Japan confirmed its first deaths among people infected with the omicron coronavirus variant Saturday. (Japan Times)

Japanese gymnastics legend Kohei Uchimura has announced his retirement. Dubbed "King Kohei" for his outstanding success, the 33-year-old has earned a reputation as one of the greatest male gymnasts of all time. (CNA)

Annual two-day unified university entrance examinations began on Saturday, with the first test day marred by a stabbing near the University of Tokyo. (Japan Times)

Leading doctors are pushing for the abortion pill to be as expensive as the surgery, a procedure that’s not covered by health insurance. (vice.com)

The abundance of a specific intestinal bacteria known to suppresses the binding of the coronavirus to human cell receptors is likely to play a role in the low COVID-19 mortality rates seen in Asia and Northern Europe, according to a study led by a team of researchers at Nagoya University. (Japan Times)

Hi! I'm Ayachi Samyal a participant of Asia Kakehashi Project 2021-22 .This is a vlog of my everyday life in my Japanese High School. Yes, I do attend all the classes in Japanese !(^o^)! (Ayachi Samyal)

Japan will shorten to 10 days the current 14-day isolation period for close contacts of the Omicron COVID-19 variant among the general public, health minister Shigeyuki Goto said Friday. (Kyodo)

More than 20,000 new coronavirus infections were confirmed across Japan on Friday. The surge in cases, which is attributed to the Omicron variant, is spurring authorities to consider how to maintain social and economic activity. (NHK)

Pet cafes are popular tourist destinations in Japan where visitors pay to play with otters and other exotic creatures. (aljazeera.com)

Weather officials are warning of more snow from the Hokuriku region to Hokkaido along the Sea of Japan coast. (NHK)

The Japanese Olympic Committee will select veteran Nordic combined skier Akito Watabe as a flagbearer for February's Beijing Winter Games, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Yogibo, an American company known for its beanbag furniture, has been acquired by the company distributing its products in Japan, one of its biggest markets. (Nikkei)

In this video, we head for a 3-day trip from Tokyo to Niigata, a prefecture famous for its high quality rice, beautiful coastal and mountainous sceneries, skiing in winter and hot spring bathing around the year. (japan-guide.com)

The Japanese government is revising rules to deal with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. More than 18,000 coronavirus infections were confirmed on Thursday. (NHK)

As the first Japanese winner of a men’s major, Hideki Matsuyama’s victory at the Masters in April is expected to making a lasting impact in golf crazed Japan. But the reverberations from his rise to international golfing star can already be felt in two of the country’s most promising talents. (golfweek)

I recommend Japanese street food in Fushimi Inari Shrine as a festival for those of you who will be spending New Year's in Kyoto. (Travel Kyoto Japan)

Having been around since the early 1990’s, online casinos are certainly established, and you may have played at a few of them yourself over the years. (newsonjapan.com)

We visit Ikebukuro again to check out Otome Road and find out what's up with those badged up bags of anime characters. (KON'CHA! Japan Travel Guide)

Entertainer Pikotaro, known for the viral music video of his song "PPAP," promotes countryside lodging in Japan. (Nippon TV News 24 Japan)

Toyota was the world's top-selling automaker in 2021, holding on to its number-one ranking for the second year in a row. (NHK)

Yahoo Japan will allow its 8,000 employees to work from anywhere in the country and even commute by plane when they need to come to the office. (Nikkei)

The governor of the Bank of Japan says he thinks consumer inflation will likely accelerate gradually on rising energy costs. (NHK)

A Japanese firefighter moonlighting as a gaming YouTuber had cold water poured on his career by public officials, who uncovered the secret side hustle by identifying his voice in the lucrative videos. (gulf-times.com)

The Japanese government has unveiled its latest set of anti-coronavirus measures, as the Omicron variant continues to spread. The plan includes moving up the vaccine schedule to give people their third shots earlier. (NHK)

Japanese employers will offer job opportunities to 50,000 highly skilled Asian professionals in digital technology and other in-demand fields under a government initiative announced Monday. (Nikkei)