Japan in July 2026: the most important developments in society
Japan in July 2026 was dominated by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture in the south-west of the country, which struck on July 27 to 28. A shopping centre collapsed, a tsunami alert was issued for Kyushu, and rescuers pulled survivors from the rubble while hospitals struggled to cope. At least 13 people were reported dead on July 28 and 29, and the toll rose to 34 by July 30 and 35 by July 31. Around 9,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centres. Rescue work was made harder by extreme heat and aftershocks, and survivors faced thirst and disrupted services. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke of a race against time to reach those trapped. Foreign governments offered support, and Osaka sent water trucks and portable toilets to the area.
Weather was the second theme. Typhoon Bavi hit the Sakishima Islands and Okinawa around July 10 and 11 with violent winds and heavy rain. Earlier in the month, heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in Kyushu, and a landslide in Tochigi Prefecture killed one person on July 19. After the rainy season ended, a severe heatwave followed: heatstroke alerts covered much of the country, Tokyo recorded 261 heatstroke hospital admissions, a five-year high, on July 21, and temperatures passed 40 degrees Celsius on July 22. Tokyo encouraged office workers to wear shorts.
Population and immigration were the third theme. Data showed the number of Japanese nationals fell below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, the largest decline on record, and a quarter of municipalities lost more than 10 percent of their residents. The government tightened entry rules for tourists and workers and planned stricter permanent residency rules, which foreign residents said they feared. Protests drew about 27,000 people outside parliament on July 10 and 25,000 in Tokyo on July 20, and Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites received UNESCO World Heritage status on July 26.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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