Japan is stepping up efforts to contain a rise in coronavirus infections by expanding and extending its third state of emergency of the pandemic. (NHK)

Technical problems have derailed Japan's coronavirus vaccination booking system, compounding frustration over the government's handling of new outbreaks of infections and an inoculation drive critics say is woefully slow. (canberratimes.com.au)

A man who turned himself in to police in Tokyo for the alleged possession of cannabis livestreamed as the whole process unfolded via video-sharing platform YouTube, investigative sources said. (Japan Today)

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 38-year-old man who is suspected of drugging and sexually abusing several boys in the town of Mizuho, reports Kyodo News. (tokyoreporter.com)

The owner of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Building faces a shareholder resolution from Hong Kong hedge fund LIM Advisors calling for an end to giving board seats to former executives at the TSE and its parent, a practice LIM says results in offering the bourse below-market rent. (Nikkei)

The United States' track and field team has cancelled its pre-Olympics training camp in Japan out of concerns for safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local authorities announced on Wednesday, raising more questions about the holding of the Games. (Reuters)

With investors around the world fueling another crypto asset boom since late last year, elevating the values of digital currencies such as bitcoin, Japanese players in the space are hopeful that the country will be able to advance to the next stage after undergoing a period of scrutiny and renewal. (Japan Times)

TOKYO — IOC President Thomas Bach has canceled a trip to Japan because of surging cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said Monday in a statement. (bostonglobe.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga looks likely to wait until autumn to call an election as the coronavirus outbreak rages on and the opposition gives up on a no-confidence vote that could have forced his hand. (Nikkei)

Tokyo on Tuesday reported 925 new coronavirus cases as concerns grow over an increasing number of infections caused by highly contagious variants of the virus. (Kyodo)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's visit to the U.S. last month included a phone call to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, as the Japanese leader sought to secure doses of the American company's coronavirus vaccine. (Nikkein)

Japan will tighten restrictions on people arriving from India, Pakistan and Nepal starting Monday to help prevent the further spread of a coronavirus variant that is ravaging India. (NHK)

While uncertainty remains over when — or even if — travel demand will make a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan’s two major airlines are positioning themselves to take advantage of any upturn with a punt on low-cost services. (Japan Times)

Japan’s slowly but steadily rising prices, openness to foreign investors, excellent architects and infrastructure for house building — and an increase of resources and agencies for acquiring akiya, or abandoned, often ultra-cheap homes — have combined to make Japan a strong environment for non-Japanese looking to acquire real estate, be it a primary home, secondary home or investment. (Japan Times)

The spread of infections shows no signs of slowing in Japan as the daily figure of new cases nationwide surpassed 6,400 on Sunday. (NHK)

In Japan, 14 out of 47 prefectures have reported record high daily coronavirus infections. (NHK)

Awaiting its Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer, skateboarding has become increasingly popular in Japan as an outdoor activity one can enjoy while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but the sport's surge has not been without trouble. (Kyodo)

IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of a man over the fatal stabbing of a man and his wife and injuring of two of their children in the town of Sakai nearly two years ago, reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says Japan's government is extending the coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto until the end of May. (NHK)

A state of emergency has been extended in several regions of Japan as Covid-19 cases surge, less than three months before the Tokyo Olympics. (BBC)

Workplaces and schools are emerging as hot spots for infection in Japan's latest wave of COVID-19 cases, moving beyond the hospitals and senior care facilities that had been the main sources of spread. (Nikkei)

Japan's minister for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has told World Athletics President Sebastian Coe she hopes to see a successful Games, working with his world governing body of track and field. (NHK)

An online petition calling for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games is quickly drawing support. (NHK)

A search continued Friday for a roughly 3.5-meter-long pet python that managed to break free and slither away from an apartment near Tokyo, according to local police. (Kyodo)

We're taking on Japan's longest roller slide, a slide of 247 meters in length situated on the slopes of the mountains around Tabayama an hour outside of Tokyo. (Life in Japan)