North Korea launched two more ballistic missiles off its east coast on Monday, with the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un saying Pyongyang's use of the Pacific as its "firing range" would depend on the behaviour of U.S. forces. (Reuters)

A major Japanese textbook publisher has redistributed an atlas to high schools after correcting more than 1,000 mistakes in it. (NHK)

Japan’s capital is rated for its low crime rate and high standards of healthcare in this survey by the UK’s Post Office (Time Out)

The undeclared income of wealthy people totaled Y83.9 billion in the year through June 2022, up 72.3% from the preceding year and the highest annual level since data became available in the year to June 2010. (Japan Times)

The severed head of a cat was found on the grounds of an elementary school in Saitama city on Friday. Police said the cat’s head was found at around 7 a.m. at the school in Minami Ward. (Japan Today)

North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off Japan’s west coast after warning of a strong response to upcoming military drills by South Korea and the United States. (Al Jazeera)

The Japanese government will launch a new residency program in a bid to attract talented professionals from other countries. Qualified foreign nationals would be given preferential immigration treatment. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has offered emergency humanitarian aid worth about 8.5 million dollars to earthquake-stricken Turkey. (NHK)

The number of islands in Japan is expected to more than double after 7,000 new islands it didn't know existed were discovered. (npr.org)

Japan will start a pilot programme in April to test the use of a digital yen, its central bank said on Friday, joining a growing number of countries seeking to catch up with front-runner China in launching a central bank digital currency (CBDC). (nasdaq.com)

A Japanese justice ministry panel on Friday proposed raising the country's age of consent, currently among the world's lowest at just 13, as part of a major overhaul of sex crime legislation. (Japan Today)

Tokyo has some of the highest rates of homelessness in Japan and accounted for nearly a third of the country's unhoused population on a single night in 2022. Why does the problem continue and getting worse now? (The Japan Reporter)

Some of the smartphones seized from four men suspected of coordinating a string of robberies across Japan had almost no data left inside, indicating attempts to hide evidence linking them with the crimes, investigative sources said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japan's major restaurant chain Zensho Holdings, operator of the Sukiya beef bowl chain, announced on Thursday that it will acquire Lotteria, a burger franchise held by Lotte Holdings. (Nikkei)

A 35-year-old man who shot fireworks over a crowd at Tokyo’s famous Shibuya scramble crossing last year has been sent to prosecutors. (Japan Today)

In one of his last diary entries, Japanese teacher Yoshio Kudo lamented workdays that started early and could last until nearly midnight. Two months later, he suffered "karoshi" -- death from overwork. (AFP)

Inbound tourism to Japan has begun to recover since the easing of COVID-19 border controls but a shortage of staff has become an increasing problem for the airline industry, as many who left their jobs during the pandemic have not returned. (Japan Times)

Japan's government said Tuesday that three unidentified flying objects spotted over the nation's territory in three years from 2019 are "strongly suspected" to have been Chinese spy balloons. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Wednesday to boost Japan's budget for child-rearing to 4 percent of the country's gross domestic product to tackle the falling birthrate, but he did not elaborate on how to secure the costs. (Kyodo)

A poll carried out by a public junior high school in Kochi City, western Japan, shows that only about 20 percent of third-year students want to take their masks off for their graduation ceremony next month. (NHK)

A team of Japanese and US researchers says releasing too much young fish into rivers disrupts their ecosystems and reduces river fish populations. (NHK)

This Tokyo Ekiben Guide shows what Shinkansen (Bullet Train) bento box to buy when at Tokyo Station for Japan travelers. (SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel)

A Chinese woman triggered a stir across social media after revealing her purchase of a deserted island in Japan's Okinawa prefecture. (myind.net)

Heidi & Shelley experience what it's like to make and taste authentic matcha green tea from a 1st degree Chado instructor in Tokyo. (GaijinPot)

Japan's government named academic Kazuo Ueda as its pick to become next central bank governor, a surprise choice that could heighten the chance of an end to its unpopular yield control policy. (Reuters)