North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early Thursday from near Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan, the sixth round of launches since late September, after a U.S. aircraft carrier was redeployed to the waters, the Japanese government and the South Korean military said. (Kyodo)

A team of police explosives experts in Japan rushed to the scene of a suspicious package in a parking lot this week -- only to find discarded sex toys inside. (AFP)

Nearly half of Japanese companies are interested in hiring foreign nationals, according to a survey by information technology services firm Zenken. (Japan Times)

The iPhone 14 launched by Apple Inc. in September was cheaper in Japan than 36 other major countries and regions in the world, a survey showed Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japan has ordered a senior Russian official stationed in the country to leave in retaliation for the expulsion of a Japanese diplomat over alleged spying, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. (themoscowtimes.com)

Japan's top government spokesperson says a system glitch is to blame for the issuance of a false missile alert in some parts of the country following North Korea's missile launch on Tuesday. (NHK)

Japanese space agency JAXA will collaborate with nine domestic companies to develop daily necessities such as dental products for use by astronauts and cosmic tourists. (Nikkei)

Formula E racing, known as the F1 championship for electric vehicles, could be coming to the streets of Tokyo in the spring of 2024. (NHK)

All Nippon Airways says it will test attaching sharkskin-like film to its aircraft. The trial using what's called riblet technology is expected to help reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. (NHK)

Japanese employees are famous for working long hours but labor productivity is very low when it comes to work efficiency. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

Japanese government statistics show the percentage of people who died at home rose over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. (NHK)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, 62, will have an MRI scan of his prostate after doctors detected "somewhat concerning indications" in health exams, the palace said on Monday. (AFP)

Japanese carriers AirDo and Solaseed Air merged their operations on Monday to cut costs and create a stronger business in the face of greater business uncertainty. (smartaviation-apac.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Monday to revive the nation's pandemic-battered inbound tourism industry by setting a new goal of increasing foreign tourists' total spending to more than 5 trillion yen annually. (Japan Today)

McDonald's Japan will adopt paper straws and wooden utensils at all locations starting on Friday, a move that the fast-food chain expects will eliminate 900 tonnes of plastic waste a year, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

The Japanese government says a North Korean missile has flown over Japan and fallen into the ocean. (NHK)

Fumio Kishida wants to boost the country’s military capabilities over the next five years. (Al Jazeera)

Regulators and tax rules are fueling a new brain drain (Nikkei)

If your baby is crying heavily, carrying the child as you walk for five minutes is an effective way to calm the infant and induce sleep, researchers led by Kumi Kuroda of Japan's national scientific institute Riken have found. (Nikkei)

This will be a very interesting month of performances, with major shows at the Kabuki-za, National Theatre, Heisei Nakamura-za, Misono-za and Shochiku-za. It is great to see kabuki back in full health, with the yearly festivals revived and the Nakamuraya back in Asakusa... It seems that the young actor's show at the Asakusa Kōkaidō will also take place in January as well. (Kabuki In-Depth)

Google is ready to revolutionize computer keyboards with this incredible bar-shaped keyboard. (gearrice.com)

Japanese manufacturers' business mood worsened in the three months to September, a central bank survey showed on Monday, bolstering views that the weakening yen and its inflationary impact on business costs undermined a fragile economic recovery. (Reuters)

Japan Travel Guide for Things to Do in Tokyo - Tour of Tokyo hidden gems for Tokyo Restaurants and Bars not many people know about. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Antonio Inoki, a Japanese professional wrestling star turned politician, died on Saturday, aged 79, according to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a company he founded. (DW News)

Tokyo police have arrested the president of the operator of one of Japan's largest sushi chains on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining confidential information on a rival company. (NHK)