I'm taking Saphir Odoriko from Tokyo to Atami and trying the private compartment which is extremely hard to book. The train is operated by JR East. (Solo Travel Japan)

The Japanese government on Thursday finalized a plan to allow drivers with a standard license to offer taxi services using their own vehicle in an effort to address a nationwide shortage of taxi drivers. (Kyodo)

In an effort to boost persistent low birth rates, Japan's government has released a policy offering tuition-free university education to all families with three or more children, effective from fiscal 2025.

Audiences in Japan will finally get to see Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan's hit biopic about the creator of the nuclear bomb – following criticism that it was marketed in a way that trivialised the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (The Guardian)

Sources say Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio intends to leave the faction he heads in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party while he is serving as prime minister and LDP president. (NHK)

A man known as the "King of Toyoko" in Kabukicho, the entertainment district of Tokyo, has been arrested on suspicion of raping a junior high school girl he met in Osaka.

Four senior members of a group suspected of organizing scams and burglaries in Japan from the Philippines were served fresh arrest warrants Tuesday for allegedly orchestrating a robbery that resulted in injuries in western Tokyo last year, police said. (Kyodo)

Operators in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward of host clubs, in which male companions entertain female customers, plan to take measures to prevent clients from accumulating excessive bills. (NHK)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the results of a learning achievement survey conducted in 2022, targeting 15-year-olds across 81 countries and regions.

Companies in Japan would no longer have to pay tax on unrealized cryptocurrency gains if they hold on to the digital assets under a proposal being discussed by the country's ruling coalition. (Nikkei)

Japan's Diet has enacted laws banning the use of cannabis except for medicinal purposes. (NHK)

Japan's Justice Ministry has started a trial of using artificial intelligence to translate Japanese laws into English. (NHK)

Japan's seafood exports to China continued to fall sharply in October from a year earlier. (NHK)

JR East is offering a discount ticket for 10,000 yen that allows unlimited travel for one day, including on Shinkansen and limited express trains, available on weekdays from February 14 to March 14 next year.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced plans to effectively make tuition fees free for all high schools, including private institutions.

Tokyo is ranked for the 17th consecutive year as the city in the world with the most Michelin stars, with 183 restaurants with this distinction in the 2024 edition of the prestigious gastronomic guide. (laprensalatina.com)

Few commentators would have bet on Japan being a stand-out equity performer on any level at the start of the year, as the country grappled with the long tail of the pandemic and impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine. (investorschronicle.co.uk)

Kyoto is bracing for another influx of tourists. Next to the rollout of the city administration’s ‘mind your manners’ campaign, Kyoto has terminated its popular one-day bus pass to discourage tourists from using the city’s busses. (East Asia Forum)

American hotel chain, Hyatt, announced on Monday that it plans to open five luxury hotels and hot spring inns in Japan by 2026.

Core inflation in Japan's capital slowed in November, underscoring the central bank's view that cost-push pressures in the world's third-largest economy will gradually dissipate. (Reuters)

Nihon University has apologized for the institute's poor handling of an illegal drug case involving members of its American football club. (NHK)

A Tokyo taxi driver was arrested for deliberately driving into a flock of pigeons and killing one, police said Tuesday (Dec 5), reportedly because he was angry that the birds were on the road. (CNA)

Two men in their twenties have been charged for allegedly trespassing on the JR Utsunomiya Line tracks to photograph the sleeper express "Cassiopeia".

In a survey on names given to children born this year, "Aoi", written with the character '碧', emerged as the top name for boys for the first time since the survey began, while "Himari" retained its position as the most popular name for girls for the second consecutive year.

Dozens of Akita Inu dogs were paraded along a road in Tokyo's Shibuya ward to celebrate 100 years since the birth of Hachiko -- a male Akita that became famous for its loyalty. (NHK)