Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency has moved to crack down for the first time on the shady advertising practice known as stealth marketing. (NHK)

Japan may face a shortage of more than 11 million workers by 2040, a study has found, underscoring the economic challenges the nation faces as its population ages rapidly. (Japan Times)

The poorest slum in Japan is defiantly not what you'd expect. Japan is one of the richest countries in the world, but the difference between rich and poor is huge. (Oriental Pearl)

The Tokyo District Court has dismissed a lawsuit from a K-pop group management company that was seeking 15 million in damages from former members of SKY GIRLS who quit the group. (NOJ / TV Asahi)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he was not thinking about dissolving parliament, brushing aside speculation he could call a snap election in the coming months to solidify his standing within his ruling party. (Reuters)

For almost 700 years between the 12th and 19th centuries, Japan was ruled by a Shogun. This was the age of samurai and the formation of the modern nation of Japan. This period also saw the emergence of new ideas about love-making and marriage. (A Day In History)

Mizuho Financial Group and messenger app Line are preparing to abandon plans to develop smartphone-based Line Bank, Nikkei learned on Wednesday, after cost overruns and delays allowed competitors to hit the market first. (Nikkei)

Mount Fuji has not erupted in more than 300 years, but Japan has a new strategy in case an eruption is imminent. (NHK)

Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani is to make a one-season MLB record US$65 million this year in salary and endorsements, Forbes magazine reported on Tuesday. (taipeitimes.com)

TOKYO/OSAKA -- An Osaka futures market whose roots go back to 17th-century rice trading is quietly attempting a comeback through small-lot trading of gold, silver and platinum. (Nikkei)

Beginnings, The Shaman Queen, The Rise of Buddhism 552 AD, The Fall of Korea 663 AD, Choosing A Capital 736 AD, Rise of the Emishi 774 AD, Embassies to China 717 AD, The Heian Court 1000 AD, Shogun 1184, Horsemen of the Apocalypse 1274 (Voices of the Past)

The acclaimed Japanese violinist Fumiaki Miura, First Prize Winner and recipient of the Critics’ Prize and Audience’s Award at the 2009 Joseph Joachim Hannover International Violin Competition, made a stop in Dubai on the 12th of February, headlining the opening concert of the 2023 InClassica International Music Festival alongside the Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra and Italian conductor Massimiliano Caldi. (newsonjapan.com)

Russia's navy fired supersonic anti-ship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Did you know there’s a town in Japan that makes sushi WITHOUT fish using JUST vegetables? (Ryotaro's Japan)

Chinese tech giant Alibaba will open a blockchain laboratory in Japan next month in an effort to push Web3 adoption in the country. (beincrypto.com)

A group of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers plans to compile a proposal next month urging the government to ban social networking services such as TikTok if they are used for disinformation campaigns, an LDP lawmaker said on Monday. (indianexpress.com)

One of the last vestiges of the BSE disaster of the early 2000s in Canada will be ending now that the Japanese government has agreed to allow processed beef into the country for the first time in two decades. (producer.com)

Every spring, thousands of tourists from Japan and overseas descend on a shrine in Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Kanagawa to celebrate one thing — the penis. (soranews24.com)

A university student in Japan has dressed up as Volodymyr Zelensky for his graduation ceremony. (BBC News)

Japan’s revised passport law took effect Monday, making online applications for passport renewal possible without visits to relevant administrative offices. (The Japan News)

EurekaMag digitizes scientific journal articles and book chapters in European libraries since 2007. It serves its customer base in Japan with European literature particularly in the fields of medical and zoological sciences. (newsonjapan.com)

New Romance on the Cards? Harry Styles has been spotted passionately kissing Emily Ratajkowski. (NNN)

Japan's notorious gangsters are taking the roadway authorities to court. Why? (Firstpost)

The simplest things in life are often the best: sharing a pizza with friends, watching the sunrise with a loved one or sipping a perfectly executed two-ingredient cocktail, such as a whisky and soda, on a sunny day. (South China Morning Post)

Japan will scrap Monday a service allowing passport holders to add pages when they run out of space for visas and immigration stamps, becoming the last member of the Group of 20 to stop such a system. (Kyodo)