Overview
- NHK reported four fishing-boat crew members were confirmed dead after a cargo ship collision off Misawa, with the Japan Transport Safety Board launching an accident probe.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the Upper House budget committee the government will secure alternative crude oil and other sources if Iran-related disruptions persist.
- Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito moved to restore a two–vice-governor structure by selecting two department heads, with assembly approval pending after a vacancy since a 2024 resignation.
- The Fair Trade Commission recommended corrective measures against auto parts maker Matsuo Seisakusho, finding Subcontract Act violations for forcing raw‑material price increases onto suppliers and unpaid storage of 759 tools, including about ¥44.95 million in added payments.
- Tokyo prosecutors used a judicial plea bargain to obtain internal documents in the 2024 IDI special-breach case ahead of a March 19 trial start, and police separately arrested a Vietnamese woman suspected of collecting cash in a ¥289 million investment fraud in Tokyo.