Japanese supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co. on Sunday closed its store in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, that is known as the model for the "Sato-Kokonokado" store that appears in the popular anime series "Crayon Shin-chan."

The town of Kibichuo in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, on Monday started blood tests for residents after PFAS, potentially carcinogenic chemicals, was detected at a local water purification plant.