A written character that evokes everything people in Japan were urged to avoid this year -- crowds, confined spaces and close contact with others -- was on Monday voted the country's top linguistic symbol of 2020. (yahoo.com)

Marriage and childbirth go hand in hand in Japan, perhaps more so than in many other developed countries, but for Rei Kakyoin, a self-identified asexual, the former was never an option. (Kyodo)

Japanese prosecutors will indict a 42-year-old man on murder and other charges over an arson attack in July last year on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio that killed 36 people and injured 33 others, investigative sources said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Popular Japanese actress Erika Toda and actor Tori Matsuzaka have married, their respective agencies announced Thursday. (Kyodo)

Empress Masako, on the occasion of her 57th birthday on Wednesday, expressed her desire to overcome the challenges presented by the novel coronavirus pandemic together with the Japanese people, saying they are "invaluable" people and wishes for their happiness. (Kyodo)

The latest edition of the Michelin guide of starred eateries in Tokyo was unveiled on Monday, with the publishing company saying it hopes announcing the list will support restaurants and the tourism industry struggling amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Yuya Yoshida won the Fukuoka International Marathon held in southwestern Japan on Sunday to earn his first career victory over the 42.195-kilometer distance. (Kyodo)

The word tachinbo literally means to stand for an unspecified length of time. However, it colloquially refers to a street walker. (tokyoreporter.com)

Kei Nishikori hopes to be back on court playing against the best in the world next year after his 2020 season was wrecked by COVID-19 and injury. (Japan Today)

Seattle Mariners special assistant Ichiro Suzuki concluded his high school coaching debut on Friday after three days as a special instructor with schoolboy baseball powerhouse Chiben Wakayama in western Japan. (Kyodo)

Former Japan midfielder Daisuke Matsui will join Vietnam's Sai Gon FC from Yokohama FC, the J-League first division club said Thursday. (Kyodo)

The organizers of the national high school rugby tournament said Thursday the annual event will begin as scheduled on Dec. 27 but without spectators in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government expressed regret Wednesday after a district assembly in Berlin adopted a resolution to allow a statue symbolizing Korean women who were procured for Japan's wartime military brothels to remain in place. (Kyodo)

NTT Docomo Inc. plans to cut mobile phone fees across the board, sources familiar with the matter said, becoming the first of Japan's major carriers to do so following a government call for the industry to lower charges. (Kyodo)

Prosecutors sought a one-year prison term for Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to cannabis possession in his trial at the Tokyo District Court, while his defense lawyers asked for a suspended sentence. (Kyodo)

Signboards with the names of Kabuki actors scheduled to star in year-end performances were put up outside Minamiza Theatre in the city of Kyoto on Tuesday. (NHK)

Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 19 on Tuesday while attending online classes at her university as a first-year student amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Japan's Daisuke Takahashi may already be royalty in the eyes of many Japanese figure skating fans, but on Sunday he declared himself the man who would be king in his bid to emulate Japan's ageless soccer icon, Kazuyoshi "King Kazu" Miura. (Kyodo)

Crown Prince Fumihito, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, has said he "approves" of his daughter Princess Mako marrying her university boyfriend Kei Komuro, but reiterated that Komuro's mother must solve a money dispute she is involved in first. (Kyodo)

A 73-year-old woman has received a doctoral degree for her research into representations of the folklore theme of a night parade of demons, saying her embrace of lifelong learning has brought joy to her life. (Kyodo)

A rare nine-legged octopus was discovered off the coast of northeastern Japan earlier this month, with those curious about the unusual creature now able to see it on display at the town's local nature center. (Kyodo)

A man died and 11 others were injured after a leisure fishing boat capsized following a collision with a cargo vessel at a port in eastern Japan early Saturday morning, the Japan Coast Guard said. (Kyodo)

Japan's Imperial Household Agency said Friday it has decided to cancel Emperor Naruhito's annual New Year event at the Imperial Palace due to a recent spike in the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government is considering giving a new honorific title to female imperial family members who lose their royal status after marriage to enable them to engage in public duties, government sources said Monday. (Kyodo)

Japan will exclude Sapporo and Osaka from its domestic travel subsidy campaign for three weeks due to a recent resurgence in coronavirus cases in the two popular tourist destinations, senior government officials said Tuesday. (Kyodo)