Japan's immigration authorities have granted a lesbian Ugandan woman refugee status after a court ruled in favor of her. (NHK)

In mid-April, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its Diplomatic Bluebook 2023, its most important guidebook on international affairs. (Asia Times)

A Japanese Justice Ministry panel has agreed to consider introducing a joint custody system for shared parental rights after a divorce, revising the current sole custody system. (NHK)

Visitors to Japan surged to a post-COVID high in March, official data showed on Wednesday, as many international tourists flocked to see the nation's famous cherry blossoms for the first time in four years as travel curbs were gradually lifted. (Reuters)

A new ceasefire between rival factions fell apart Wednesday night in Sudan. Japanese government officials say they are getting ready to airlift around 60 nationals from the country as deadly clashes continue. (CNA)

Junior high school third graders in Japan took an English-speaking test online for the first time Tuesday in the education ministry’s national achievement test held across the country. (Japan Times)

Police in Shibata, Miyagi Prefecture, said a 54-year-old man was fatally stabbed outside the front door to his house on Monday. (Japan Today)

Police in Japan have arrested three Indonesian nationals on suspicion of abandoning the body of a man in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, last month. (NHK)

The malevolent entity that inhabits the doll known as Okiku has become famous over the last century as being one of the most compelling cases for a conduit between our world and something else. (Mystery Archives)

The Japanese stock market has underperformed and languished against the US since the infamous burst of Japan’s property bubble in early 1990 that led to two decades of sticky deflation. (actionforex.com)

The buzz at Auto Shanghai when it opened Tuesday was the slew of electric vehicles being showcased. (The Japan News)

Foreign investors are buying up Japanese hotels at a scale unseen in almost a decade, as the nation's tourism recovery, weak currency and low interest rates drive appetite from abroad. (AFR)

Marine conservation campaigners have lodged a complaint with police demanding that “toxic” dolphin meat be removed from sale in Japan, after a test showed a sample contained levels of mercury up to 100 times higher than the government’s recommended safe level. (The Guardian)

With Japanese consumers hungry for post-pandemic entertainment, the country's leading producer of drone light shows has raised 100 million yen ($750,000) to expand and keep up with skyrocketing demand. (Nikkei)

The Los Angeles Dodgers moved on from pitcher Trevor Bauer in Jan. 2023 following an initial 324-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. (yardbarker.com)

The wife of Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio visited the White House on Monday to meet with First Lady Jill Biden. (NHK)

How to make 6 delicious Japanese main dishes (Recipes) / Tempura / Hamburger Steak / Karaage / Sushi (JAPANESE COOKING CHANNEL)

The Japanese government has come up with a package of measures aimed at eliminating groping on trains and other public places. (NHK)

The recent Dubai World Cup will go down as a historic moment in Japanese horse racing. (newsonjapan.com)

Two strangers find themselves linked between space and time through a mutual love… of food. Today, byFood goes anime-style with Shizuka and friend Kai reenacting the 2016 animated smash hit “Your Name”. (Japan by Food)

A children's park in Nagano City, central Japan, is being removed because of a noise complaint by a local resident. (NHK)

Nagasaki police confirmed on Monday (April 17) that a Taiwanese tourist died at a hospital after falling off a boat ride at a theme park. (Taiwan News)

Eleven people were injured when a wooden festival cart was overturned in the streets of Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan. (NHK)

Incredible footage shows the moment a heroic bodyguard reacted with lightning speed and precision to protect Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a smoke bomb attack. (news.com.au)

Divers have recovered the wreckage of a missing military helicopter, along with the bodies of five of the 10 people on board, off the coast of Japan. (BBC)