Since she was a child, Rina Gonoi had dreamed of joining the Japanese military. What she could not have expected was the daily sexual harassment she would endure after finally making it happen in 2020, according to her account. (South China Morning Post)

The foreign ministers of Japan and New Zealand attended a meeting in Tokyo to discuss strengthening cooperation based on the “shared concern about security trends in the Indo-Pacific”. (South China Morning Post)

Hong Kong travellers hoping to escape the city for a holiday in Japan or South Korea can breathe a sigh of relief as both countries are set to remove restrictions on flights from the city on Wednesday. (South China Morning Post)

Japan's Fair Trade Commission said on Tuesday it filed criminal complaints against Dentsu and five other advertising firms as well as seven individuals over alleged bid-rigging on contracts for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. (Reuters)

The operator of a century-old ryokan inn in southwestern Japan on Tuesday admitted telling staff not to regularly change its hot-spring bathwater, which led to levels of legionella bacteria as much as 3,700 times over standard limits. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government plans to acquire up to 400 US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to help boost counterstrike capabilities. (NHK)

A member of Japan's Upper House who has been skipping Diet sessions has agreed to attend a Diet session for the first time to read out an apology. (NHK)

It's the first time in four years that the airline has launched a Japan edition of its 'return for free' sale (concreteplayground.com)

Nissan Motor is planning to speed up its rollout of electric cars in some of its biggest markets. The Japanese automaker says it now expects hybrid and fully electric vehicles to make up 98 percent of its European sales by fiscal 2026. (NHK)

Brought to you by Netflix and The Pokémon Company, "Pokémon Concierge" tells the story of Haru, a concierge at the Pokémon Resort, and her interactions with Pokémon and their owners who visit as guests. (Netflix Anime)

The story of seafood restaurant 'Gyosanjin' (Japanese food craftsman)

A mysterious metal orb that washed up on a Japanese beach and caused a stir among locals and media outlets around the world has turned out to be a simple buoy. (wonderfulengineering.com)

Join Shizuka as she travels to the Izu peninsula in Shizuoka prefecture, to harvest one of Japan’s most popular condiments, wasabi! (Japan by Food)

Japan is facing one of the world’s major demographic crises, with the number of annual births dipping below 800,000 for the first time in 2022. (Al Jazeera)

Some 60 percent of animal cafes in Japan deal with exotic species restricted by international trade laws, raising fears that their popularity may not just threaten their conservation, but may also heighten the risk of animal-borne diseases, a recent study found. (Japan Today)

Japan cruised past Bahrain 95-72 on Sunday in its final match of Asian qualifying for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. (Kyodo)

Choshu Wagyu is a Hagi-born and Hagi-bred wagyu produced from a specific ranch in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. They are raised on rice straw from Hagi. (MEATxHUNTER)

Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park (Ocean Expo Park): Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (PewDiePie)

Tokyo's biggest slum has been wiped off of all modern maps, but it still exists and so does its problem with poverty. Follow me to this hidden area of Japan where 88% of people are on welfare and the average age of residents is almost 70 years old. (Oriental Pearl)

Arrivals of foreign-operated cruise ships to Japan are set to near the level seen before the coronavirus pandemic when their dockings to the country resume in March after a three-year hiatus, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. (Kyodo)

Researchers in Japan are working to reduce the climate impact of cow burps by developing stomach sensors and using artificial intelligence to effectively administer feed that inhibits methane production. (Kyodo)

The arrest of the head of a Japanese nonprofit for allegedly facilitating an unapproved organ transplant overseas underscores long-standing problems with the donation system in a country that ranks only 44th in the world in transplants. (Nikkei)

Japan has been experiencing a spike in crime rates among the elderly, and the reason may surprise you. (unilad.com)

No war – won or lost – is ever waged without sacrifice. Those sacrifices can be material in the loss of equipment or infrastructure, monetary in the cost to a nation’s economy of waging a war but always it is in blood. (WarsofTheWorld)

The wolf inspired fear, but it was also considered heroic. I like the woods because magic and mysticism runs seamlessly with science and nature. Survival and struggle are the laws of the lawless night. (Bob Gymlan)