Many non-japanese people often ask me why everyone eats at KFC on Christmas in Japan. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

The former head of a major sushi chain operator in Japan has pleaded guilty to stealing confidential information from a rival company he used to work for. (NHK)

Japan's average temperature in 2022 was its highest ever for the fourth consecutive year, preliminary figures released by the country's weather agency showed Thursday. (Kyodo)

Japan on Thursday set out a new decarbonization policy with a lasting role for nuclear power, allowing the rebuilding of aging reactors in a reversal of the phase-out plan adopted after the Fukushima disaster more than a decade ago. (Nikkei)

Japan's government revised up on Thursday its growth forecast for the next fiscal year on prospects for higher business expenditures and substantial wage hikes that are seen as underpinning consumption. (Nikkei)

The largest discount store in Japan, Don Quijote also known as Donki, was forced to reverse its decision of replacing the mascot after it faced massive protests from its fans on social media. (wionews.com)

A Tokyo court on Thursday found guilty five members of a group claiming to be the Japanese arm of U.S. conspiracy cult QAnon for forcing their way into local coronavirus vaccination sites earlier this year. (Japan Today)

The year isn't yet done with rattling investors' cages. The Bank of Japan’s surprise widening of its yield curve-control policy on 10-year government bonds will have an impact far beyond its shores. (advisorperspectives.com)

Since 1931, researchers have been investigating the therapeutic effects of Japanese hot springs, also known as 'onsen.' In 2011, the hospital conducted a massive survey of Beppu residents over 65 on their 'onsen' habits and health. (sciencedaily.com)

With Japan having a large selection of restaurants of an almost endless variety and with its complex culture and numerous unique customs, it can sometimes be a little stressful to dine out without worrying about making a cultural faux pas. (japan-guide.com)

Japan plans to make a concerted effort to reduce its reliance on imported agricultural products in the coming years, NHK World Japan reported on Dec. 20. (world-grain.com)

Japan designated semiconductors, batteries and nine other items as strategically critical material on Tuesday, in a bid to reduce the exposure of those supply chains to China. (Nikkei)

Visitor arrivals to Japan have jumped to almost one million in the first full month since the country scrapped COVID-19 curbs that effectively halted tourism for more than two years. (inverelltimes.com.au)

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has approved a draft of a new rule that would allow the country's nuclear power reactors to be operated for more than the current limit of 60 years. The amendment will require parliamentary approval. (world-nuclear-news.org)

Police in Niigata Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, have confirmed that a woman found dead in a snowbound car died of carbon monoxide poisoning. (NHK)

Spending by foreign and domestic travelers in Japan is increasing as the central government relaxes COVID-related restrictions. (Nikkei)

Japanese weather officials say regions along the Sea of Japan may see more snow than normal over the next three months. (NHK)

A 52-year-old woman and her one-year-old grandson died after the car she was driving plunged into the sea at a port in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, on Monday. (Japan Today)

Markets were taken aback as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) modified its yield curve control (YCC) strategy. The bank permitted the yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond to swing 50 basis points either side of its 0% objective. (Economic Times)

The yen soared to a four-month high against the dollar Tuesday after a surprise tweak to monetary policy by the Bank of Japan, which decided against hiking interest rates to tame decades-high inflation. (albawaba.com)

Popular porn-streaming website Pornhub's ninth Year-in-Review revealed that "hentai" is the site’s most-searched term for the second year in a row. (yahoo.com)

This time, we are trying the cheapest bed which looks like a capsule hotel on Tokyo-Kyushu Ferry from Shin-Moji(Fukuoka) to Yokosuka(Kanagawa). (travelgeek)

A group of academics has published what it says is the first-ever English handbook of the language of Japan's indigenous Ainu people. The Ainu once populated a wide area of northern Japan. (NHK)

Physicists have proposed that ‘neutrinos’ – one of the most abundant fundamental particles in the universe – could be the origin of all matter in the universe today. (scotsman.com)

Hundreds of vehicles were trapped on a major highway running through the city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast early Tuesday, as heavy snow fell in the area. (NHK)