Golden Week typically runs from 4/29 to 5/5 five or take a couple of days, it’s quite a nice time in Japan but ... (ONLY in JAPAN)

As Japan’s government has in recent years been making preparations to cater to diverse visitors ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, Islam has been gradually demystified there. Here is how Muslims are observing Ramadan since the country’s infrastructures improved. (TRT World)

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake that also measured a strong 5 on the shindo (intensity) scale struck off Japan’s northeastern coast on Saturday but no tsunami warning was issued, Japanese and U.S. authorities said, with no immediate reports of damage. (Japan Times)

A wealthy man in Tanabe City planned to divorce his 25-year-old wife prior to his murder three years ago, police have learned, reports NHK. (tokyoreporter.com)

The first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine developed by US biotechnology firm Moderna has arrived in Japan. (NHK)

Twenty-eight-year-old sumo wrestler Hibikiryu has died of acute respiratory failure after hitting his head during the sport's last grand tournament in March, the Japan Sumo Association announced Thursday. (Japan Today)

A woman using a toilet in the Diet building in Tokyo saw a miniature spy camera being aimed at her, police said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Train stations and tourist spots were largely quiet in Tokyo and elsewhere under Japan’s third coronavirus state of emergency as the Golden Week holiday period began Thursday. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday reported 1,027 new coronavirus cases, the result of 12,533 tests conducted on April 26. The number is up 102 from Wednesday and is the first time the figure for the capital has surpassed 1,000 since Jan 28. (Japan Today)

Olympic organisers have unveiled a new rule book to explain how the Games will be conducted in the middle of a pandemic. (ABC News)

The Japanese composer of the theme song for the popular anime "Doraemon" has died. Kikuchi Shunsuke was 89. (NHK)

Japan's nuclear regulators have approved a plan drafted by Tokyo Electric Power Company to decommission all four reactors at the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant. (NHK)

In Japan officials are grappling with rising coronavirus cases as Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures remain under a state of emergency. Experts blame the surge on a more infectious variant. (NHK)

CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 47-year-old who allegedly used pepper spray to molest a girl in Ichikawa City earlier this year, reports Chiba Television Broadcasting. (tokyoreporter.com)

The number of homeless people in Japan stood at 3,824 as of January, down 4.2% from a year before, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The coronavirus continues to create serious question marks for Tokyo 2020 organizers. (NHK)

Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land Co. on Wednesday reported a loss for the year ended March, its first annual red ink since listing in 1996, due to record-low visitor numbers as a result of the temporary closure of its theme parks and subsequent capacity limits amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

TOKYO (TR) – A court here has overturned a previous ruling and found a male Dutch national innocent of smuggling stimulant drugs, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Japan have arrested the 25-year-old former wife of an elderly wealthy man who died of acute stimulant intoxication three years ago. The man was a company president who likened himself to Don Juan. (NHK)

Signs of a K-shaped recovery, characterized by parts of the economy improving while others languish, are appearing in home prices. (Nikkei)

Consumer education is getting underway at high schools across Japan ahead of the lowering of the age of legal adulthood by two years to 18 on April 1, 2022. (Japan Times)

NARA (TR) – Nara Prefectural Police have arrested a 37-year-old woman for allegedly stalking a police officer stationed at the Nara Police Station in Nara City. (tokyoreporter.com)

The president of the Central Japan Railway Company, or JR Tokai, says the estimate of the total cost of constructing a high-speed maglev train line has been revised upward by 1.5 trillion yen, or nearly 14 billion dollars. (NHKn)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed with U.S. ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc. to acquire its self-driving division for $550 million with an aim to accelerate the development of the carmaker's autonomous driving technologies. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government has lodged a protest with China over topographical maps it published of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. (NHK)