Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 42-year-old who is suspected of carrying out more than one dozen purse-snatching incidents in Osaka City, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 72-year-old woman who allegedly posed as the sister of enka singer Miyako Otsuki in swindling a female acquaintance, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Domestic violence cases in Japan hit a record high of over 130,000 in fiscal 2020, with people more stressed and worried about life as the coronavirus pandemic forces them to spend more time at home, according to a government survey released Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan’s currency in circulation and bank deposits rose at a record pace in December, data showed on Wednesday, as a resurgence in coronavirus infections prompted companies and households to continue hoarding cash rather than spending it. (Reuters)

A 30-year-old man in custody for allegedly drugging and raping two women last year has been accused in a third case, police have revealed, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo's benchmark stock index continued its rise on Thursday, buoyed by better-than-expected figures for machinery orders across Japan. The gains propelled the Nikkei Average to a fresh 30-year high. (NHK)

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has declared a state of emergency for seven more prefectures, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 1,502 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Thursday. (NHK)

Chiba prefectural police have arrested a 39-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of killing his mother and elder sister at his parents' home in Nagareyama City on Dec 31. (Japan Today)

A former employee of SoftBank Corp was arrested Tuesday for illegally taking information from the major Japanese wireless carrier on its ultrafast 5G technology before moving to a smaller rival company, police said. (Japan Today)

Amid high electricity demand due to unseasonably cold weather and tight liquefied natural gas supply, Japan is scrambling to prevent a national blackout by calling on power companies to generate more and the public to use less. (Nikkei)

The head of the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has expressed his commitment to hold the events this summer. (NHK)

Tokyo's benchmark stock index continues to be on a tear, hitting a 30 year-record high again on Wednesday. Semiconductor-related shares continued to climb as investors bet they'll be well-placed to weather the pandemic. (NHK)

A former SoftBank Corp. employee has been arrested on suspicion of illegally disclosing 5G trade secrets to his new employer, Rakuten Mobile Inc., as it was preparing to launch its own mobile network. (Japan Times)

Tokyo reported 1,433 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as Japan’s cumulative total of coronavirus cases topped 300,000. (Japan Times)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday the government will expand a state of emergency declared over the coronavirus pandemic to Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Tuesday reported 970 new cases of the coronavirus, down 249 from Monday. The tally brought Tokyo's cumulative total to 77,133. (Japan Today)

Medical facilities across Japan are struggling to cope with the recent surge in novel coronavirus infections, leaving the medical care system in many areas on the brink of collapse. (Japan Today)

Men wearing traditional loin clothes and women dressed in white robes clapped and chanted before going into an ice water bath during a Shinto ritual at a Tokyo shrine on Sunday to purify the soul and pray for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

Meet my Japanese neighbors and see how the area is surviving without tourists. (KemushiChan ロレッタ)

Japan's health ministry says four people who arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport earlier this month were infected with a coronavirus variant different from those found in Britain and South Africa. (NHK)

Japanese weather officials say snowfall is forecast for the Pacific side of the country, as the heavy snow that hit Sea of Japan areas subsides. (NHK)

Japan’s new unified university entrance examination is set to take place for two days from Saturday, in an unprecedented situation amid the rapidly growing spread of the novel coronavirus, which has led the Tokyo metropolitan area to be put under a fresh state of emergency. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 1,219 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Monday. (NHK)

Little change was seen in the flow of commuters at major train stations in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures Friday morning as a fresh state of emergency came into effect in the metropolitan area to stop the spread of COVID-19. (Japan Times)