Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 23-year-old man over the alleged molestation of a woman in Kita Ward earlier this year, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested two men who are suspected of drugging and raping nearly one dozen women, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo stocks ended higher Friday, with the benchmark Nikkei extending its rally to a fourth straight day and renewing a 29-year high, as buying in real estate and high-tech shares wiped out initial losses on the yen's rise. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that shorter hours for bars and restasurants serving alcohol would be "crucial" in stemming the coronavirus spread, with other major cities Osaka, Nagoya and Sapporo having already taken or getting set to take similar steps. (Japan Today)

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic have announced new schedules for the Games' test events. (NHK)

Japanese property developer Mitsui Fudosan plans to acquire Tokyo Dome, eyeing a tender offer of more than 100 billion yen ($960 million) for the ballpark and hotel operator. (Nikkei)

Japanese prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for a 30-year-old man charged with murdering nine people at his apartment in the city of Zama, near Tokyo. (NHK)

Medical experts have warned that the number of serious coronavirus cases is expected to rise further, likely overstretching Tokyo's general medical care system. (NHK)

Japan's Imperial Household Agency said Friday it has decided to cancel Emperor Naruhito's annual New Year event at the Imperial Palace due to a recent spike in the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo)

NHK has learned that the Olympic rings will return to Tokyo Bay on December 1, following safety and maintenance checks. (NHK)

Welcome to Tokorozawa! This town about 30 minutes from Central Tokyo is where you’ll find some of the coolest manhole covers in the world. (ONLY in JAPAN * GO)

Data from mobile phones show that during a three-day holiday through Monday, bigger crowds were seen at some tourist destinations near Tokyo than before the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Japan and China are racing to build a new type of ultrafast, levitating train, seeking to demonstrate their mastery over a technology with big export potential. (Japan Times)

Jiji Press has confirmed the existence of a sword-slashed uniform of a former Ground Self-Defense Force officer attacked by author Yukio Mishima during his failed coup attempt 50 years ago. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is poised to ask bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to shorten their hours. (NHK)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reasserted his country's sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. He stressed the necessity of avoiding any action that could complicate matters in the waters around the islands. (NHK)

Carlos Ghosn's detention for almost 130 days in a Japanese jail was neither necessary nor reasonable and violated the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman's human rights, a U.N. panel concluded in a harsh critique of Tokyo prosecutors who led the case against him. (Japan Times)

Chinese state media lashed out against Japan and Australia last week over their “confrontational” new defense pact and said the two countries would “pay a corresponding price” if it threatens China’s security. (TomoNews US)

Governors across Japan have called on the government to let them know as soon as possible about any changes to its programs designed to promote travel and dining. (NHK)

Health ministry data has shown the occupancy rate for hospital beds for seriously ill patients as of Wednesday last week rose in 17 of Japan’s 47 prefectures from a week before. (Japan Times)

Infectious disease experts have weighed in on Saturday's decision by the government to review its Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign, criticizing the move as too late and likely to have little effect in preventing the further spread of COVID-19. (Japan Times)

The daily tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan has hit a record for the fourth day and a senior official says Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government may reimpose limits on sports and other large events to curb the surge. (aljazeera.com)

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 hit off the coast of Japan's eastern prefecture of Ibaraki on Sunday night, but no tsunami warning was issued, according to the weather agency. (Kyodo)

Police in Tokyo said Sunday they have arrested a 20-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of killing a 24-year-old woman who was found stabbed to death in her Kyoto apartment last month. (Japan Today)

On this a three-day holiday weekend here in Japan, plenty of people have been venturing out and traveling, despite the risks of coronavirus infection. (NHK)