When the coronavirus pandemic began over two years ago, people in Japan quickly donned masks en masse with little complaint. But now the government has relaxed its guidance on outdoor mask usage, the message appears not to be filtering through. (Japan Today)

Authorities on Indonesia's Sumatra island arrested a Japanese fugitive accused of helping steal USD 7.3 million intended for small businesses in Japan hurt by the coronavirus, police said on Wednesday. (devdiscourse.com)

A total of 502 tsunami safety towers were erected in Tokyo and 22 other prefectures through April 2021, an 11-fold increase in the number that existed prior to the catastrophic 2011 Tohoku earthquake, according to a Cabinet Office survey. (staradvertiser.com)

The Philippines is seeking to raise its banana prices in its largest export market, Japan, as rising production and logistics costs weigh on the Southeast Asian country's farmers. (Nikkei)

Today we are riding on Japan's Most Luxurious Train Sear from Tokyo to Atami on Saphir Odoriko. (Solo Solo Travel)

Japanese auteur and Cannes favorite Naomi Kawase has been accused of violent behavior towards her staff and crew, including an assault that left an employee’s face swollen. (yahoo.com)

Russia’s foreign ministry has said it is suspending an agreement with Japan that allowed Japanese fishermen to fish near the disputed Southern Kuril islands, accusing Tokyo of failing to make payments required under the deal. (Al Jazeera)

Oriental Land has announced that it will cut the child rates for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea by half from the end of this month to August 31st.

Police in Hino City, Tokyo, have arrested a 23-year-old woman on suspicion of corpse abandonment after the body of a newborn boy was found inside a suitcase hidden in a closet. (Japan Today)

A Japanese court on Monday sentenced a 30-year-old man to a prison term of 18 years in a retrial over a 2017 road rage incident that resulted in the deaths of a couple and injuries to their two daughters. (Japan Today)

Police in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, are investigating the death of a 45-year-old Sri Lankan man as a possible case of homicide. (NHK)

More than 20 types of amino acids have been detected in samples Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe brought to Earth from an asteroid in late 2020, an official said Monday. (Nikkei)

Japanese weather officials have announced the start of the rainy season in Tokyo and the rest of the Kanto-Koshin region. (NHK)

Japan’s government is considering resuming a national travel discount campaign as soon as late this month to help the tourism industry recover from a Covid-19 slump, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday. (globalcirculate.com)

Our monthly preview of the upcoming kabuki performances will cover this time shows at the Kabuki-za and National Theatre in Tokyo, the Hakata-za theatre in Fukuoka, and one tours and several galas and special performances. (Kabuki In-Depth)

We collab with one of Tokyo's top videographers, Eiki Akiyama, & get a tour of the best locations for the perfect Instagram shot! (Tokyo Creative)

The Tokyo metropolitan government said Friday it will allow foreigners to work as beauticians from October using a national regulation scheme, marking the first time the country's beauty industry has been opened up to them. (Kyodok)

Education officials in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, say dozens of junior high school students suffered minor injuries when they were hit by hailstones as they were making their way home on Thursday. (NHK)

Tokyo's Nihon University plans to appoint award-winning author Mariko Hayashi to head its board in an effort to revamp its leadership after a series of scandals involving a former board chairman, sources close to the matter said Thursday. (Kyodo)

A study in Japan found that women were significantly more likely than men to develop rash-like side effects after a first dose of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine. (Japan Today)

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and will recuperate at home until at least June 11, officials said. (Nikkei)

Police and railway operators in and around Tokyo have jointly launched a two-week campaign against groping on trains. (NHK)

A rickshaw operator in Tokyo's major tourist spot of Asakusa has resumed English lessons for its staff ahead of Japan's planned resumption of accepting foreign tourists. (NHK)

A recent survey on smartphone usage and TV viewing time shows that people in their 40s and younger spend more time using smartphones.

TOKYO -- After closing its doors to most foreign travelers throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese government has announced plans to start allowing group tours to enter Japan next month, much to the relief of hotels and other businesses that rely on tourism. (Nikkei)