Japan's badminton governing body has apologized for a series of scandals and improper conduct involving staff members and published reprimands of its senior officials. But there was no announcement of resignations. (NHK)

Chinese buyers have become interested in farmland in Japan, and policymakers in the country are uncomfortable with this. (Spotlight on China)

Food prices in Japan rose at the fastest pace since July 1991 during the past week, Nikkei data shows, as producers scramble to pass on the impact of a softening yen and high commodity costs. (Nikkei)

Japan's core consumer inflation rate accelerated to a fresh eight-year high of 3.0% in September, exceeding the central bank's 2% target for the sixth straight month as the yen's slump to 32-year lows continue to push up import costs. (Reuters)

On Tuesday, comedian Koji Nakamoto was hit by a car while crossing a street in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Unfortunately, he passed away from his injuries the following day due to an acute subdural hematoma. (fanfest.com)

More than 2,000 Ukrainians had entered Japan as of mid-October, according to the Immigration Services Agency, living in prefectures across the nation as they worked to build a new life. (stripes.com)

A Japanese domestic airline is seeking to fill empty seats by offering subscriptions to Tokyo-based workers that will let them move to a city nearly 900 kilometers (550 miles) away, and commute back-and-forth to the capital by air as many times as they want. (Bloomberg)

A Tokyo court on Thursday ordered ruling party lawmaker Mio Sugita to pay Shiori Ito, a journalist and symbol of Japan's #MeToo movement, 550,000 yen ($3,700) in damages for clicking "like" on several tweets she said defamed her. (Kyodo)

Japan's Foreign Ministry has lowered its coronavirus infection alert for travel overseas. It no longer requires people to avoid non-essential travel to any other country. (NHK)

Japan's Empress Emerita Michiko turned 88 on Thursday. The Empress Emerita moved in April from a temporary dwelling to her current residence in the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo's Minato Ward, where she lived when she was Crown Princess. (NHK)

The Japanese government launched a nationwide discount campaign last week to kick-start domestic tourism. (NHK)

An independent panel investigating fraudulent inspections at Japan's Mitsubishi Electric has uncovered dozens more cases. (NHK)

South Korea says visitors from Japan will be allowed to enter the country without a visa from November 1. (NHK)

The Japanese yen weakened to the 150 level against the US dollar at one point during Tokyo trading on Thursday. It is the first time the currency has dropped to this level in 32 years. (NHK)

The yen's rapid and one-sided depreciation is "negative" for the Japanese economy, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said Wednesday after the currency hit a fresh 32-year low versus the U.S. dollar. (Kyodo)

One of Asia's largest high-tech trade shows kicked off on Tuesday. (NHK)

A violent scuffle broke out at a Tokyo restaurant on Sunday. Police suspect the brawl was initiated by a gang known as Chinese Dragon. Gang members include people of Japanese ancestry related to those who were left behind in China after World War Two. (NHK)

A cross-party group of around 90 Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo for its fall festival, a move expected to irritate some Asian neighbors who view it as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. (Kyodo)

This performance of the Kikubatake scene took place in December 1993, at the National Theatre in Tokyo, and it would be one of the last onstage appearances of the great onnagata and nimaime Onoe Baikō VII (1915 - 1995), 78 years old at the time of this recording. (Kabuki In-Depth)

Police have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of assisting a junior high school girl commit suicide. (NHK)

Joby Aviation Inc, a U.S. air taxi startup backed by Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp, said on Tuesday it has applied to Japan's transport ministry for aircraft certification as it prepares to launch urban transportation services. (Reuters)

Kikubatake ("The Chrysanthemums Garden") belongs to the third act of the 1731 jidaimono Kiichi Hōgen Sanryaku no Maki ("Kiichi Hōgen and the Book of Strategy"), first written for the bunraku stage and soon after adapted to kabuki. (Kabuki In-Depth)

At a Buddhist temple on a wooded hillside in Japan, grapes and wine bottles are given as offerings, and the head monk is also the honorary president of a vineyard cooperative. (newindianexpress.com)

Keita Nakagawa singled in the winning run in the ninth inning as the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes advanced to the Japan Series with a 3-2 walk-off win over the SoftBank Hawks on Saturday. (Kyodo)

In this video, I talked to the "smartest Japanese students" in English by asking them random questions! (JESSEOGN)