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Japan's decision to skip the upcoming UN anti-nuclear weapons meeting has sparked controversy, with the government citing the importance of nuclear deterrence as the reason for its absence. This stance has drawn criticism from various groups, including the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nihon Hidankyo, who argue that the government should prioritize nuclear disarmament and join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Japan's state-of-the-art public supercomputer, ABCI 3.0, specialized for artificial intelligence research, began operating on Jan. 20 at the AIST Kashiwa campus in Chiba Prefecture. Boasting a computational ability three times that of Fugaku and seven times that of its predecessor ABCI 2.0, the 36-billion-yen investment is intended to support universities, research institutions, and startups in pioneering advanced AI development.

Japanese stocks witnessed their largest weekly foreign outflow in nearly five months, totaling 1.04 trillion yen ($6.95 billion), driven by a stronger yen, rising inflationary concerns, and uncertainties over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies. The Nikkei share average hit a five-month low of 37084.44 on Friday, dragged by chip-related stocks after Nvidia's strong growth forecast failed to lift sentiment.

Russia has permanently banned nine Japanese citizens, including Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, from entering the country in retaliation for Japan's sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict. This follows similar bans on other Japanese nationals and reflects Moscow's use of entry restrictions against countries opposing its actions in Ukraine.

A Tokyo-based startup, FLH Inc., in collaboration with Yamagata University, developed "Nelax," a weighted sleep mask designed to induce deeper short sleeps through the application of moderate weight around the eyes. Clinical tests showed that this weighted mask significantly increased the proportion of deep, non-rapid eye movement sleep compared to traditional masks.