PUMA has released a new brand campaign video titled "Unstoppable, Break Through," showcasing a lineup of top Japanese athletes who are under contract with the brand and excel in their respective sports.

LISA of the globally popular K-pop group BLACKPINK updated her Instagram on the 1st, sharing photos of herself in a swimsuit, which has since garnered a lot of attention.

The sending of New Year cards in Japan over the last 45 years has dwindling to less than half, a historic low since the beginning of an annual survey.

The Japanese economy in 2023 had two distinct features. Macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP and employment, were broadly in good shape. But economic trends that are unsustainable kept worsening, raising concerns about Japan’s future economic stability. (East Asia Forum)

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Tokyo Disneyland is taking a walk down memory lane with precious footage of visitors through the ages.

A breakthrough has been made in the grisly discovery of a body found in a suitcase in Tama River, near Haneda Airport, with police identifying the victim as 46-year-old Yuiji Hara, whose occupation remains unknown.

As year-end travel hits full swing, an ongoing strike by Jetstar Japan crew over unpaid wages has led to the cancellation of 17 flights in Japan, affecting over 2,600 people.

Twenty years ago, five universities in Japan were among the world’s top 100, according to an annual compilation by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. The University of Tokyo led the contingent in 19th place, with Kyoto University 30th. (science.org)

In this 2-Day Trip we explore some undiscovered parts of Tochigi Prefecture. (japan-guide.com)

The Simpsons is one of the most beloved animated properties worldwide, with 36 dubs and translations of the longest-running American animated series airing internationally. (cracked.com)

This year has seen the highest number of food price increases in Japan in 30 years, with over 30,000 items jacked up.

The Japanese government has approved, in place of the prefectural government, ground improvement work as part of a project to relocate a US Marine base in Okinawa Prefecture. (NHK)

Friday marks the peak of the New Year travel rush, as people head to their hometowns or vacation spots to celebrate the end-of-year and New Year holidays. Congestion is expected in the air, on railways, and on highways.

In September 2023, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology nominated Tohoku University as a candidate to be a 'University for International Research Excellence' (UIRE). This program is supported by Japan's 10 trillion yen (US$68.7 billion) University Fund (UF). (East Asia Forum)

The Tokyo stock market finished trading on Friday at its highest year-end level in 34 years.

JAPAN’S nuclear power regulator on Wednesday (Dec 27) lifted an operational ban imposed on Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant two years ago, allowing it to work towards gaining local permission to restart. (Business Times)

A Japanese court has ordered the central and Tokyo Metropolitan governments to pay damages over the wrongful arrests and detention of three people suspected of involvement in what they considered to be illegal exports. (NHK)

The labor union of budget airline Jetstar Japan continues its strike over unpaid wages, threatening to spill into the New Year holiday season as negotiations with the company break down.

A 27-year-old woman who turned herself in to police has been arrested on suspicion of abandoning the body of her newborn baby.

A group of international researchers including Japanese professors says it found a huge cliff in deep waters near the epicenter of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. (NHK)

As crowds flock to their hometowns and holiday spots for the New Year, the Nozomi service on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen line, running between Tokyo and Fukuoka, started operating entirely with reserved seating from December 28 until January 4.

A move by Japan to provide Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine will have "grave consequences" for Russia-Japan ties, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. (CNA)

Japanese boxing superstar Inoue Naoya has become the second person in the sport's history to win all four major titles in two weight divisions. (NHK)

NHK has learned that five senior members of the Abe faction in Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party have said they did not know that part of the revenues from fundraising parties were not recorded in the faction's political funds reports. (NHK)

A Vietnam Airlines aircraft that experienced a cracked cockpit window during a flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, landed safely at Narita Airport on Tuesday afternoon, temporarily closing the runway for inspection.