There are likely many factors behind Tokyo’s dramatic fall in new COVID-19 cases, but research shows that one group may be playing a surprising role in ending the fifth wave: the unvaccinated. (Japan Times)

Taro Kono is the favorite to become the next leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and effectively the next prime minister, a poll by Nikkei and TV Tokyo shows. (Nikkei)

The Tokyo Olympics were the most challenging event I've ever worked on, yet it was among the most rewarding. (Renata Pereira)

A Japanese court on Friday sentenced a 24-year-old mother to five years in prison for killing her newborn child in an airport restroom and burying the corpse in a central Tokyo park in 2019. (Japan Times)

Apple's latest version of its iPhone has gone on sale in Japan. (NHK)

Chopstick has been used by people for more than three thousand years in Japan. But in this kindergarten in Tokyo, there is a new experience for children who enjoy using them while eating their meals. (ANI News)

As the daily tally of new coronavirus infections continues to fall, the Japanese government appears ready to lift its state of emergency for at least some prefectures at the end of this month. (NHK)

A turtle found on a runway at an international airport serving Tokyo prevented aircraft from taking off for a short time on Friday. One of the planes left idling on the tarmac features a turtle design. (NHK)

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has suspended the addition of released prisoners to its list of people tracked at its train stations by security cameras using facial recognition technology, after it started the practice this summer, it was learned Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito has harvested rice at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, as part of an annual event. (NHK)

The central government is leaning toward at least partially lifting the COVID-19 state of emergency covering 19 prefectures, including Tokyo, at the end of the month as scheduled, government and ruling party sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The average price of land in Japan as of July 1 has fallen 0.4% since a year earlier, for the second consecutive year of declines amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, government data showed Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A monkey has been caught on the premises of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. It is believed to be wild. (NHK)

Japan's Environment Ministry unveils the newest footage of Tokyo's volcanic island Nishinoshima. (Nippon TV News 24 Japan)

ＴＢＳのカメラマンが撮影する中秋の名月。今年は８年ぶりに十五夜で満月となりました。 (TBS NEWS)

WeWork Japan is expected to specialize in managing coworking offices, Nikkei has learned, moving away from directly leasing space to reduce its financial exposure while continuing to expand. (Nikkei)

A Thai woman was arrested Monday and charged with abandoning the body of her newborn baby in a toilet bowl after giving birth in a bathroom at a Tokyo condominium, police said. (Japan Times)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 19-year-old woman on suspicion of stealing a watch worth about 13 million yen from a 37-year-old company executive with whom she was having a papa katsu date. (Japan Today)

How to survive in today's world in Asakusa Sumida river Tokyo. (Dark side of Japan Yuki)

It’s been 10 years since Uniqlo’s global flagship store opened in Tokyo’s swanky Ginza district. (Japan Today)

Japan so far has refused to relax its 14-day quarantine request for travelers from overseas even as other major economies move to waive such requirements for the vaccinated. (Nikkei)

message in a bottle released 37 years ago by Japanese high school students has been found — around 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) away in Hawaii. (Japan Times)

What makes lycra erotic? Vicky Pattison travels to Tokyo to learn about Zentai... and the surprising origins of this lycra body suit fetish! (Channel 4)

The Oct. 17 Tokyo Marathon has been postponed with the capital among areas remaining under a state of emergency over COVID-19, the race's organizing body said Friday. (Kyodo)

Three Japanese have been named in TIME Magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People of 2021" which categorizes people judged to have had the most impact this year into icons, pioneers, titans, artists, leaders, and innovators. (Japan Today)