Sapporo is set to resume its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games, while Osaka will stay the course in its pursuit of integrated resorts, after their incumbent leaders handily trounced opponents in local elections across Japan on Sunday. (straitstimes.com)

An 18-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in a waiting room on a platform at a train station in Nagoya on Saturday night, police said Sunday, adding that a 29-year-old man suspected of stabbing her apparently killed himself by jumping from the platform into the path of an oncoming train. (Japan Today)

A body was reportedly seen floating in the waters off Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture where a military helicopter with 10 members aboard went missing a few days ago, the Japan Coast Guard said Saturday. (Japan Times)

A look the history of the Communist Party of Japan over the past 101 years (Lawarch)

The beauty of the kimono is known worldwide and is an integral part of Japanese culture, but is it socially acceptable for a tourist to wear one? (Alina Mcleod)

There are so many reasons why people all around the world dream of visiting Japan. Some desire to witness the cutting-edge technology, others come for the beautiful natural sights, and many, like us, come for the delicious food. (Chad and Claire)

Japan's Self-Defense Forces have dispatched a submarine rescue ship to join efforts to find a helicopter that went missing off the southern prefecture of Okinawa on Thursday. (NHK)

Universities are taking action regarding students’ use of ChatGPT, the Microsoft-backed interactive AI application that generates natural sentences in response to questions. (The Star)

Voting is underway in the first round of unified local elections across Japan on Sunday, with issues including child-rearing support, the fight against inflation and the revitalization of regional economies hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Japan News)

Japanese vending machines, which offer whale meat, snails-in-a-can or edible insects, have a new dish on the menu: wild bear meat. (BBC)

Nineteen Japanese men detained in Cambodia in January on suspicion of taking part in organized phone and online scams will be deported to their homeland, a Cambodian immigration police officer said Friday. (Japan Today)

The Bank of Japan's monetary easing was "appropriate" and effective in jolting Japan out of deflation, and its retention under new leadership is of utmost importance as inflation expectations are heightening, outgoing Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said Friday. (Japan Today)

Around half of unmarried people under 30 in Japan have no interest in having children, a recent survey by a pharmaceutical firm showed, with respondents citing economic concerns and the burden of childbirth and parenting as their reasoning. (Kyodo)

Most countries, including Japan, have outlawed an anime film called Shoujo Tsubaki. (cbr.com)

Virtual online spaces are providing social recluses, known as "hikikomori" in Japan, a way of staying connected to the world while also allowing them to edge closer to making a full return to society. (Kyodo)

An annual cherry blossom viewing event began Thursday at the Japan Mint in Osaka, with elderly and disabled invitees enjoying the sight a day before the famous springtime fixture opens to the general public. (Japan Today)

Around 30 percent of restaurants in Japan have taken egg dishes off the menu due to a shortage of eggs and soaring prices due to the spread of avian influenza. (NOJ)

Japan's electric-vehicle sales are expanding rapidly, led by more affordable kei minicars. But EVs still accounted for just 2.1% of new passenger car sales here in fiscal 2022, compared with nearly 20% in China and Europe. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government will formulate guidelines regarding the use of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence chatbots in schools possibly by next March, officials said Thursday, as concerns grow over their impact on students' writing and thinking skills. (Kyodo)

Japan has said it will offer friendly foreign nations financial assistance to help them bolster their defences. (South China Morning Post)

Truck driver Yuichi Tomita has been delivering packages all over Japan for two decades, often clocking 40 straight hours on the road. He says the work is tough but a source of pride, and one he's never thought of quitting - until now. (investing.com)

A missing Japanese army helicopter carrying 10 crew members is likely to have crashed into the water off a southern island after debris resembling aircraft pieces were seen in the area, reported Los Angeles Times. (WION)

Kim Kardashian has been working on a 'dream project' in collaboration with Japanese architect Tadao Ando for the past two years, according to her latest Instagram post. (dailymail.co.uk)

Shohei Ohtani was called for pitch clock violations on the mound and at the plate Wednesday, as the Los Angeles Angels' two-way star made more major league history. (Japan Today)

A new vending machine in the rural Japanese mountain town of Semboku sells bear meat caught by local hunters. (South China Morning Post)