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July 12, 2026
 

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YASHIO

About 748 kilometers of sewer pipes in Japan, roughly 16% of those inspected, have been found to require countermeasures due to risks such as cave-ins, prompting the infrastructure ministry to call for immediate repairs.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2026
Hundreds of kilometers of Japan’s sewers classified as needing action
The infrastructure ministry will ask 383 municipalities and organizations managing the sewer pipes to take immediate measures.
A makeshift bridge built over a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Wednesday as the road that collapsed in January 2025 was partially reopened to traffic
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Saitama road affected by sinkhole partially restored
The January incident covered a six-way intersection and left a truck driver dead.
Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono speaks to reporters on Thursday after receiving the final report from the investigative committee in the city of Saitama.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2026
Pipe corrosion confirmed as cause of 2025 Saitama sinkhole
A committee concluded that the emergence of the sinkhole was not necessarily predictable.
The construction site at the location of a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2026
Saitama sinkhole remains open a year after forming
Work to fix the hole, caused by a sewer pipe rupture underneath an intersection, is expected to take at least five to seven years to complete.
A construction crew works at the site of a massive sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, in February.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2025
Saitama sinkhole attributed to hydrogen sulfide corrosion
Hydrogen sulfide was detected in corroded concrete fragments recovered from the accident site.
A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
May 19, 2025
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
A tragic accident in Saitama shows how aging pipes, soft soil and climate threats are straining the country’s infrastructure.
Firefighters see off a vehicle carrying a body recovered from a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on May 2.
JAPAN
May 14, 2025
Body in Saitama sinkhole identified as that of truck driver
The body was found on May 2 after the truck fell into the sinkhole created at the center of an intersection in the city of Yashio on Jan. 28.
Workers stand around a vehicle carrying the body of a person recovered from a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
May 2, 2025
Truck driver’s body recovered from huge Japan sinkhole after three months
A road in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, caved in during morning rush hour in late January while the 74-year-old man was driving his truck on it.
The site of a cave-in incident in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Jan. 30
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2025
Over 20% of Japan’s water pipes are past their service life
The proportion of pipes in operation for over 40 years is expected to reach around 70% by fiscal 2042.
The site of a sinkhole in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday as recovery work continues.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2025
A month on, still no timeline for Saitama sinkhole restoration work
With efforts to find a driver who fell in expected to take about three months, there is no concrete timeline in place on when such work can begin.
Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono on Tuesday announces the decision to apply the disaster relief law to the city of Yashio in Saitama Prefecture, where a cave-in occurred that trapped a truck and its driver.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2025
Truck cab confirmed in sewer pipe at Saitama sinkhole site
The company that owns the truck that fell in identified through drone footage that the metal object was a part of the vehicle.
The site of a sinkhole at a crossroads in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2025
Saitama sewer rupture expected to take years to repair
Repairs lasting at least two to three years would be necessary if the entire sewer needs to be replaced.
The sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Feb. 3
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2025
Saitama sinkhole search for missing driver shifts to sewer pipe
No clues to the missing driver’s whereabouts were found on Sunday, and authorities have decided to shift the search due to safety concerns.
The sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Wednesday. It has expanded since the initial collapse on Jan 28.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2025
Truck cabin found in sewer pipe in Saitama sinkhole rescue operation
Despite the development, the truck’s 74-year-old driver remained missing as of Thursday morning.
A site where a road collapsed in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, swallowing a truck, is seen on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2025
Japan plans to strengthen water infrastructure after major road collapse
The move comes after it is believed a damaged sewer pipe caused a sinkhole to open up in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Jan. 28.
Construction workers near a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday
JAPAN / Society / EXPLAINER
Feb 3, 2025
Why it’s taking so long to reach the driver trapped in a Saitama sinkhole
The biggest challenge for the operation, now in its seventh day, is that the sinkhole continues to expand, complicating the rescue efforts.
Rescuers on Thursday continue to try and free a truck driver after his vehicle plunged into a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, earlier in the week.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2025
Residents near Japan sinkhole urged to evacuate
The growing sinkhole in Saitama Prefecture could be the result of corroded sewerage pipes, according to local authorities.
A slope (left) is built at the intersection of a sunken road in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture on Saturday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2025
Slope built to reach man trapped in sinkhole in Saitama
Firefighters will now launch a full-scale effort to find the 74-year-old driver as soon as preparations are made.
According to the land ministry, damaged wastewater pipes caused 2,600 sinkholes in the year from April 2022, though most of them were less than 50 centimeters deep.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 31, 2025
Aging sewer systems could create sinkholes anywhere in Japan, experts warn
Damaged wastewater pipes caused 2,600 sinkholes in the nation in fiscal 2022.
A sinkhole at an intersection on a road in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Thursday morning
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 31, 2025
Heavy machinery to be deployed in bid to save man trapped in Saitama sinkhole
To stabilize the site and facilitate rescue efforts, crews are excavating a 4-meter-wide, 30-meter-long ramp to deploy heavy equipment and clear debris.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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