotels for international visitors in urban areas and resorts.

3

An earthquake of level 6 lower on the seismic intensity scale is recorded on Akusekijima in the Tokara Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture. More than 1,000 tremors with a seismic intensity of 1 or more are recorded from June 21 to July 3. On July 4, voluntary evacuations from the islands begin.

The Night of Baba Yaga, translated from Ōtani Akira’s Baba Yaga no yoru by Sam Bett, wins Britain’s CWA International Dagger for translated crime fiction, becoming the first Japanese book to receive the award.

6

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive in Mongolia for a visit lasting until July 13. During their stay, they attend the opening ceremony of the Naadam traditional sports festival.

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on their way to watch the horse race event at the Naadam sports festival on July 12, 2025. (© Jiji)

9

The Ground Self-Defense Force begins relocation of its Osprey transport aircraft to Saga Prefecture as part of moves to strengthen defense of Japan’s Nansei islands, including Okinawa.

10

The National Police Agency announces tightened rules for converting driving licenses issued abroad into Japanese documents. The test drivers must pass to receive a Japanese license will be made more difficult, with 50 questions rather than the current 10, with a requirement to answer 90% correctly.

11

Japan and China begin negotiations on the resumption of exports of Japanese beef to China, which were suspended in 2001 due to an outbreak of BSE.

12

The Air SDF Blue Impulse team performs an acrobatic display over the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai venue on July 12 and 13. There have been more than 10 million visitors to the Expo since it opened in April.

Spectators watch Blue Impulse aircraft perform in the skies over the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai venue on July 12, 2025. (© Jiji)

14

Tsuruho Yōsuke of the Liberal Democratic Party resigns as chair of the House of Councillors Budget Committee after a comment during a campaign speech on July 8 that it was “lucky” that there had been an earthquake in the Noto Peninsula.

15

Nissan announces that it will end vehicle production at its Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, at the end of fiscal 2027 and at the Shōnan plant of its subsidiary Nissan Shatai in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, at the end of fiscal 2026.

16

A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma, who was detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of espionage, is sentenced to three years and six months in prison.

It is announced that there are no winners for either the Akutagawa Prize or Naoki Prize. This is the sixth time for this situation to occur and the first for 27 years.

Canadian convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard announces the withdrawal of its takeover offer for Seven & I Holdings.

18

The Kanazawa branch of Nagoya High Court acquits Maekawa Shōji in a retrial concerning the murder of a junior high school girl in Fukui in 1986, stating that the witness testimony was not reliable. Previously, Maekawa was convicted and he was serving a prison sentence.

Maekawa Shōji smiles at a press conference following the retrial in which he was found not guilty. (© Jiji)

20

The ruling coalition of the LDP and Kōmeitō wins just 47 seats in the House of Councillors election, falling short of the 50 it needs to maintain a majority. The coalition is now a minority in both lower and upper houses. Smaller parties the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseitō make notable gains.

21

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru states his intention to continue as LDP president and prime minister, citing the need to take responsibility as the leader of the largest party to prevent political paralysis. He reiterates his intention at a meeting of LDP lawmakers on July 28, despite calls for him to step down.

22

Kansai Electric Power announces that it will restart geological surveys with the aim of building a next-generation reactor at its Mihama Nuclear Power Station in Fukui Prefecture.

Tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States end in agreement. From August 1, the United States will impose 15% tariffs on Japanese imports (down from the previous announcement of 25%). Additional tariffs on automobiles and parts, which had been 25% from April, are halved; in combination with the base duty of 2.5%, they now amount to 15%. Japan promises to make a huge investment of ¥550 billion in the United States and to open up its automobile and rice markets.

US President Donald Trump posts on social media about the tariff agreement with Japan. (© Jiji)

25

The Junglia Okinawa theme park opens in the north of Okinawa’s main island. It stretches across 60 hectares, with extensive natural forest and 22 attractions.

A dinosaur attraction at Junglia Okinawa. Photograph taken on July 22, 2025 (© Jiji)

29

Tokyo Electric Power Company announces that full-scale removal of melted nuclear fuel debris from the no. 3 reactor at its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station will not begin until fiscal 2037 at the earliest. This may delay the completion of the plant’s 2051 target for decommissioning, set together by the government and TEPCO.

30

Following an 8.7-magnitude earthquake off Kamchatka, Russia, the Japan Meteorological Agency issues tsunami warnings for the Pacific coast from Hokkaidō to the Kii Peninsula, as well as the Izu and Ogasawara Islands. The tsunamis are initially forecast to reach heights of up to 3 meters; a 1.3-meter tsunami is observed in Kuji, Iwate. There are major transport disruptions, including long suspensions of service on coastal train lines.

The JMA announces that the temperature in Tanba, Hyōgo, reached 41.2º Celsius, setting a new record for the highest ever temperature measured in Japan.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: From left, Sanseitō leader Kamiya Sōhei, the LDP’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, and Democratic Party for the People leader Tamaki Yūichirō. © Jiji.)