Each week here at Osaka.com we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Injuries in Bus Crash “Not Life Threatening”
A bus full of schoolchildren had a lucky escape this week in Osaka. The Osaka suburb of Kawachinagano saw a serious collision involving multiple vehicles. Despite eyewitnesses reporting scattered glass and significant damage to multiple cars, no one was seriously injured.
The collision involved a school bus, a motorcycle and one other vehicle being driven by an elderly driver. That elderly driver, 67 year old Takashi Chichikawa was promptly arrested at the scene by Osaka prefectural police. Mr. Chichkawa will now face court on charges of negligent driving at a later date.
No Serious Injuries but More Questions Around Elderly Drivers
Eyewitnesses who saw the collision said it was “more by luck than by design” that no-one was killed. This incident is the latest in an ever-increasing number of traffic accidents in Osaka involving older drivers. Japan’s demographic issues are well-documented. The country’s population is getting older and fewer in number. Older citizens are working beyond retirement age and part-time work is a new norm for many.
However, even someone who is still able to work and contribute to daily society effectively may struggle with driving. The question of what to do with Japan’s surging numbers of older drivers has plagued policymakers for years now.
On one hand, younger drivers express frustration and worry at the near-daily instances of older drivers falling asleep at the wheel or running red lights because they didn’t see or hear a signal.
Some say that, regardless of age, if a person’s sight, hearing or other senses necessary for driving ae in any way impaired, they should be banned from driving.
However, this is just one side of the debate.
On the other side are those with elderly family or indeed the elderly themselves, many of whom live alone or in rather isolated rural areas. The harsh reality is, for many of Japan’s older residents, especially those outside the main cities, cars aren’t just a means to an end, they are an essential survival tool.
The debate looks set to run and run for quite some time to come.
Earthquake Jolts Osaka, No Injuries Reported
Osaka residents looking for an early night were roused from their slumber with a shock earlier this week.
The city felt the tremors of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake. The quake’s epicenter was a few hundred kilometers to the north west in Yamanashi Prefecture.
However, travel was disrupted for both tourists and Osaka’s many business travelers as the Shinkansen faced a temporary stoppage.
Thankfully services quickly resumed the following morning as safety checks ensured the line was safe to continue.
Osaka Stars Shine as Samurai Blue Reach Round 2
On a tense evening when both teams still had something to fight for, Japan managed a creditable 1-1 draw with Sweden in the final game of the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A tight first half saw the sides tied at 0-0 at the interval. However, an Osaka-inspired double act still had a hand to play.
Ritsu Doan, one of three Osaka born players in the matchday squad, found his fellow Osaka native Daizen Maeda, and the Celtic striker, Japan’s best player on the night by quite some distance, coolly slotted the ball home.
Sweden came roaring back however and soon found an equalizer. Questions will be asked about goalkeeper Zion Suzuki’s positioning for the Sweden goal. The big keeper appeared to move slowly as a somewhat speculative, long-range effort curled past him.
However, the Parma Calcio keeper redeemed himself with a string of superb stops towards the end as Sweden pushed for a winner that would have seen them leapfrog Japan into 2nd place in the group.
Up next for Japan is a last-32 clash with 5 time champions Brazil. Facing off against the likes of Vinicius Jr, Casemiro and Neymar may seem a daunting prospect to many fans and observers.
However, Japan will take some encouragement from the last time the sides faced each other, in a friendly last year. Japan recorded a historic 3-2 win over the men in yellow.
Can history repeat itself, well, we at Osaka.com certainly hope so.
And Finally
There was a moment of silence and solidarity this morning in Osaka, as a small group of earthquake survivors gathered to offer support to the victims of this week’s Venezuela earthquake. Current estimates have the death toll in the hundreds, but this is expected to rise with thousands still missing.
The message from the survivors to those in Venezuela was simple. “We send our love, our support and our prayers to all those affected by this tragedy.”
At the time of writing the Japanese government has yet to issue an official response. However, given Japan’s position as a global leader in tackling the menace of earthquakes, we expect some kind of official announcement soon.
That’s all for now, but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of This Week in Osaka!
