American automaker General Motors says it is acquiring SoftBank's $2.1 billion stake in its autonomous car venture Cruise. (Japan Today)

The Defense Ministry has launched a cyber defense command by reorganizing related units of the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces. The move is aimed at strengthening its ability to cope with rapidly growing cyber threats from China, North Korea and Russia. (the-japan-news.com)

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said his country will invest $42 billion in India over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade. (telanganatoday.com)

Many homes in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures are still without water more than three days after a powerful quake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan. (NHK)

Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City, announced on September 28th 2021 that they would partner with MGM Resorts International to negotiate the construction of a casino resort under Japan's liberalized gaming regulations. (newsonjapan.com)

MattvsJapan / The Anime Man / Joey / Matt / That Japanese Man Yuta / 道元 / 日本語 / ユウタさんの評価について / (Dogen)

While the U.S. battles its worst inflation in 40 years, there is still one country where prices aren’t rising as fast as the central bank would like and interest rates are stuck around zero. (wsj.com)

MINSK, March 17./TASS/. Russia offers Ukraine an absolutely acceptable option for a treaty, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with Japanese TBS TV channel, cited in part by BelTA news agency. (tass.com)

The Bank of Japan will stay the course on monetary easing even as it predicts inflation will approach its 2% target in April, with costlier commodities and a weak yen doing more to raise consumer prices than years of BOJ efforts. (Nikkei)

Thousands of miles from the war in Ukraine, Japanese sushi restaurants and fish markets are feeling the pain of their country’s sanctions on Russia. (washingtonpost.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will propose reforms at the United Nations to limit veto powers held by the Security Council's five permanent members, Nikkei has learned, after Russia last month blocked a resolution condemning its invasion of Ukraine. (Nikkei)

A humanoid robot that can help package noodles was displayed at a recent Tokyo technology exhibition as a solution for food manufacturers struggling with labor shortages ( Reuters)

Japanese Wagyu Beef is quite different from other beef around the world and within Japan, there are so many regional brands. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Police in Osaka have arrested a 53-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he attacked two men at random with a knife as they walked along a street. (Japan Today)

Nearly 40% of adults in Japan feel lonely as social interaction remains limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey showed. (Japan Timesj)

The number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms in Japan dropped by 99 from Friday to 991 on Saturday, its first dip below 1,000 since Feb. 3, the health ministry said. (Japan Times)

From calorie count to portion sizes, we wanted to find out all the differences between Kit Kats in the US and Japan. This is Food Wars. ( Food Insider)

The unwelcome behaviour of some male customers is putting women off visits to hot springs, where both sexes have mingled for years (theguardian.com)

AstraZeneca has resolved a lingering liability following its takeover of Alexion with an agreement to pay $775 million to settle a patent dispute with Chugai Pharma, Roche’s Japanese subsidiary. (pharmaphorum.com)

The 2025 Osaka World Expo looks to establish flying-taxi routes connecting to eight possible destinations, with roughly 20 flights per hour. (Nikkei)

The government formally decided Thursday to lift all remaining coronavirus quasi-state of emergency curbs in Japan as scheduled next week as the number of new infections has recently been on a downtrend. (Kyodo)

Japan says it will impose sanctions against 15 Russian individuals and nine organizations, including defense officials and state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport. (Nikkei)

A report that scientists have begun tests on a 300-year-old “mermaid mummy” to identify its origins, has stimulated an interest in the existence of mermaids in Japanese folklore. (theconversation.com)

Seismic activities continue off the northeastern coast of Japan after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit the region on Wednesday night. (NHK)

Starbucks Coffee Japan on Thursday said it is ramping up its drive against disposable plastics in its product packaging and stores, part of the global chain's push to halve waste by 2030. (Nikkei)