Japan's parliament has raised the age of sexual consent to 16 from 13, a limit that had remained unchanged for more than a century and was among the world's lowest, amid calls for greater protection of children and women. (ABC)

Sweltering weather prevailed across western and eastern Japan on Friday with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in many parts. (NHK)

Japan's parliament on Friday enacted a law to create a pool of funds to cover part of a substantial increase in defense spending to protect the country against security threats from its neighbors. (Kyodo)

Japan's 10-year government bond yield weakened and 10-year futures rose on Friday after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged. (Reuters)

A legal battle between Zoom, the U.S.-based video conferencing system, and a Japanese audio equipment manufacturer of the same name has turned into a quagmire. (Nikkei)

Japanese comedian Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura, who was the first Japanese to advance to the finals of the popular British audition program "Britain's Got Talent", held a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday. (NOJ)

JR Tokai has decorated the Yaesu Central Exit ticket office of Tokyo Station and part of the wall near the slope inside the Yaesu Central South Exit ticket gate of the Tokaido Shinkansen with art works produced by artists with intellectual disabilities, TV Asahi reports. (NOJ)

Japan's Defense Ministry says North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles that may have dropped in the country's exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, in the Sea of Japan. (NHK)

Godzilla stands guard outside Toho Studios, the largest film studio in Japan, which produces around 60 movies and dramas a year. (NOJ)

ABEJA, which develops AI = artificial intelligence, has been listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, TV Tokyo reports. (NOJ)

An American woman has been located after mysteriously vanishing for over a week while traveling in Tokyo with a friend. (the-sun.com)

Japan’s lower house on Tuesday approved proposed legislation aimed at “promoting understanding” of LGBTQ issues but campaigners criticised the bill for its watered-down language. (straitstimes.com)

Kabuki fans can again buy reasonably priced tickets to see one act of the traditional Japanese drama at a theater in Tokyo. (NHK)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday that he will not dissolve the Lower House for a snap election during the current parliamentary session, ending months of speculation on whether he would call an election while his approval ratings are relatively high. (Japan Times)

A 35-year-old man in Japan has been arrested after stealing about 1,500 Pokemon cards worth 1.15 million yen, according to local media reports this week. (straitstimes.com)

Tokyo's board of education has issued a notice asking school officials to warn students against becoming dependent on generative AI when doing homework over the summer vacation. (NHK)

A theme park in Tokyo based on the Harry Potter movies was shown to the press today, ahead of its opening to the public on Friday. (globalconstructionreview.com)

Two Self-Defense Forces members died and another was seriously injured after being shot by a trainee member with a rifle at an SDF firing range in Gifu, central Japan, on Wednesday, police and other sources said. (Nikkei)

Mr Kishida has announced a major plan to stem the country's falling birth rate. (CNA / NHK)

Toyota plans to make an all solid-state battery as part of its ambitious plans for battery electric vehicles, the company said Tuesday, amid mounting criticism Japan’s top automaker needs to do more to fight climate change. (AP)

Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT operator OpenAI, told Japanese students on Monday that artificial intelligence technology will evolve further. (The Japan News)

Japanese messaging app operator Line will withdraw from the online brokerage business that it ran as a joint venture with securities giant Nomura Holdings, the companies announced on Monday, as they battle a low profitability outlook stemming from intense competition. (Nikkei)

Japan's more powerful lower house passed a contentious bill on Tuesday to promote understanding of sexual minorities, paving the way for enacting the legislation by the end of the current parliamentary session through next week. (Kyodo)

Japan's benchmark Nikkei gauge surged on Tuesday, closing over 30,000 for the first time in 33 years, led by technology shares on expectations of a flood of investment in chip-related companies. (marketscreener.com)

Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan but it's often overlooked by tourists from downtown Tokyo. (King Kogi)