The J1 League kicked off Friday, with eyes not only on the title race between accomplished teams such as the defending champions Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F. Marinos but also on the performance of newly promoted teams like FC Machida Zelvia and Tokyo Verdy, which is making a return to J1 after 16 years.
Rin Okabe, a popular member of AKB48 who has been selected for the group's singles 12 times, has announced the release of her first photobook on March 27th to commemorate her graduation from the group.
A Japanese maker of chip-manufacturing equipment had a strong debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, rising on its first day of trading. The listing of Kokusai Electric on the TSE's Prime market was the biggest initial public offering this year in Japan. (NHK)
One of Asia's largest tech exhibitions is set to kick off near Tokyo on Tuesday. CEATEC 2023 will feature products that demonstrate the latest uses for artificial intelligence. (NHK)
Year-long renovation work on the signboards of Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka, western Japan, has been completed. The landmark illumination tourist attraction has now improved flexibility. (NHK)
High moisture levels are causing atmospheric instability over the Kanto region centered around Tokyo and northeastern Japan's Tohoku region. (NHK)
Japanese electronics maker Hitachi says it has taken a leap forward in the race to develop next-generation quantum computers. (NHK)
Police in Tokyo on Friday charged a 34-year-old man, already under arrest on suspicion of illegally confining a 23-year-old woman and then leaving her body in a forest in Ibaraki Prefecture, with her murder in June. (Japan Today)
Japanese porn actress Rina Arano was reported missing on June 8 this year. (asiaone.com)
Police in Tokyo have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of illegally confining a 23-year-old woman and then abandoning her body in a forest in Ibaraki Prefecture. (Japan Today)
Home appliances remain in short supply across Japan due to the global semiconductor crunch and supply chain disruptions tied to Beijing's zero-COVID policy, as companies that have resumed production at factories in China say it will take time to reach normal operations. (Nikkei)
Japanese conglomerate Hitachi has put together evacuation plans for roughly 7,200 employees in Ukraine, Nikkei has learned, as the Russian invasion sets off a scramble by companies to ensure the safety of their workers. (Nikkei)
East Japan Railway has unveiled the country's first hydrogen-powered train. The firm hopes to replace its diesel models with the new design, which emits no CO2. (NHK)
Cars of the future will be heavily dependent on the internet for navigation and other basic operations. But that will also make them vulnerable to hacking attacks capable of causing serious damage. (NHK)
A government panel has retained Japan’s male-only imperial succession system despite a sharply shrinking number of men in the royal family. (seattletimes.com)
Police in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, have arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of attempting to kill his 79-year-old father at their home. (Japan Today)
The cruise business in Japan is getting back on track, with vessels gradually resume sailing with new COVID-19 safety measures in place after numerous canceled trips due to the pandemic. (Japan Times)
Japan, which Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged will become carbon neutral by 2050, is grappling with a classic “build it and they will come” problem. (Japan Times)
When Tokyo last hosted the Olympics, in 1964, the unveiling of a bullet train capable of the improbable speed of 210 kilometers an hour heralded the dawn of a high-tech era in Japan. (taipeitimes.com)
Japan’s robotics market is booming thanks to the need to avoid in-person contact amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Japan Times)
The Mito District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 36-year-old man to death for murdering his wife and five children at the family’s apartment in the city of Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 2017. (Japan Times)
Japan's top companies are joining forces as global competition over next-generation quantum technology grows more intense. (Nikkei)
A panel of experts has begun talks on addressing the shortage of heirs to the Japanese imperial throne, as a poll showed that four in five members of the public are comfortable with the idea of women becoming reigning empresses. (theguardian.com)
Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the powerful Japan Business Federation, also known as Keidanren, will step down for health reasons. Masakazu Tokura, chairman of Sumitomo Chemical, will take over on June 1, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)
Japan has finally launched formal discussions on how to secure a stable succession to the chrysanthemum throne amid a shrinking number of heirs, with options including allowing women or emperors from the maternal line to reign. (Japan Times)