Japan's prime minister has officially expanded the coronavirus state of emergency to cover 8 more prefectures where infections are spreading rapidly. (NHK)

NHK has learned that Japan's government and the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant plan to release treated water from the facility into the ocean through an undersea tunnel. (NHK)

Japanese authorities have lifted evacuation orders for thousands of households after a tropical storm hit the northeast of the country. (NHK)

The Olympic flame has reached the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building after a 4-month journey across Japan. (NHK)

Japan aims to hike its 2030 renewable energy target as part of efforts to slash emissions, according to draft documents released Wednesday, but activists described the planned goal as "disappointing". (AFP)

Australia's softball side have opened the Tokyo Olympics with a crushing 8-1 loss to Japan in Fukushima, where the mercy rule was invoked. (ESPN)

A giant puppet named Mocco has arrived in Tokyo carrying messages from the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan. (NHK)

Police in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he strangled and stabbed his 26-year-old wife at their apartment on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Three monuments that symbolize the effort to recover after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan have been unveiled ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (NHK)

Solar power will overtake nuclear power as the cheapest source of energy for Japan in 2030 due to the latter's ballooning safety measure costs following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, a government estimate showed for the first time Monday. (Kyodo)

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has proposed a way to determine the safety of treated water that is to be released into the ocean. (NHK)

Some 11% of people in Japan do not want to receive vaccinations against the coronavirus despite progress on COVID-19 inoculation programs, a nationwide survey showed Monday. (Japan Times)

I recently went to Fukushima, Japan, specifically a place called Ouchi Juku (大内宿）, a preserved bed town from the Edo period. (Ulysses Aoki)

Carlos Ghosn, the auto-executive-turned-fugitive who plotted a brazen escape from Osaka in December 2019 following his arrest by Japanese authorities on charges of financial misconduct, has denounced what he calls Japan’s darker side — its legal system. (arabnews.com)

The operator of the Mihama nuclear power plant on the Sea of Japan coast says it will restart an aging reactor next Wednesday after a 10-year suspension. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 49-year-old man for sexually assaulting and strangling a woman he met on a social networking site. The suspect also possessed a knife at the time and used it to threaten his victim. (Japan Today)

A senior member of a Japanese nongovernmental organization fighting climate change has been picked for this year's Goldman Environmental Prize. (NHK)

On this 3-day road trip, we explore the best of what Fukushima Prefecture has to offer. (japan-guide.com)

Singapore has removed its remaining import restrictions on food from Fukushima Prefecture imposed in the wake of the 2011 nuclear disaster, Japan's farm ministry said. (Japan Today)

Police in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he doused his home with oil and set his wife on fire. (Japan Today)

The operator of the Mihama nuclear power plant on the Sea of Japan coast has started loading nuclear fuel into an aging reactor. (NHK)

A new deep-ocean record has been set for a scientific drilling operation. (BBC)

An aging nuclear reactor in central Japan will be restarted in late June, becoming the first unit to operate beyond the government-mandated 40-year service period under new rules set after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the operator said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Three major earthquakes have struck offshore Sendai and Fukushima, Japan, in the past three months. (temblor.net)

There are concerns over the link between obesity and the severity of COVID-19 infections, with Fukushima Prefecture having 4th highest incidence of metabolic syndrome in Japan. (JapanNutrition.com)