Overview
- Abashiri City and partner organizations will start independent drift-ice observations around Jan. 10 after the regional meteorological office ended visual checks, following a Jan. 6 methods briefing at Tentosan Observatory and the Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum.
- Otaru recorded 33 centimeters of snowfall on Jan. 8, and the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory warned the Shiribeshi area could see blizzard conditions on Jan. 11–12.
- Kushiro Police on Jan. 8 arrested Ryui Saito, 21, on suspicion of abducting a minor and committing non-consensual sexual assault in Makubetsu, with the investigation continuing.
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul and newly inaugurated New York City Mayor Mamdani announced a plan on Jan. 8 to make childcare for 2-year-olds free in the city.
- The Japan Sumo Association set opening-day bouts for the Jan. 11 tournament, including yokozuna Da no Sato vs. Ichiyamamoto and yokozuna Hoshoryu vs. Wakamotoharu, with no absences among juryo or higher; Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki is expected to declare a third-term run around Jan. 10, according to local reports.