A pair of premium melons in Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido fetched a price of 2.7 million yen ($24,800) in this year's first auction on Monday, about 23 times higher than the winning bid of last year. (Kyodo)

A roughly 3.5 meter-long pet python that managed to break free from an apartment in Yokohama earlier this month was caught alive Saturday, people involved in the search said. (Kyodo)

The number of domestic violence consultations in Japan grew 1.6-fold to a record 190,030 in the fiscal year through March, preliminary government data showed Friday, as the coronavirus pandemic is believed to have ramped up stress among couples and families who spent more time at home. (Kyodo)

Japanese sportswear firm Mizuno Corp. said Friday it will cease using cotton sourced from China's far-western Xinjiang region in its products, a move believed to reflect rising concern over Beijing's alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority. (Kyodo)

Rank-and-file grappler Endo put himself back in the championship race Friday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with an upset victory over ozeki Takakeisho. (Kyodo)

A driver of a Shinkansen bullet train left the cockpit to use the bathroom while the train was running at 150 kilometers per hour with some 160 passengers on board in central Japan, Central Japan Railway Co. said Thursday. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government said Wednesday it will bar the entry of foreign nationals who have recently traveled to Thailand and six other countries in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Kyodo)

TOKYO (TR) – A woman who was found collapsed with a knife plunged in her abdomen on a road in Nerima Ward on Wednesday later died. (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japanese government plans to ban foreign VIPs from meeting their countries' athletes during this summer's Tokyo Olympics as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japan's government on Tuesday withdrew a bill that would have made it easier to deport failed applicants for refugee status, officials said, after the death in March of a Sri Lankan woman at an immigration detention centre sparked criticism. (Reuters)

Japanese actor Masakazu Tamura, who appeared in a number of popular TV series and films in his 60-year career, died of heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo last month, people close to him said Tuesday. He was 77. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government said Monday it has urged its nationals in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas to evacuate immediately as clashes between the Hamas militant group and Israel intensify. ()

Japan's GDP figure for the January-to-March period dropped into negative territory as consumer spending fell due to a second state of emergency. (NHK)

More than 80% of Japanese polled oppose hosting the virus-postponed Olympics this year, a new survey showed yesterday, underlining public antipathy less than 10 weeks before the Tokyo Games. (gulf-times.com)

Online bookings for elderly people to receive COVID-19 shots at large state-run vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka started Monday, as Japan tries to accelerate its vaccine rollout amid a fourth wave of infections. ()

Japan's Supreme Court has ruled that the state and building material makers are liable for health damage suffered by construction workers who developed lung diseases caused by asbestos. (NHK)

Ozeki Terunofuji quickly overpowered sekiwake Takanosho on Saturday to finish the first week of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with a perfect 7-0 record. (Kyodo)

After taking time to soak in the glory, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is ready to get back to work at this week's AT&T Byron Nelson, which is both a stop on the PGA Tour and a FedExCup event. (Kyodo)

An aging nuclear reactor in central Japan will be restarted in late June, becoming the first unit to operate beyond the government-mandated 40-year service period under new rules set after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the operator said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

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)

Japanese director Takashi Miike has built up a cult following around the world over the past two decades with an oeuvre of horror movies, often featuring extreme violence. (Kyodo)

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 said Monday the government needs to speed up the process of approving clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines at a time when Japanese drugmakers have lost ground to foreign rivals. (Kyodo)

Japan accelerated Monday its rollout of coronavirus vaccines with the aim of inoculating all of the elderly by the end of July amid a fourth wave of infections. (Kyodo)

Internet traffic in Japan saw a some 78-time increase in 2020 from the 2004 level, partly due to a surge in online communications in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to government data. (Kyodo)