Japan Timeline for August 2026

New Rules for Foreign Residency

2

Golfer Kuwaki Shiho wins a sudden-death playoff to claim the Women’s Open, her first major title. She is the seventh Japanese woman to win an LPGA major.

Kuwaki Shiho celebrates after clinching the Women’s Open title at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Britain. (© AFP/Jiji)

3

Minister of Finance Katayama Satsuki announces that the ministry conducted a currency intervention together with the US Treasury Department on July 31, marking the first joint intervention by the two countries since 1998.

4

The Immigration Services Agency publishes a draft revision to its guidelines on permanent residency for foreign residents, which would newly require applicants to have an income exceeding the average for Japanese households and an estimated pension payout equivalent to 30 years’ enrollment in the public pension program.

Speed skater Takagi Miho receives the People’s Honor Award. Before her retirement earlier this year, she won 10 Olympic medals, the highest total for any female Japanese athlete.

Takagi Miho receives her People’s Honor Award from Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. (© AFP/Jiji; pool photo)

5

The government approves a plan to cut the consumption tax on food from its current rate of 8% to 1% for two years from April 2027.

6

Hiroshima marks 81 years since the city’s atomic bombing with a ceremony at which Mayor Matsui Kazumi warns about an international shift away from nuclear disarmament.

7

The government designates the earthquake that struck Kumamoto in July as a disaster of extreme severity, expanding state subsidies for restoring agriculture and local infrastructure.

The J. League kicks off, having realigned its schedule to coincide with those of major European leagues. The season will run until June 6 next year.

Actress Kishi Keiko, known for appearing in films including What’s Your Name? and Kwaidan, dies at the age of 93.

Kishi Keiko in April 1990. (© Jiji)

8

Former Toyota President and Keidanren Chair Okuda Hiroshi dies at the age of 93. Under his leadership, Toyota launched the Prius, the world’s first hybrid vehicle.

Okuda Hiroshi. (© Jiji)

9

At a ceremony marking 81 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Mayor Suzuki Shirō states that nuclear weapons are “an absolute evil.”

11

Japan successfully launches the ninth flight of its H3 rocket. It is the first H3 to carry a functional satellite since a failed launch last December.

13

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Etorofu Island in the Northern Territories, which are Russian-controlled islands also claimed by Japan. Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae protests, stating that “The islands are an inherent part of Japanese territory.”

Record-breaking torrential rain in Chiba Prefecture leads the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue an emergency warning. The downpour traps people in vehicles on flooded roads, and there are 13 fatalities.

14

Avant-garde artist Kusama Yayoi dies in Tokyo from multiple organ failure at the age of 97. She was internationally acclaimed for her polka-dot imagery and pumpkin sculptures, and was a recipient of the Order of Culture.

Kusama Yayoi in September 2013. (© Jiji)

15

Japan marks 81 years since the end of World War II with a ceremony in central Tokyo. While Emperor Naruhito expresses “deep remorse” for the war, Prime Minister Takaichi does not use the word “remorse” (hansei) in her speech.

18

Representatives at an international conference agree to raise the catch quota for large bluefin tuna weighing 30 kilograms or more by 25% starting in 2027, based on a proposal by Japan. The move could lead to lower prices, including the effect of imports.

The US government announces sanctions against International Criminal Court President Akane Tomoko. The ICC responds by saying the action puts the international legal order itself at risk.

20

Four workers are killed after being hit by a limited express train on Tōbu Railway’s Nikkō Line at Shin-Kanuma Station in Kanuma, Tochigi. The train driver said that he received a signal from a lookout that it was clear to proceed while workers were spraying herbicide on the tracks.

21

The Ministry of Justice announces the execution of Takami Sunao for a 2009 arson attack at an Osaka pachinko parlor that killed five people. It is the first execution since June 27, 2025, and the first under the Takaichi government.

23

Miura Riku and Kihara Ryūichi, who won the gold medal performing together in the pairs’ figure skating at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, announce their engagement.

25

The government announces new fees for residency status procedures for foreigners. As of October 1, the cost to renew or change a status of residence will rise from a uniform ¥6,000 to between ¥10,000 and ¥75,000, depending on the duration granted, while the fee for receiving permanent residency status will increase from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000.

27

The JMA issues emergency rain warnings for municipalities in Toyama and Ishikawa Prefectures. Torrential rainfall leads to rivers flooding and inundation of residential areas. On August 30, the JMA issues warnings for municipalities in Fukui Prefecture as well.

Construction equipment partially submerged after heavy rain in Himi, Toyama, on August 27, 2026. (© Jiji)

31

The yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds rises, as prices fall, reaching 2.950% at one point, its highest level since October 1996.

Leaders of the Centrist Reform Alliance, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Kōmeitō announce the end of plans for the parties to merge. The CRA was originally formed to unite the two latter parties, with lower house members joining this new group. However, upper house and local members will not follow, and lower house members will return to their original parties.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: A vehicle in a flooded convenience store parking lot in Ōamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture on August 14, 2026. © Kyōdō Images.)