As elderly people in Japan become increasingly more isolated, Osaka Prefecture has launched an initiative to promote social participation using artificial intelligence (AI) designed to learn users' interests and concerns, with an adorable Shiba Inu "Dai-chan" taking center stage.

Chinese internet users have rallied behind a yakiniku restaurant in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, after it was ordered by authorities to remove a sign saying, "No Japanese Allowed."

Takafumi Horie, Fukuoka-born entrepreneur and founder of Livedoor, is set to assume the role of chairman at the radio station 'CROSS FM' in Kitakyushu City.

Julie Fujishima, the boss of Japan's biggest boyband agency, finally stepped down after admitting for the first time on Thursday that its late founder sexually abused young stars. She even apologised to the victims. (WION)

The Sendai District Court has sentenced the 53-year old Japanese YouTuber Shinobu Yoshida to two years in prison with a five-year suspended sentence and a one million yen fine for sharing Steins;Gate gameplay videos and a Spy x Family anime video. (animecorner.me)

A 31-year-old monk from one Kyoto's national treasure temples, Sanjusangen-do, has been arrested for allegedly intruding into a women's restroom at a train station with the aim of taking voyeuristic images.

ギャンブル産業は急速に成長しています。ほんの数十年前までは、実店舗のカジノで現物の紙幣やコインを使ってギャンブルをするのが唯一の選択肢だった。 (newsonjapan.com)

An employee at a public bathhouse in Kyoto has been arrested for secretly filming women while they were naked in the changing room.

Policymakers in Tokyo believe China's deepening economic woes could hit Japan's fragile recovery, especially if Beijing fails to shore up demand with meaningful stimulus, potentially delaying an exit from ultraloose monetary policy. (Japan Times)

An Australian male English conversation instructor has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into a house in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, and attempting to steal cash while holding an elderly resident at knifepoint.

The restaurant industry, grappling with labor shortages and other challenges, is attracting attention for its use of AI.

Japan on Thursday successfully launched a rocket with a lunar lander at its fourth attempt this year. (BBC)

Japan is monitoring foreign exchange moves with a sense of urgency and will consider timely action if the yen's moves become volatile, its top currency diplomat said Wednesday after the yen hit a fresh 10-month low against the U.S. dollar overnight. (Kyodo)

Tokyo prosecutors arrested lower house member and former parliamentary vice foreign minister Masatoshi Akimoto on Thursday on suspicion of receiving 61 million yen ($410,000) in bribes from a wind power company. (Nikkei)

On September 6, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies will host Solís to discuss key findings from her book and a panel of experts to evaluate Japan’s evolving role and its impact on the Indo-Pacific region. (Brookings Institution)

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has explained to China's Premier Li Qiang about Tokyo's position on the discharge of treated and diluted water into the sea from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK)

A number of schools across Japan are urgently seeking ways to provide meals for their students following the sudden discontinuation of lunch catering services. (NHK)

South Korea is poised to price its first yen bond in Japan. This is a move that highlights warming relations between the two countries. (Bloomberg)

Japan's Toyota Motor has unveiled the first ever SUV edition of its Century luxury model. (NHK)

Japan's famed Onbashira Festival, with its dare-devil pillar-riding event, the 'kiotoshi', is usually held every 7 years, but the giant logs were prepared at a local shrine in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, for a second year in a row.

A 14-year-old female junior high school student in central Japan was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion of attempted murder for stabbing her mother, who later passed away, with a kitchen knife.

Japan is a hotspot for strange aerial sightings centred around the ‘UFO town’ of Iinomachi, data shared by the Pentagon has shown. (MSN)

Due to a rapid increase in domestic and international tourists, the government has convened its first-ever countermeasure conference to prevent the negative impacts of 'over-tourism' such as traffic congestion and noise on the lives of local residents.

A whale shark (Rhincodon typus) was caught inside a fishing net off the coast of Tottori Prefecture over the weekend, with fishing crew members spending over an hour rescuing the endangered creature before releasing it unharmed back into the sea.

As Japan works toward a system to verify the sexual offense history of individuals working in professions involving children, the Children and Families Agency presented a draft report on Tuesday regarding the "Japanese version of the DBS" (Disclosure and Barring Service).