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BriefPulse Japan

A useful daily read on life, travel, and change in Japan.

15 September 2026

2 published today · 11 in the edition

Top story · Report

Bank of Japan set to raise policy rate to 1.25%, a level last seen in April 1995

The Bank of Japan is set to raise its policy interest rate to 1.25% next week, The Japan Times reports. The rate last stood at that level in April 1995.

Report12 September 20261 min read

Policy rate: 1.25% %
Original graphic: drawn from the figures in this story, not a stock image.

Latest

Change to plan around

Rules for travellers

Life in Japan

Guides worth keeping

Bringing medicines into Japan: what to check before you fly

Japan enforces strict anti-stimulant and drug laws that cover some ordinary medicines, and there are limits on how much medicine you may bring for personal use. Check your own medication before you book, not at the airport.

For Anyone flying to Japan with prescription medicine, an inhaler, allergy or cold remedies, codeine-based painkillers, or a condition that needs a steady supply of medication.

Flying a drone in Japan: registration, zones and permissions

Japan requires registration of unmanned aircraft of 100 g or more, bars flight around airports and over densely inhabited districts without advance permission, and asks for a flight plan and a logbook when you fly under that permission.

For Visitors and residents who want to fly a camera drone in Japan, and small production crews planning a shoot outside a studio.

First steps when an earthquake, tsunami or typhoon hits Japan

What the Japanese alerts actually mean, what to do in the first minutes, and which English-language sources to keep on your phone. Built from JNTO's traveller safety service, the Japan Meteorological Agency and our own reporting.

For Visitors and new residents who want a workable plan for Japan's earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and heavy rain rather than a vague sense that the country is prepared.

Japan, once a day

What changed in Japan, what it costs, and what to plan around — one email, no filler.

Sent on days when there is something worth your time; quiet days are skipped.

  • Everyday life and cultural change
  • Travel and transport with a practical consequence
  • Cities, food, and useful discoveries
  • Policy and economy, explained for readers

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