Wakatakakage, a wrestler in sumo's elite makuuchi division, has become infected with the novel coronavirus, the Japan Sumo Association announced Thursday. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government has decided to suspend special entry conditions for athletes and team staff from countries and regions where new, potentially more infectious variants of the coronavirus have been found, sources with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The terminal for Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains in Tokyo is much quieter than usual during the year-end holidays due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Princess Kako, the niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, turned 26 on Tuesday, while spending much of her recent time at her residence in Tokyo and performing her duties online amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the Imperial Household Agency. (Kyodo)

Rika Kihira nailed a quad salchow in her free skate to overcome a powerful challenge from Kaori Sakamoto and capture her second straight women's crown at Japan's national figure skating championships on Sunday. (Kyodo)

Shrines across Japan would usually expect to welcome millions of people to celebrate New Year, but the novel coronavirus pandemic has dampened the celebratory mood this time as the country faces a third wave of infections. (Kyodo)

Twenty-three-year-old Wakaba Tomita captured her first national women's judo championship on Sunday in the unlimited weight-class meet. (Kyodo)

Former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe will not be charged over allegations his political funding group illegally subsidised parties for hundreds of voters in a case casting a shadow over the current prime minister. (straitstimes.com)

Tokyo reported its second-highest daily increase of 884 new coronavirus infections on Friday, as cases continue to rise unabated in the capital and several other areas across the country. (Kyodo)

About 18 percent of more than 1,000 universities and other higher education institutions in Japan continued to reduce their in-person teaching to less than half of their total as of October due to the coronavirus pandemic, the education ministry said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japan has set its 2021 catch limit for large whales at 383, the same as for the current year, in line with calculations to avoid a negative impact on cetacean resources, according to the Fisheries Agency. (Kyodo)

Yahoo Japan Corp. said Wednesday it will delete hateful and defamatory comments from all of its online posting sites with the use of artificial intelligence, beefing up efforts to tackle cyberbullying after the suspected suicide of a reality show star. (Kyodo)

The number of teachers at public schools in Japan who received disciplinary action or a reprimand for sexual misconduct in fiscal 2019 stood at 273, the second-highest figure on record, education ministry data showed Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games will cost at least ¥1.64 trillion ($15.9 billion), organizers said Tuesday, unveiling a final budget swollen by the unprecedented postponement and a raft of pandemic measures. (Japan Times)

Japan's former Emperor Akihito turned 87 on Wednesday, having spent much of the year quietly at his residence in Tokyo amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya was sentenced Tuesday to one year in prison, suspended for three years, for possessing cannabis. (Kyodo)

Ticket prices for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea during peak periods will increase by up to 500 yen ($4.80) starting from next March, operator Oriental Land Co. said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The J-League first division brought down the curtain Saturday on a 2020 season marked by unprecedented challenges stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, and a record-breaking march to the title by three-time champions Kawasaki Frontale. (Kyodo)

Japan forward Takumi Minamino recorded his long-awaited first goal in the English Premier League on Saturday by opening the scoring in Liverpool's 7-0 victory over Crystal Palace. (Kyodo)

Tokushima Vortis lifted the J-League second-division championship trophy Sunday following a 1-0 loss to second-place Avispa Fukuoka in the final round of the season. (Kyodo)

World champion karateka Ryo Kiyuna, who is among Japan's leading hopes for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has contracted coronavirus. (insidethegames.biz)

The capsule brought back by the Hayabusa2 space probe contained more than 5.4 grams of soil samples from a distant asteroid, exceeding the original target of 0.1 gram, Japan's space agency said Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan's Kei Nishikori married 29-year-old former model Mai Yamauchi last week, the former world No. 4 men's singles player announced Friday on his personal app. (Kyodo)

Traditional Japanese architectural craftsmanship used in timber-framed structures was approved Thursday for addition to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a committee of the U.N. cultural body said. (Kyodo)

Japan's Cabinet approved a 21.84 trillion yen ($210 billion) extra budget on Tuesday, bringing its total spending for fiscal 2020 to a record high of 175.69 trillion yen, as it grapples to ensure the coronavirus-stricken economy stays on a recovery track. (Kyodo)