A computer file containing data on 2,750 business partners of a unit of Japan Post Co. has been leaked, the parent company said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan is considering creating a hub where financial firms can file regulatory paperwork in English as Tokyo aims to recruit banks and brokerages away from Hong Kong and other parts of the world, according to people familiar with the matter. (Japan Times)

East Japan Railway Co. said Wednesday it will bring forward last train departure times on 17 lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area by up to some 40 minutes from next spring, as late-night passengers continue to decline amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Researchers in Japan say they have confirmed that face masks are effective in both retarding the spread of viruses and reducing the intake of them. (NHK)

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, rescheduled for next year, have tested ways to carry out safety checks on spectators entering the venues of events. (NHK)

A man who fled from Saitama Prefectural Police during a search of his residence in Saitama City on Tuesday morning remains on the run, police have revealed, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 20). (tokyoreporter.com)

A former top bureaucrat accused of murdering his socially reclusive son last year entered a plea of not guilty on the grounds of self-defense at the first hearing of his appeal trial Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Some Japanese research institutions developing coronavirus vaccines have been hit by cyberattacks, apparently from China, in what are believed to be the first cases of their kind in the country, a U.S. information security firm said Monday. ()

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former staff member at a special needs facility who is suspected of repeatedly raping a disabled elementary school girl, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Oct. 17). (tokyoreporter.com)

Former Empress Michiko turned 86 on Tuesday, marking her birthday amid the coronavirus pandemic that has caused her to spend the majority of her time quietly at her residence in Tokyo. (Kyodo)

Central Japan Railway Company unveiled the interior of the latest version of its magnetic-levitation train on Monday. (NHK)

Maisa Tsuno, a member of popular Japanese rock band Akaiko-en, has died, the group's agency said Monday, with police suspecting suicide. (Kyodo)

Ten members of the Shiki Theatre Company have contracted the novel coronavirus, according to the famed Japanese theatrical company. (Japan Times)

Starting on Oct. 1, the government re-included Tokyo in its Go To Travel campaign, a program subsidizing domestic travel that aims to encourage spending and boost an economy suffering the effects of a global pandemic. (Japan Times)

Boys and girls in Japan in 2019 had lower athletic ability than their counterparts in 1964, when the previous Tokyo Olympics were held, an annual government survey showed Sunday. (Japan Times)

The annual Sanja Matsuri festival linked to Asakusa Shrine in central Tokyo was held on a smaller scale on Saturday and Sunday after being postponed since May due to the pandemic. (NHK)

Ameyoko is Tokyo’s most vibrant market dating back to its black market days following the war. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Tokai University, a four-time Japanese national university baseball champion, said Saturday it has suspended all activities of its baseball club indefinitely due to illegal drug use by several members. (Kyodo)

Japan's Cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party held a joint funeral service for former Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro, who died last November at the age of 101. (NHK)

Renovated sections of Tokyo Metro Co's Ginza Station in the capital's high-end shopping district opened to the public Friday after roughly three years of work, with new features to showcase the luxury and elegance associated with the area. (Japan Today)

Japan is moving to gradually reopen its borders to business travellers. ()

Yokohama Stadium will hold three baseball games at around 80% capacity later this month as Japan looks to test its COVID-19 countermeasures at big events ahead of the rearranged Tokyo Olympics next year. (Reuters)

A man found in a pool of blood on a sidewalk in Chiba City on Wednesday later died, police said, reports Jiji Press (Oct. 15). (tokyoreporter.com)

Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping a girl he met online and holding her for five months, reports Kyodo News (Oct. 15). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are planning to accuse a deceased man of fatally stabbing his former girlfriend in Nakano Ward earlier this year, reports TBS News (Oct. 14). (tokyoreporter.com)