A private Japanese think tank has ranked Tokyo third in its annual assessment of major cities around the world. (NHK)

The number of homeless people in central Tokyo has dropped 7% from a year ago, the metropolitan government says, with the robust job market receiving much of the credit. (Nikkei)

Ayako Moriya, the third daughter of the late Prince Takamado and now a commoner, has given birth to a boy, her first child, the Imperial Household Agency said Sunday. (Japan Times)

Sources close to the investigation of Japanese actress Erika Sawajiri say she has admitted to using illegal drugs for some time. (NHK)

Japanese actress Erika Sawajiri was arrested Saturday on suspicion of possessing the synthetic drug MDMA at her home in Tokyo, police said. (Japan Today)

Niigata Prefectural Police are hunting for a 25-year-old man after a woman was fatally stabbed in a business district in Chuo Ward, Niigata City on Friday, reports Jiji Press (Nov. 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

November is usually peak travel season in Hakone, one of the most popular resorts within easy reach of Tokyo. Visitors flock to the area in autumn to watch the leaves turn and enjoy a dip in the hot springs. (Nikkei)

As this year marks the fifth anniversary of the education ministry designating Hiroshima University as a “Type A Super Global University,” the university has taken major steps to achieve globalization. (Japan Times)

The organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics on Friday said they are confident next year’s swimming races won’t be cancelled like the test run in August was, thanks to measures to keep E. coli bacteria at acceptable levels. (Japan Times)

Japan's economic professors frequently draw on a common saying as a metaphor to teach students about diminishing returns: The first beer of the night is incredibly satisfying, the second one not as much. (Nikkei)

Convenience store operator FamilyMart Co said Thursday it will allow its franchise owners across Japan to shorten operating hours from March in a bid to address a severe labor shortage during late-night hours. (Japan Today)

Six people, including four nursery school children, were injured Monday after a vehicle plowed into them at a pedestrian crossing in Hachioji, in western Tokyo, police said. (Japan Times)

Japan's new Emperor and Empress enthralled people in Tokyo and around the nation with a lavish procession through the streets of the capital. (NHK)

A 55-year-old man was found dead in his home in western Tokyo on Friday with more than 30 stab wounds while the property appeared to have been ransacked, police said. (Japan Today)

Police officers and volunteers have patrolled a central Tokyo street before Sunday's Imperial procession marking Emperor Naruhito's accession to the throne. (NHK)

The season's first haul of snow crabs, a winter delicacy, has fetched record prices at a port in western Japan. (NHK)

The people who run Tokyo Disney Resort are taking no chances with security in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (NHK)

Water supplies at the domestic terminals of Haneda Airport in Tokyo were cut on Wednesday morning due to construction work, according to the operator of the terminal buildings. (Japan Times)

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son said Wednesday he made a "poor" decision investing in U.S. office sharing company WeWork at a $47 billion valuation, which led to the worst financial performance in the company's history. (Nikkei)

Hollywood actor Will Smith was in Japan recently to promote his new movie Gemini Man, and in between walking the red carpet for the Tokyo premiere and spending some time at TeamLab Borderless, the 50-year-old actor took some time out to make sushi with Japanese YouTuber Bilingirl Chika. (soranews24.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police used the results of a DNA analysis to arrest a 27-year-old man over the alleged attempted rape of a woman in Suginami Ward three years ago, reports TV Asahi (Nov. 5). (tokyoreporter.com)

The number of visitors to the 46th Tokyo Motor Show totaled 1.3 million, topping 1 million for the first time in 12 years, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the main organizer of the event, said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested three persons over live broadcasts on the internet earlier this year in which two female suspects appeared nude, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Nov. 5). (tokyoreporter.com)

NHK has learned that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated Japan's position on the wartime labor issue in a brief dialogue he had with his South Korean counterpart at an ASEAN summit in Thailand. (NHK)

Tokyo stocks staged a sharp rebound on Tuesday, allowing the benchmark Nikkei average to finish above 23,000 for the first time in nearly 13 months. (Japan Times)