Worshippers flocked to a shrine in central Tokyo in the early hours of New Year's Day to pray for good luck in 2023. (NHK)

Japan is discussing a possible change next spring that would place COVID-19 in the same category of infectious disease as the seasonal flu, a move that could ease the strain on health care providers. (Nikkei)

Princess Kako had a busy year of engagements, taking over many of the duties of the former Princess Mako. (people.com)

Apple Japan is being charged 13 billion yen ($98 million) in additional taxes by Tokyo authorities, apparently for bulk sales of iPhones and other devices to foreign tourists that were incorrectly exempted from the consumption tax, Nikkei learned on Monday. (Nikkei)

Japanese reconstruction minister Kenya Akiba tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, December 27, becoming the fourth minister to leave the cabinet created by Kishida in August. (rappler.com)

Japan will require COVID-19 tests on arrival for travellers from mainland China from Friday (Dec 30), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, after Beijing announced it will end inbound quarantine requirements. (CNA)

Police sent a 40-year-old man to prosecutors on a murder charge Tuesday after three people were found dead with blunt trauma injuries in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. (Kyodo)

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Monday brushed aside the chance of a near-term exit from ultra-loose monetary policy but voiced hope that intensifying labour shortages will prod firms to raise wages. (CNAcn)

Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward announced Friday that two public restrooms in the ward, known as “see-through toilets,” in which the glass walls of the restrooms become opaque when in use, had a problem that allowed people to see inside while in use. (yomiuri.co.jp)

Drug stores in Tokyo are being forced to limit purchases of cold medicines due to a rush on stocks by foreign, mostly Chinese, customers. (Asahi)

Japanese prosecutors have decided to indict the man suspected of shooting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kyodo news agency and other Japanese media reported on Saturday. (inquirer.net)

Aiming to reduce its reliance on China for rare earth metals, Japan will begin in 2024 to extract the essential materials for electric vehicles and hybrids from the mud on the deep sea bottom in an area off Minami-Torishima Island, a coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. (Nikkei)

A Maritime Self-Defense Force captain is suspected of leaking information designated as a state secret, government sources said Saturday, the first time such a breach has come to light. (Japan Times)

The founder and former chairman of a business suit retailer has admitted that he paid bribes to win sponsorship rights for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. (NHK)

The former head of a major sushi chain operator in Japan has pleaded guilty to stealing confidential information from a rival company he used to work for. (NHK)

Japan's average temperature in 2022 was its highest ever for the fourth consecutive year, preliminary figures released by the country's weather agency showed Thursday. (Kyodo)

Japan on Thursday set out a new decarbonization policy with a lasting role for nuclear power, allowing the rebuilding of aging reactors in a reversal of the phase-out plan adopted after the Fukushima disaster more than a decade ago. (Nikkei)

Japan's government revised up on Thursday its growth forecast for the next fiscal year on prospects for higher business expenditures and substantial wage hikes that are seen as underpinning consumption. (Nikkei)

The largest discount store in Japan, Don Quijote also known as Donki, was forced to reverse its decision of replacing the mascot after it faced massive protests from its fans on social media. (wionews.com)

A Tokyo court on Thursday found guilty five members of a group claiming to be the Japanese arm of U.S. conspiracy cult QAnon for forcing their way into local coronavirus vaccination sites earlier this year. (Japan Today)

The year isn't yet done with rattling investors' cages. The Bank of Japan’s surprise widening of its yield curve-control policy on 10-year government bonds will have an impact far beyond its shores. (advisorperspectives.com)

Japan plans to make a concerted effort to reduce its reliance on imported agricultural products in the coming years, NHK World Japan reported on Dec. 20. (world-grain.com)

Visitor arrivals to Japan have jumped to almost one million in the first full month since the country scrapped COVID-19 curbs that effectively halted tourism for more than two years. (inverelltimes.com.au)

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has approved a draft of a new rule that would allow the country's nuclear power reactors to be operated for more than the current limit of 60 years. The amendment will require parliamentary approval. (world-nuclear-news.org)

Spending by foreign and domestic travelers in Japan is increasing as the central government relaxes COVID-related restrictions. (Nikkei)