The impact is especially pronounced in Japan, which the United Nations has classified as a " super-aged" society —meaning at least 20 percent of the population is over 65. In Japan, that figure is close to 30 percent. Newsweek reached out by email to Japan 's Foreign Ministry with a request for comment.

A record 13 people have been killed by bears so far this year. Canada, the U.S. and several other nations have issued warnings for citizens traveling in Japan.

Firefighters and army helicopters battled a fire that burned through old wooden houses in a fishing town in southwestern Japan.

An off-the-cuff remark by new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that triggered Japan's biggest bust-up in years with powerful neighbour China was not meant to signal a new hardline stance.

Tension between Japan and China has escalated over the new Japanese leader's suggestion Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing attacks Taiwan.

Firefighters and army helicopters are battling a fire that has burned through a neighborhood in southwestern Japan and forced more than 170 people to evacuate.

Japan's government will include temporary payouts to families with children in a planned stimulus package that will likely exceed 20 trillion yen ($127 billion), the Asahi newspaper reported on Thursday.

TOKYO >> An increasing number of local governments are toughening regulations on private lodging businesses, known as minpaku, which offer private homes and condominiums as accommodations for international tourists.