{
  "id": 7282756,
  "title": "Japan's permanent residency rules and summer flu: Our 5 most-read stories from last week",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/japans-permanent-residency-rules-and-summer-flu-our-5-most-read",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T09:00:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260914/p2a/00m/0na/008000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last week, The Mainichi news site saw a flurry of attention for five of its most popular stories. The top story garnered the interest of 16.3% of its regular readership. This piece focused on a Vietnamese eatery near Tokyo train stations, suspected of being involved in illegal stimulant distribution. The news has left regular customers in shock.\n\nIn a shift in policy, Japan's Immigration Services Agency plans to tighten the guidelines for granting permanent residency. This revision of rules has been met with criticism, as it could potentially bar many long-term foreign residents from obtaining permanent status in their adopted home. The changes appear to disregard basic human rights and should be revoked.\n\nThe Mainichi Shimbun delved into the puzzling early summer influenza outbreak in Japan. The number of reported cases at medical institutions has already surpassed the usual epidemic threshold by late August. The article answers several common reader questions about this unusual occurrence.\n\nForeign investment in Japan's used-car market has surged recently, driven by the yen's historic weakness. As the value of the Japanese currency weakened, foreign buyers saw this as a golden opportunity. The competition with local buyers has intensified, pushing prices up significantly.\n\nA recent poll revealed an alarming statistic about low-income households in Japan. Nearly a quarter of families with elementary school-aged children living on less than 6 million yen (around $38,200) did not engage in any experiential activities over the span of a year. This figure is nearly three times higher than the rate among higher-income households.",
  "summary": "We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between September 5 and 13. The first story",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}