A Prefecture That Tells Japan’s Story.
A special long-form introduction to Gifu’s history and demographics leads 15 further reports on business, science, society, sport and culture—16 original stories altogether.
Discover Gifu: 150 Years of History, Changing Demographics, Remarkable People and Extraordinary Places
From Nobunaga’s castle to Shirakawa-go, an in-depth journey through the 1876 union of Hida and Mino, Gifu’s shrinking and aging population, industry, notable lives and remarkable places—and what they reveal about Japan’s future.
The lead artwork is an AI-generated editorial illustration inspired by Maekawa Senpan, not a documentary photograph or historical original.
Read the lead report →Monday, November 9, 2026 · JST · JAPAN.co.jp
Four Featured Stories
Communities · Technology · Sports · Culture
Gifu News Briefs: Ten Other Developments
Ten verified developments across Gifu not covered in the main 16 reports, each with a concise explanation and source.
Read News Briefs →Gifu Prefecture · Special Report
NOV 9 · 1 FEATUREBusiness & Economy
Nov 9 · 3 reports
From Gifu to Tokyo: Valor's First Store Tests a New Kind of Supermarket
Born in the regional city of Ena in 1958, Valor has finally brought its flagship supermarket formula to Tokyo. Opening-day crowds are one thing; winning the capital’s weekly food shop is another.
Seino and Japan Post Share More Than 10,000 Freight Runs as Japan Rethinks Its Delivery Network
Two national freight systems are beginning to use the same trucks, depots and delivery routes. Behind the milestone lie a driver shortage, 150 years of postal history, the economics of empty capacity and the hard work of keeping regional Japan connected.
Five Established Gifu Companies Turn to Startups to Find Their Next Businesses
An automotive supplier, a 145-year-old newspaper, a global components maker, a specialty-paper merchant and a plastics manufacturer are looking outside their walls. Their proposed partnerships offer a revealing test of how regional Japan can innovate without discarding its industrial past.
Science & Technology
Nov 9 · 3 reports
A Missing Genetic Brake: Gifu Researchers Link Paternal DIO3 Loss to an Infant Thyroid Disorder
A baby’s initial thyroid screening did not trigger follow-up. Months later, hormone levels fell without the expected regulatory response. A rare paternal chromosome deletion offers a clue to why—and highlights the careful limits of a single-patient discovery.
The Bolt Behind the Robot: A Gifu Factory Seeks a Role in Physical AI Manufacturing
Robots may learn to move through artificial intelligence. Whether they can be built affordably, maintained safely and operated reliably depends on a different set of skills. A Gifu plant with four decades of automotive fastener manufacturing is looking for startup partners to bridge that gap.
Thirty Teachers, One AI Travel Planner: What a Gifu Workshop Reveals About Japan’s Next Classroom
A travel-planning assistant is a manageable classroom exercise. An AI agent trusted with students’ work, schedules or private records is something else entirely. A teacher workshop in Gifu offers a useful window into what Japan’s schools are—and are not yet—ready to automate.
Communities
Nov 9 · 3 reportsThe Ground Gives Way Again in Gifu: Nakatsugawa Confronts Abandoned Lignite Mines
A rice field collapsed in Nakatsugawa in November, months after another reported depression in the same locality. Official records reveal the history of lignite mining and a restoration system that now faces another test.
Beyond the Factory Gate: Gifu Plans Its Next Multicultural Future for 80,000 Foreign Residents
With 80,766 foreign residents and 47,534 foreign workers counted in separate official surveys, Gifu is reassessing a policy that reaches far beyond factory recruitment—into schools, healthcare, language access and public safety.
Hida’s Winter Road Warning: Why Summer Tires Can Strand Travelers in Japan’s Snow Country
Gifu police and regional officials are trying to prevent cars on summer tires from disrupting the mountain roads around Takayama and Shirakawa-go. The risks are measurable, the equipment requirements are real, and the solutions begin before a traveler rents a car.
Sports
Nov 9 · 3 reports
Two 2–1 Wins, One Bigger Ambition: Seino Pursues a Summer–Autumn Baseball Double
After winning Japan’s 2026 Intercity Baseball Tournament, Gifu’s Seino reached the autumn championship quarterfinals with consecutive 2–1 wins. Its November 8 game awaits verification.
From Two Players to a Koshien Nomination: Reitaku Mizunami’s Baseball Rebuild
Once down to two club members and a combined team, a Gifu high school rebuilt its baseball program and reached the prefectural final eight. Its reward is a nomination—not yet qualification—for Japan’s 2027 Spring Koshien tournament.
Beyond the Paralympics: Gifu SHINE Brings Wheelchair Basketball to 268 Students
A November 13 school program for 268 students brings a local wheelchair basketball team into a Gifu gym. The story extends from the club’s community roots to the demanding rules of the sport and the legacy of Tokyo 2020.
Culture
Nov 9 · 3 reportsBeyond Hokusai’s Moving Waves: Gifu’s Immersive Ukiyo-e Show Reopens a Door to History
Gifu’s temporary immersive exhibition draws on more than 300 ukiyo-e works and over 50 prints held by the museum, while a separate renovation revives the permanent galleries. The deeper question is what moving pictures can teach us about the printed past.
LiSA Returns to Gifu as Nōhime: A Pop Star, a Sengoku Procession and the History Behind the Festival
For its 70th edition, Gifu’s Nobunaga Festival has invited local-born singer LiSA to portray Nōhime opposite actor Yuki Morinaga. Behind the November 8 spectacle lies a city’s reinvention, a little-documented historical woman and the global reach of Japanese music.
How Hida and Mino Became Gifu: The 150-Year-Old Merger That Surprised a Province
In August 1876, three mountainous Hida districts were transferred from the abolished Chikuma Prefecture to Gifu. A local official recorded his astonishment. An archival exhibition reveals how the modern prefecture took shape—and why an administrative boundary still matters 150 years later.
Art Choice · Maeda Seison
1885–1977 · Gifu / Nakatsugawa
Maeda Seison: The Gifu-Born Painter Who Reimagined Japan’s Warriors, Birds and History
Born in a Gifu post town in 1885, Maeda Seison became a defining figure of modern nihonga. His monumental Yoritomo in a Cave, probing studies of cormorants and radiant plum blossoms reveal an artist who made the old tradition newly alive—and helped preserve Japan’s ancient painting heritage.
Read the artist feature →AI-generated editorial illustration inspired by Maeda Seison; not an original painting by the artist.
From the Previous Edition · Six More Reads
Originally published November 8, 2026
Six selected features published in the November 8 edition. These are archival carryovers, not new November 9 reporting; evolving results and event schedules reflect the earlier publication.
Japan’s Emergency Cyber Defense Plan: Can New Measures Protect Companies?
Government emergency measures announced amid a wave of cyberattacks raise questions about how protection reaches companies of different sizes.
Sushiro’s Global Growth Plans: The Challenge Behind an ¥831 Billion Sales Goal
FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES outlines its ambitions for overseas expansion, capital investment and the supply chains needed to support them.
Can AI Learn the Order of Events? A Thermodynamics View of Language Models
University of Tokyo research explores the mathematics of irreversible sequence generation, without claiming that models understand language as humans do.
Japan’s Population Decline: What a New Strategy Means for Local Communities
Schools, transport, jobs and health care all face hard decisions as policymakers grapple with a shrinking population.
Japan’s U-17 Women Fight Back to Reach the World Cup Final
A late equalizer against North Korea and a penalty-shootout win set up a championship showdown, as reported in the November 8 edition.
Ryo Narita Wins Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival
The festival’s awards highlight an actor’s performance and the wider exchange of international filmmaking in Tokyo.
Weather & Horoscope
November 9–11
The 15 original Gifu news stories and Maeda Seison Art Choice feature AI editorial illustrations inspired by Seison. The prefecture-profile lead illustration is inspired by Maekawa Senpan. None are documentary photographs or original historical artworks.
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