Kei Komuro, the husband of Mako Komuro, a former princess, has paid about Y4 million to his mother’s ex-fiance to settle a financial dispute that had overshadowed the Komuro’s marriage, the former fiance’s representative said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Hidden in the mountains of northern Kyoto prefecture lies Kurotani with a history of Japanese washi paper making for over 800 years. The oldest remaining manufactured paper in the village is said to date back to 1593. (shashinjapan)

Japan's animation industry contracted sharply last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, while overseas markets saw strong sales and exceeded the domestic market for the first time. (NHK)

Japanese government data indicates that the coronavirus pandemic is creating more long-term unemployment. (NHK)

The online casino market is flourishing in Japan, and many would put the astonishing success down to the numerous varieties of casino bonus that Japanese-facing casinos offer their patrons. (newsonjapan.com)

I took the Cheapest overnight sleeper train compartment in Japan from Okayama to Tokyo. For those traveling with the JR Pass, this is the cheapest way to traveling between nights. ( Solo Solo Travel)

JR WEST collaborated with Hello Kitty and decorated the 500 series Shinkansen in a cute way. (Kuga's Travel)

In the fall of 2021, at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas, the Honda Aircraft Company unveiled the HondaJet 2600 concept. (Skyships Eng)

Japanese officials are getting ready to begin third doses of coronavirus vaccines in two weeks as the number of new infections remains low. (NHK)

Japan’s health ministry has urged local governments to prepare for the administration of COVID-19 vaccine to children age 5 and 11, expanding inoculations to this age group in February at the earliest, its officials said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

In a significant shift for a country long closed to immigrants, Japan is looking to allow foreigners in certain blue-collar jobs to stay indefinitely starting as early as the 2022 fiscal year, an official from the Ministry of Justice said on Thursday. (aljazeera.com)

Japan will raise the limit on the number of people entering the country to around 5,000 a day from the current 3,500, starting November 26. (NHK)

Members of the media were invited to view a test run of Japan's first self-driving bullet train. (NHK)

Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. said Wednesday that it will begin offering takeaway drinks in rental cups in central Tokyo on a trial basis from Monday. (Japan Times)

With players like Daichi Kamada, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Takumi Minamino having impressed amongst the football elite of Europe it's perhaps fair to say that more players might be heading for some time in the European limelight in the near future. (newsonjapan.com)

Highlighting the early efforts of now-established contemporary filmmakers, the second ACA Cinema Project series Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors takes an intimate look at six of Japan’s most well-known directors: Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Shuichi Okita, Junji Sakamoto, Akihiko Shiota and Masayuki Suo. (JapanSocietyNYC)

Japanese home-appliance maker Balmuda has unveiled its first smartphone, which bucks the trend of larger displays. (NHK)

Japanese researchers have created a clone of an Afghan mural destroyed by the Taliban, using a mix of traditional and digital techniques that they hope will salvage the work's "spirit" for future generations. (AFP News Agency)

Japan's exports increased in October from a year earlier, marking the eighth straight month of growth. (NHK)

A Japanese government panel on the novel coronavirus response gave the green light Tuesday for the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, including scrapping the cap on spectators at events under certain conditions. (Kyodo)

Ryo Ishikawa was handed a one-month suspension by the Japan Golf Tour Organization on Monday after he admitted to breaking quarantine rules following his return from a trip to the United States. (Japan Times)

A man attacked an elderly woman with a knife in front of Fukushima Station in Fukushima Prefecture on Monday, police and local media said, the latest in a string of recent assaults on and around the country's train network. (Japan Today)

Coastal areas surrounding Tokyo are expecting the arrival of a mass of floating pumice stone created by a huge underwater volcanic eruption in August, with the material already having blanketed dozens of fishing ports and impacted marine life in the country's southwest. (Japan Today)

A box of premium apples grown in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, fetches as high as 1 million yen in the season's first auction. (Nippon TV News 24 Japan)

The cruise business in Japan is getting back on track, with vessels gradually resume sailing with new COVID-19 safety measures in place after numerous canceled trips due to the pandemic. (Japan Times)