In this week’s news roundup we report on the power outage that has left thousands of commuters on the Yamanote, Keihin-Tokuku and other lines stranded. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito join forces. Akira Ogawa wins the Maebashi Mayoral election despite the recent love hotel scandal. An anti-racism march takes place in Saitama. And Ai, a genius chimpanzee known for her cognitive abilities, sadly passes away. 

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East Japan Railway Announces the Stoppage of Trains on the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Lines 

It was a bad start to Friday for thousands of commuters in Tokyo as East Japan Railway announced the stoppage of trains on the busy Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines in all directions. Other lines have also been impacted. The company discovered the power outage at around 3:50 a.m., as workers prepared for the first trains. It has since announced that operations will resume from 1 p.m. 

Footage from the NTV network showed passengers disembarking from a Keihin-Tohoku train stranded between stations after the line briefly resumed operations. Shortly before 8 a.m., a fire was reported on the tracks near Tamachi Station, where both train lines stop. Flames were reportedly seen coming from a transformer in the track area. According to NHK, the fire was mostly extinguished around 30 minutes later.

Prime Minister Takaichi To Call A Snap Election for February 

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election after this year’s ordinary parliamentary session convenes next Friday. Shunichi Suzuki, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Hirofumi Yoshimura of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP),  the coalition partner of the LDP, told reporters of Takaichi’s intention on Wednesday. The prime minister will explain her decision at a press conference on Monday. 

According to Suzuki, the LDP’s goal is to “at the very least secure a majority” of seats in the 465-member chamber. The ruling coalition regained its majority in the Lower House last November after a trio of Japanese independent lawmakers agreed to join the in-house group of the LDP.  In the Upper House, though the ruling coalition remains in the minority. The election is expected on February 8.  

CDP and Komeito Launch New Party Ahead of Snap Election 

Ahead of the Lower House election, two opposition parties have decided to join forces. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the Komeito party aim to unite as a centrist force to take on the conservative ruling camp. The former is the country’s largest opposition group, while the latter partnered with the LDP in its ruling coalition until last October. Together, they have 172 Lower House seats. 

“This is a chance for centrist forces to become centered in politics,” said the CDP President Yoshihiko Noda. Tetsuo Saito, Chief Representative of Komeito, added,  “In the midst of division and conflict around the world, as well as the rise of the ultra-right and extreme left, it’s important to unite those who stand in the middle.” They are considering naming the new party Chudo Kaikaku Rengo (Centrist Reform Union). 

Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa gave a campaign speech on January 10 before her Reelection (public blurred) | Wikimedia

Maebashi Mayo Akira Ogawa Reelected Despite Love Hotel Visits 

Akira Ogawa is once again the mayor of Maebashi, less than two months after stepping down from the role. The 43-year-old defeated four other candidates in Monday’s election, which means she will serve the remainder of her original four-year term that is due to end in February 2028. She won with a total of 62,893 votes, around 10,000 more than runner-up Akira Maruyama. 

Ogawa was forced to step down in November 2025 after weeks of controversy over repeated visits to love hotels with a married employee. She said she wasn’t having an affair with the man, however, she did admit to visiting hotels with him on several occasions. When asked how many times they visited hotels together, Ogawa replied, “I didn’t keep detailed records, but it was more than 10 times.”

Anti-racist demonstrators marched in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture on Sunday | Image via mkimpo_kid on X

Visits Protesters March in Saitama To Counter Anti-Kurdish Sentiment 

On Sunday, demonstrators marched in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, to condemn the right-wing hate campaign aimed at local Kurdish people. According to organizers, approximately 1,200 people walked 5 kilometers from JR Kawaguchi Station to JR Nishi-Kawaguchi Station. Some online, however, have questioned that figure, claiming the actual number was lower. The event, organized by the citizens’ group “Gochamaze Kawaguchi,” came after a series of anti-Kurdish protests in the city. 

Kurds have been living in Saitama since at least the early 1990s, receiving little national attention until 2023. However, anti-Kurdish sentiment has been rising significantly in the prefecture since then. Tensions erupted following a street brawl in July of that year involving over 100 Kurds outside Kawaguchi Medical Center. A few months later, a Kurdish man was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, leading to far-right protests.

Image: Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University

Japan’s Genius Chimpanzee Ai Dies Aged 49

The Kyoto University’s Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior announced this week that Ai, a genius chimpanzee known for her cognitive abilities, died on January 9, 2026, of old age and organ failure. She was 49. The renowned chimpanzee, who could recognize letters of the alphabet and kanji characters and learned that Arabic numerals could represent numbers, was surrounded by staff at the time of her passing. 

Ai, which means love in Japanese, was born in 1976 in the Guinean Forests of West Africa. Sold to the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University (KUPRI) just over a year later, she was the first subject of the Ai project, a research program launched by Kiyoko Murofushi and Tetsuro Matsuzawa. The aim of the project was to better understand chimpanzee cognition through computer interface experiments.

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Updated On January 16, 2026