Japanese director Takashi Miike has built up a cult following around the world over the past two decades with an oeuvre of horror movies, often featuring extreme violence. (Kyodo)

Tokyo on Tuesday reported 925 new coronavirus cases as concerns grow over an increasing number of infections caused by highly contagious variants of the virus. (Kyodo)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday the government needs to speed up the process of approving clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines at a time when Japanese drugmakers have lost ground to foreign rivals. (Kyodo)

Japan accelerated Monday its rollout of coronavirus vaccines with the aim of inoculating all of the elderly by the end of July amid a fourth wave of infections. (Kyodo)

Internet traffic in Japan saw a some 78-time increase in 2020 from the 2004 level, partly due to a surge in online communications in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to government data. (Kyodo)

The first deer fawn to be born this year in Nara Park, a popular tourist attraction in western Japan, was shown to the press Monday by a local preservation organization. (Kyodo)

Awaiting its Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer, skateboarding has become increasingly popular in Japan as an outdoor activity one can enjoy while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but the sport's surge has not been without trouble. (Kyodo)

IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of a man over the fatal stabbing of a man and his wife and injuring of two of their children in the town of Sakai nearly two years ago, reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

A search continued Friday for a roughly 3.5-meter-long pet python that managed to break free and slither away from an apartment near Tokyo, according to local police. (Kyodo)

Yokozuna Hakuho, who holds the all-time record of 44 top-division titles, pulled out of the upcoming Summer Sumo Grand Tournament on Friday and will miss a sixth straight basho, the equal third-longest injury absence by a grand champion in sumo history. (Kyodo)

The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday it will provide athletes attending this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics with doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, free of charge. (Kyodo)

The younger brother of Japanese NBA player Rui Hachimura has revealed a message received online that targets the two with anti-black insults, saying in his Twitter post sharing the racial slurs that he hopes to increase awareness of discrimination faced by minorities in Japan. (Kyodo)

As the global challenge of climate change mounts and the coronavirus pandemic magnifies economic inequalities, Karl Marx, who pointed to the contradictions and limitations of capitalism, is gaining new admirers in Japan, particularly among the young. (Japan Today)

Japan has recently made illegal the carrying or sending of seeds or seedlings of domestically developed farm products out of the country as it tries to protect local producers from the impacts of unauthorized overseas cultivation. (Kyodo)

A Tokyo police officer was found dead and his female colleague is missing on Mt. Tanigawa in eastern Japan, local police said Tuesday, two days after receiving a distress call. (Kyodo)

Japan's estimated child population hit a record low after falling for 40 straight years, government data showed Tuesday, adding to the evidence of the country's aging population. (Kyodo)

Japan's Golden Week holiday period began in earnest on Saturday, but the first day of five consecutive vacation days was relatively quiet in major areas as measures against COVID-19 dissuaded many people from traveling. (Kyodo)

More than half the respondents in a Kyodo News survey released Saturday believe Japan needs to amend its Constitution to introduce an emergency clause so that it can better respond to the coronavirus pandemic and other disasters. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government said Friday it has decided to send 300 respirators and 300 oxygen concentrators to India, which is battling one of the world's worst coronavirus crises with the rapid spread of the virus, including more contagious variants. (Kyodo)

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday rejected Japan's request to delete from his Twitter account a parody picture of an "ukiyo-e" work to criticize its decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima power plant into the ocean. (Kyodo)

Japan plans to introduce "vaccine passports" to make it easier for people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 to travel internationally, government sources said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The coronavirus continues to create serious question marks for Tokyo 2020 organizers. (NHK)

Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land Co. on Wednesday reported a loss for the year ended March, its first annual red ink since listing in 1996, due to record-low visitor numbers as a result of the temporary closure of its theme parks and subsequent capacity limits amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman has drawn criticism for using a parody picture of a "ukiyo-e" painting by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai to take a jab at Japan's decision to release treated radioactive water at the Fukushima power plant. (Kyodo)

NARA (TR) – Nara Prefectural Police have arrested a 37-year-old woman for allegedly stalking a police officer stationed at the Nara Police Station in Nara City. (tokyoreporter.com)