Prosecutors sought a one-year prison term for Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to cannabis possession in his trial at the Tokyo District Court, while his defense lawyers asked for a suspended sentence. (Kyodo)

Japan aims to admit “large-scale” numbers of overseas visitors for the Tokyo Olympic Games without mandatory vaccinations or quarantines, provided tourists submit negative coronavirus test results and download smartphone tracking apps on arrival, the Nikkei business daily reported Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Japan’s capsule hotels have long been a convenient shelter for commuters and even an intriguing option for budget tourists. (South China Morning Post)

A political cacophony persists as lawmakers clash over who has the final say in peeling back countermeasures meant to blunt the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 57-year-old man who is suspected of injecting a teenage girl with stimulant drugs while having sex with her, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Miru Shiroma, a member of idol group NMB48, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, her agency revealed on Monday. (tokyoreporter.com)

The five Olympic rings are back in Tokyo Bay. (Japan Today)

The number of seriously ill patients with COVID-19 across Japan hit 472 on Monday. That's a new record high, and the health minister says it's another sign the situation is growing more serious. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and the Tokyo governor agreed to ask seniors and people with underlying health issues to refrain from using the central government's "Go To Travel" domestic tourism campaign when traveling to and from the capital. (NHK)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday reported 500 new cases of the coronavirus, up 128 from Tuesday. The number is the result of 1,431 tests conducted on Nov 29. (Japan Today)

At the opening of the trial for a 31-year-old woman who is suspected of causing a fatal car accident earlier this year, she claimed to not remember using stimulant drugs beforehand, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Data from mobile phones show that considerably fewer people went to tourist spots outside Tokyo over the weekend, compared to the 3-day holiday that ended on November 23. (NHK)

Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 19 on Tuesday while attending online classes at her university as a first-year student amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Subway operator Tokyo Metro says it will move forward the schedule for its last trains of the day by as much as 16 minutes. (NHK)

The head of the Tokyo Stock Exchange has stepped down to take responsibility for a recent trading halt. (NHK)

Pandemic-induced school closures saw Japanese children discover the charm of the 50-year-old popular comic series Doraemon, which proved a smash hit this year, according to its publisher. (Japan Today)

Race-favorite Almond Eye captured a record ninth turf Grade 1 victory on Sunday in the 40th running of the Japan Cup, her final race before retirement. (Japan Times)

Veteran enka singer Shoji Koganezawa, 62, has been arrested for drunk driving, police in Tokyo said Sunday. (Japan Today)

Sources say the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics now estimates that the extra costs related to the Games' postponement will come to about 200 billion yen, or 1.9 billion dollars. (NHK)

Crown Prince Fumihito, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, has said he "approves" of his daughter Princess Mako marrying her university boyfriend Kei Komuro, but reiterated that Komuro's mother must solve a money dispute she is involved in first. (Kyodo)

Japan and China are resuming business travel between the countries on Monday, as part of efforts to ease entry restrictions and promote economic activities. (NHK)

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused many businesses to increasingly rely on the internet for survival. (tokyoreporter.com)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Monday reported 311 new cases of the coronavirus, down 107 from Sunday. The number is the result of 5,117 tests conducted on Nov 27. (Japan Today)

Sightseeing spots across Japan have been welcoming visitors on the first Sunday since the government declared the next three weeks as crucial to curbing the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

A man died and 11 others were injured after a leisure fishing boat capsized following a collision with a cargo vessel at a port in eastern Japan early Saturday morning, the Japan Coast Guard said. (Kyodo)