Suzume is the first big Makoto Shinkai anime film to open in November, moving from the usual summer openings of Your Name and Weathering With You. (crunchyroll.com)

The wako (also called wokou or waegu) were a group of marauders that dominated the seas of East Asia for centuries. They have been seen by Western historians and culture as a kind of Japanese pirate, but as scholars dig deeper into the history of these people, questions arise about their true nature. (ancient-origins.net)

X Japan is among the most legendary and iconic musical groups in Japan. Within their now-40 years of being active, the band has faced a great deal of scandal, controversy, and tragedy. (Sakura Stardust)

Japan's national rugby team has lost to England in a test match in London. The score was 52-13. (NHK)

According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo, the number of Japanese citizens under the age of 20 who were newly diagnosed with anorexia – an eating disorder – increased by about 160 percent in fiscal 2020 compared to the previous year. (ucanews.com)

Four of Japan's biggest rock stars formed a new band, The Last Rockstars, in a race against time to preserve the spirit of rock music. (AP)

Japan's justice minister stepped down on Friday, over a scandal in less than a month and forcing a last-minute delay for the embattled premier’s Asia tour. (sundiatapost.com)

Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp. reported on Friday a 3 trillion yen ($21 billion) profit for the July-September quarter, a sharp reversal from its loss a year ago. (AP)

Japan's Imperial Household Agency has announced that an avenue inside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo will be reopened to the public for autumn foliage viewing after a three-year hiatus. (NHK)

Autumn foliage colors are in their prime at a temple in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto. (NHK)

The Japanese government on Thursday decided on a policy to allow each prefectural government to declare stepped-up coronavirus measures, amid growing concerns about the possible arrival of the eighth infection wave. (Xinhua)

Japanese Emperor Naruhito has been found to have an enlarged prostate but there is no cause for concern, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday. (Kyodo)

An international environmental NGO has given Japan its satirical "Fossil of the Day" award at the venue of the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (NHK)

Japan's weather bureau said there was an 80% chance the La Nina phenomenon would continue into the middle of the northern hemisphere winter. (saudigazette.com.sa)

He dressed like an ancient monk but ushered in a new era in Japanese art. (smithsonianmag.com)

Toyota Motor and around nine other Japanese companies will team up with the government to launch a new entity to develop and make next-generation semiconductors, Nikkei has learned, aiming to establish manufacturing processes by the late 2020s. (Nikkei)

Police in Japan have served fresh arrest warrants for two Vietnamese men on suspicion of stealing a large quantity of peaches from farms in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo. (NHK)

A beloved Japanese candy eaten by generations, so iconic it even appeared in a hit anime film, has come to the end of the line, a victim of surging raw material and energy prices. (theglobeandmail.com)

Japan could face a new peak in COVID-19 cases as the northernmost main island Hokkaido, where winter hits earliest, sets daily records. (Nikkei)

The first batch of players, mostly from the J-league, and officials were officially welcomed by Japanese ambassador to Qatar Satoshi Maeda at a function held at Radisson Blu Hotel Doha which will serve as Samurai Blue residence for the next few weeks. (thesportsgrail.com)

Japan's justice minister has come under fire for remarks widely seen as making light of his role in providing final authorization for executions of death-row inmates. (Japan Today)

Tamao Yoneyama beat over 30 other contestants to be crowned Miss International Japan 2023 on Tuesday, November 8 at the Nissho Hall in Tokyo. (pageantcircle.com)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 38-year-old employee of Sagawa Express Co Ltd on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law after he made harassing phone calls to a woman. (Japan Today)

As Elon Musk makes dramatic changes to Twitter following his $44 billion acquisition, Japanese banks that cofinanced the deal find themselves with little choice but to go along for the ride. (Nikkei)

For years Japanese shoppers eagerly shelled out for the latest gadgets, but now a tumbling yen has put new iPhones out of reach for some and sparked a growing secondhand trade in a major market for Apple Inc. (WION)