The UK and Japan will allow military forces to be deployed to one another’s territory, as Tokyo expands bilateral cooperation with other US allies amid concerns about China’s rise. (business-standard.com)

HelloFresh staff in Japan were among the last in the company to be made aware operations there were ending, according to a senior source. (The Grocer)

Japan has put on hold the release to the sea of treated but still radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant after factoring in the progress of a single-purpose tunnel and the need to gain public support. (The Daily News)

Investigative sources say Tokyo police have searched several locations linked to a Diet member over allegations that he defamed and intimidated prominent figures on his YouTube channel. (NHK)

Many countries are imposing tighter border controls on arrivals from China, where the coronavirus is running rampant. But authorities in Beijing are now going tit-for-tat. They have suspended the issuance of visas for citizens of South Korea and Japan. (NHK)

The Japanese government has requested that drugstores and other retailers take steps to prevent hoarding of fever medications and painkillers used to treat the symptoms of COVID-19. (Nikkei)

Japan's weather bureau said on Wednesday that there was a 70% chance the La Nina phenomenon will end and normal weather patterns will return by the end of the northern hemisphere winter. (Reuters)

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing Co Ltd on Wednesday said it would raise wages by as much as 40%, in a high-profile sign that Japan’s rock-bottom salaries may be starting to budge after decades of deflation and cost-cutting. (financialpost.com)

Young women in colorful kimonos and and smartly-dressed men celebrated Coming-of-Age Day at ceremonies across Japan on Monday. (Japan Today)

Japan's health authorities are reporting record-high deaths from the coronavirus, with over 400 people succumbing each day. (NHK)

Train service on part of Tokyo's Yamanote Line resumed early Monday morning after large-scale renovation work was carried out at Shibuya Station over the weekend. (NHK)

The U.S. is finalizing plans to extend its security umbrella for Japan into space, seeking to protect satellites crucial in military surveillance and operations, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

The New Year Grand Sumo tournament opened in Tokyo on Sunday. This tournament has only one yokozuna, the highest rank, and a single ozeki, the second highest, on the ranking list. (NHK)

A bomb threat has forced a passenger plane operated by budget carrier Jetstar Japan to make an emergency landing at an airport in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. (NHK)

Japan's Finance Ministry says it is more than doubling the coupon rate on 10-year government bonds amid a rapid rise in market yields. (NHK)

The suspect in the deaths of three family members last month at a residence in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, has denied killing them, police said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said on Wednesday that her government will provide benefits of approximately 5,000 yen ($38) per person per month to residents of Tokyo aged 18 or younger to help cover the cost of their education. (Nikkei)

Japanese employees returned to work on Wednesday (Jan 4) after celebrating the first three days of 2023 by travelling and having family gatherings, as eased restrictions allowed a gradual return to normalcy following two years of muted celebrations. (CNA)

Top Japanese cosplayer Enako earned over 200 million yen (approximately $1.5 million) in revenue for 2022, according to her manager. (nextshark.com)

Taking advantage of the vast cash pile generated by the success of its COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax, US mRNA therapeutics and vaccines specialist Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) today announced its first out-right acquisition since its launch in 2020. (thepharmaletter.com)

The Sony-Honda electric vehicle alliance unveiled a new brand and its prototype car on Thursday while also announcing a partnership with U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm on intelligent mobility technology. (Japan Times)

Traders at Tokyo's Toyosu wholesale market held the first auction of 2023 on Thursday to sell raw and frozen tuna from ports around Japan and abroad. (NHK)

With the New Year comes to the kabuki world the season of the "early spring" performances, filled with auspicious and celebratory works and dances, and including four major shows in the capital (Kabuki-za, Shinbashi Enbujō, National Theatre and Asakusa Kōkaidō) and one Tamasaburō dance recital in Osaka. Happy New Year to everyone! 明けましておめでとう！ (Kabuki In-Depth)

This time I took the luxury overnight express bus from Osaka to Tokyo. (At JAPAN)

Japan said on Monday it scrambled jet fighters and dispatched aircraft and warships over the past two weeks to keep tabs on China's Liaoning aircraft carrier and five warships that conducted naval maneuvers and flight operations in the Pacific. (Japan Today)