Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani earned his fifth win after he struggled on the mound but went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer in a 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. (Kyodo)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of killing a woman in her 30s at a brothel where she worked. (Japan Today)

Fans of idols belonging to Johnny & Associates Inc., one of Japan's most powerful talent agencies, said Thursday they have submitted a petition with around 16,000 signatures demanding that the firm investigate allegations of sexual abuse by its late founder Johnny Kitagawa. (Kyodo)

World Rugby has changed the name of its group of elite national teams from "Tier 1" to "High Performance Unions" and included Japan in the new men's 11-member group, the Japan Rugby Football Union said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday its net profit fell 14.0 percent in fiscal 2022 from the previous year to 2.45 trillion yen ($18 billion), the first decline in four years due to rising material costs. (Kyodo)

Almost one in two young people in Japan have had suicidal thoughts, a Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization said in a survey, calling for greater public awareness to prevent suicide. (Kyodo)

Japan imported a record 155.2 billion yen ($1.2 billion) worth of marine products from Russia in 2022, data from the Finance Ministry showed Friday, highlighting the country's continued reliance on Moscow for its seafood supply despite a deterioration of relations over the war in Ukraine. (Kyodo)

A 25-year-old member of the riot police assigned to the prime minister's official residence has died after apparently shooting himself in a toilet on Friday morning. (Japan Today)

The government’s annual Cool Biz energy-saving campaign for late spring and summer kicked off across Japan on Monday. (Japan Today)

Police in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, have arrested a 25-year-old unemployed woman who ran in the city’s assembly election last month, on suspicion of obstructing business after she posted on Twitter that she would attack Funabashi Station with sarin nerve gas. (Japan Today)

A 29-year-old woman in Osaka was arrested Monday on suspicion of assaulting a man, who was later confirmed dead, by pouring hot water on him at her home the previous day, police said. (Kyodo)

FIBA Basketball World Cup co-host Japan must raise its level of play against "difficult" Group E opponents Australia, Germany and Finland, men's national team head coach Tom Hovasse said following Saturday's draw for the tournament. (Kyodo)

Just 0.8 percent, or 15, of the 1,836 companies listed on the top-tier Prime Market on the Tokyo bourse were headed by women as of the end of January, according to credit research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd, reflecting the struggle among major businesses to embrace diversity in management. (Japan Today)

After conquering multiplexes across the world, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” made its homecoming to Japan on Friday, in a film the video game’s creator says has given the iconic character a more human personality. (Japan Times)

Kirin Holdings Co. said Thursday it will buy Australian health food company Blackmores Ltd. for AU$1.88 billion ($1.24 billion) to expand its health-related business in the fast-growing markets of the Asia and Oceania regions. (Kyodo)

A woman in her 60s was beaten by a man wielding a bat outside a convenience store in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, on Thursday. (Japan Today)

Japan is making arrangements to bring forward the lifting of its current COVID-19 border control measures to Saturday in anticipation of an increase in overseas travelers during the Golden Week holidays, government sources said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japan will aim to attract 100 trillion yen ($750 billion) worth of foreign direct investment by 2030, and more foreign talent and remote workers known as "digital nomads," as part of its drive to boost economic growth and global competitiveness, the government said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Fifty-six-year-old Japanese football icon Kazuyoshi Miura made his debut for Oliveirense in the Portuguese second division on Saturday. (Kyodo)

A Harry Potter theme park was unveiled in Tokyo at a media preview ahead of its scheduled opening on June 16, park operator Warner Bros. Studios Japan LLC. said Monday. (Kyodo)

A man in his 50s, believed to be the owner of a ramen noodle shop in Kobe, western Japan, was apparently fatally shot there on Saturday, said police, who are investigating it as a murder case. (Kyodo)

A man attacked two elderly women with an ax in Hino, western Tokyo, on Friday night and fled the scene, police said. (Kyodo)

Police in Shibata, Miyagi Prefecture, said a 54-year-old man was fatally stabbed outside the front door to his house on Monday. (Japan Today)

A woman has died and a man has been left seriously injured after a large tree landed on a tent they were sleeping in at a campsite west of Tokyo on early Sunday, police said. (Kyodo)

Divers have recovered the wreckage of a missing military helicopter, along with the bodies of five of the 10 people on board, off the coast of Japan. (BBC)