Japan will lower the statutory speed limit on certain residential roads from 60 kilometers per hour to 30 km/h from September 1, with police in Hyogo Prefecture urging drivers to familiarize themselves with the new rules and drive more carefully in neighborhood areas. (News On Japan)

A new large ferry linking Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture with Otaru in Hokkaido has been unveiled ahead of its first voyage on September 1, offering spacious passenger facilities and a journey time of about 21 hours. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out at a shopping arcade near Ise Jingu in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on the afternoon of August 31, sending red flames and thick black smoke into the air as firefighters continued battling the blaze with no immediate prospect of bringing it under control. (News On Japan)

A tropical depression south of Japan is expected to develop into Typhoon No. 24 by September 1 and could approach the Japanese archipelago later in the week, raising the risk of renewed warning-level rainfall and widespread flooding in Hokuriku and heavy rain in the Kanto and Tokai regions. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks ended mixed on August 31, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,311.93, down 93.63 points, or 0.14%, after briefly plunging more than 1,500 points in early trading, while the broader TOPIX rose 9.58 points, or 0.23%, to 4,156.29 for its eighth straight gain. (News On Japan)

About one in three unmarried young people in Japan say they have no intention of marrying, according to the first large-scale survey of young people conducted by the Children and Families Agency, with financial insecurity emerging as the biggest perceived obstacle to marriage. (News On Japan)

Japan’s benchmark long-term interest rate briefly climbed to 2.95% on August 31, its highest level in about 30 years, as investors sold government bonds on expectations of further Bank of Japan rate increases, rising U.S. yields and concerns over the outlook for government spending. (News On Japan)