A test of self-driving bus services organized by the transport ministry kicked off at a michi no eki roadside rest area in Tochigi Prefecture on Saturday. (Japan Times)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former organized crime member who is the suspected leader of a fraud ring operating in the Kanto area, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)
Japanese supermarket chains are trying to lure elderly shoppers, by offering mahjong parlors, health counseling, and other services specifically for these customers. (NHK)
An elderly woman sorting trash at an onsen hot springs resort area in Kaga City found 20 million yen, police said on Monday, reports Jiji Press (Aug. 15). (tokyoreporter.com)
Ibaraki Prefectural Police have re-arrested a 56-year-old female hairdresser for allegedly burying the corpse of an elderly male acquaintance who went missing in Naka City earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an 83-year-old man who has a reputation for picking people’s pockets at large events, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)
In the past several weeks alone, elderly Japanese drivers have been wreaking havoc across the country: breaking through median barriers into oncoming traffic, ploughing over pedestrians crossing the road, and smashing into other cars. In all these cases, somebody was killed. (afr.com)
Japan's severe labor shortage is at levels last seen about a quarter-century ago, states a government white paper presented to the Cabinet on Friday which also highlights the country's need to resolve the issue in order to achieve sustainable economic growth. (Japan Times)
Legendary Japanese physician Shigeaki Hinohara, an advocate of healthy aging, has died at the age of 105. (NHK)
A former millionaire nicknamed the "Black Widow" over the untimely deaths of her lovers admitted poisoning her last partner at her trial this week in a multiple murder case that has gripped Japan. (theguardian.com)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation following the death of an elderly man who was found collapsed in a bathtub in his residence in Suginami Ward on Friday, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)
Japan's Meteorological Agency has lifted an emergency heavy rain warning for the western prefecture of Shimane after torrential rains caused by a front weakened. (Japan Times)
Japan's Meteorological Agency says 2 major earthquakes have hit about an hour apart. One struck the northern island of Hokkaido and the other was in the southern island of Kyushu. (NHK)
A 70-year-old woman dubbed the "black widow" for allegedly murdering her husband and common-law partners with cyanide, pleaded innocent Monday at the first hearing of her trial at the Kyoto District Court. (Japan Times)
Japanese companies are increasing hiring of full-time employees as they scramble to secure workers amid a labor shortage, raising hopes that the tight demand will translate to higher wages. (Nikkei)