Last week Japan adopted its first ever space security blueprint aimed at better using space for defensive purposes. This builds on the three new security documents released by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration in December 2022, in which it committed to doubling defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2027 and investing in Tomahawk missiles to develop missile counter-strike capabilities. (East Asia Forum)

Weather officials in Japan are urging people to remain on the alert for heatstroke as sweltering weather is expected to continue on Monday. (NHK)

A brand new 3D action game based on the popular anime and manga, Tokyo Revengers, is coming to the Nintendo Switch. (mynintendonews.com)

This time we're in Saitama Prefecture to try local snacks and drinks including ice-cream, beer, sweet potato and a fancy Starbucks? (Tokyo Creative)

Discover the world of stealthy samurais, nimble ninjas, and graceful geishas in an ancient castle town just outside of Tokyo. (Japan by Food)

Wages are rising in Japan more than they have in decades, at least for some workers. But so are prices, leaving many people feeling they must scrimp more than ever. (AP)

Japanese Conveyor Belt Sushi in Tokyo Harajuku. A guide for travelers coming to Japan on what to order at a Conveyor Belt Sushi restaurant. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world and the population is generally known to be on the slim side. (Asian Boss)

The bursting of Japan’s asset bubble in the early 1990s was one of the most consequential financial shocks suffered by a major economy. Not only did it consign the country to decades of little to no growth, it entrenched a deflationary mindset among consumers and businesses that has proved difficult to break. (South China Morning Post)

Uber aims to have all taxis worldwide registered on its app by 2025. But a man known as the ‘Taxi Prince’ is throwing off those plans. (Wall Street Journal)

The world's biggest indoor Harry Potter theme park is now officially open in Tokyo. (insidethemagic.net)

East Japan Railway is offering its bullet trains to haul large quantities of goods long distances, coming to the aid of a logistics industry scrambling ahead of a legal change regarding truckers' overtime. (Nikkei)

A man in his 50s died after being stung by a bee while weeding a riverbed in Saitama, TV Asashi reports. (NOJ)

Sunday was "Father's Day" in Japan, but a private survey found that 90 percent of fathers feel "disparity with Mother's Day". (NOJ)

The Japanese government is introducing laws that will require Apple to allow users nationwide to download apps outside their official app stores. (appleinsider.com)

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)