Japan's lower house on Tuesday approved a bill creating a special pool of funds to substantially increase defense spending despite opposition lawmakers' resistance. (Kyodo)

Japanese researchers say they have fully sequenced the genome of the endangered matsutake mushroom. (NHK)

Kitaro Square has play objects featuring Yokai (spirit-monster) and others, including "GeGeGe no Kitaro," from manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. (NOJ)

Tokyo's Haneda Airport will reopen an area for international flights in Terminal 2 in July to handle surging demand since Japan eased its entry rules. The part of the terminal had been shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic. (NHK)

Japan’s slow post-pandemic recovery is showing signs of growing momentum, according to the latest gauges of strength in the service and factory sectors. (straitstimes.com)

Japan is considering overhauling its tax-free shopping scheme for foreign visitors in response to a growing number of cases of tax-free items being resold overseas for profit at tax-inclusive prices, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

A week after Japanese regulators postponed the restart of the world’s biggest nuclear power plant due to safety lapses, a careless employee working from home added to the company’s woes. (livemint.com)

Lone yokozuna Terunofuji took the outright lead and became the first wrestler to clinch a winning record Sunday as he improved to a perfect 8-0 at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. (Kyodo)

This food guide will show you 20 foods available at Tokyo DisneySea. (SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel)

Honda announced that it will start selling electric motorcycles to the general public for the first time in Japan. (NOJ)

Japanese weddings consist of two parts - a ceremony where they exchange vows, and a reception followed afterwards. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Employees at some of Japan's biggest firms can expect a sizable bump in their pay checks this year. They'll see an average increase of nearly 4 percent following annual wage negotiations. That's the largest jump in 31 years. (NHK)

Tokyo police say the parents of popular kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke may have died of psychotropic poisoning. (NHK)

Qantas Airways will double the number of flights to Japan later this year as part of an international service expansion, the airline said Friday, as it seeks to ride the tailwind of a recovery in travel demand. (Nikkei)

Japanese ruling coalition parties have submitted a bill to the Diet that aims to promote understanding of the LGBTQ community, after making a controversial revision to it. (NHK)

Sony Group will spin off its financial unit to focus resources on entertainment and image sensor operations as the investment burden needed to compete with foreign rivals continues to rise. (Nikkei)

For a limited time only, you can enjoy Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for two consecutive days at a discounted price.

Prime ministers and presidents from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States each arrived in the light rain. (Sky News)

Asia's first high-class membership-based driving club with an admission fee of 36 million yen (US$262,000) is set to open on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. (NOJ / TV Asahi)

Japan's government is set to accept wounded Ukrainian soldiers at the Self-Defense Forces' main hospital as part of its support for the country. (NHK)

Japan aims to foster its startup market by relaxing rules for foreigners seeking startup visas, including by letting private companies handle part of the screening process. (Nikkei)

In the gruesome climactic scene of the film "HIDARI," the samurai hero Hidari Jingoro, spinning in midair, slices through the torsos of 12 of his adversaries simultaneously with a chain saw. For a split second, time seems to stand still, until the victims' bodies, chopped in half as if they were fruit, fall limply to the ground. (Nikkei)

Popular Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke IV has been rushed to hospital after he was found unconscious in his home in Tokyo along with his parents who have both been confirmed dead, TV Asahi reports.

Japan, which missed out on the Web2 revolution -- by failing to produce its own Meta, Google, Amazon, and Alibaba -- is now looking to regain its economic prowess by embracing the burgeoning crypto and Web3 industry. (Crypto Daily)

Seven major electric power companies in Japan have announced plans to raise prices from next month, as the government has virtually accepted the increase in regulated rates for households. (NOJ / TV Asahi)