Renowned for melding East and West, old and new with its architecture and design, The Okura Tokyo opened its doors to the press for the first time Friday after three years of renovations, ahead of its public opening on Sept. 12. (Japan Times)

The trial of Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Nissan Motor Co who has been charged with financial misconduct in Japan, will begin as early as March, Kyodo News said on Thursday, citing his defense lawyer. (Japan Today)

An express train collided with a large truck on Thursday in Yokohama, killing the driver of the truck and injuring 33. (Japan Times)

Police in Shibuya Ward continued their crackdown on graffiti with the arrests Irish rapper Rejjie Snow and Tanner Dale, a DJ, early Wednesday, reports Nippon News Network (Sept. 6). (tokyoreporter.com)

South Korean Olympic officials have called on Japan to ban its "rising sun" flag at the 2020 Tokyo Games after claiming it represents a "militaristic and imperial past." (Japan Today)

Powerful typhoon Lingling is moving north near the main island of Japan's subtropical Okinawa Prefecture. It has already pummeled Miyakojima and nearby islands, leaving about 20,000 households without power. (NHK)

A new attraction at Tokyo Disney Resort is drawing big crowds that help sustain a major round of investments in the 36-year-old theme park site. (Nikkei)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has submitted an amendment that would oblige cyclists in the capital to purchase liability insurance policies, following a series of bicycle accidents in which pedestrians were severely injured and secured huge compensation payments. (Japan Times)

Empress Emerita Michiko will have surgery for breast cancer on Sunday, the Imperial Household Agency announced Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male Russian national and one other man over the alleged theft of a bag from an intoxicated man in Musashino City last month, reports NHK (Sept. 3). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo's municipal government is preparing a pilot program that will grant electronic money to people demonstrating acts of good citizenship. (Nikkei)

Japanese consumers are rushing to buy expensive appliances, clothing and jewelry before the country's consumption tax increase on Oct. 1, retailers say, and the trend portends a drop-off in spending afterward. (Nikkei)

The Japan Olympic Museum will open in Tokyo on September 14. Members of the media were given a preview on Monday. (NHK)

Seven countries including China, Russia and Australia have won 26 of the 50 new international slots created at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in the run-up to next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, transport ministry officials said Monday. (Japan Times)

With the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics less than a year away, Tokyo police are stepping up efforts to strengthen their foreign language assistance. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a emergency personnel member over the alleged molestation of a woman in Yokohama City, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 31). (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Tokyo have arrested an 87-year-old man on suspicion of molesting an 8-year-old girl in a park in Edogawa Ward. (Japan Today)

Tokyo's Haneda Airport has begun testing new flight paths over the city. It's part of preparations for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. (NHK)

Train and bus operators announced on Thursday plans to run more nighttime trips between Narita Airport and nearby Tokyo and Chiba to accommodate travelers taking advantage of the hub's service extension this fall. (Nikkei)

Passengers on Shinkansen trains with large pieces of luggage will be encouraged to make reservations from May of next year. The change is part of the imposition of stricter security preceding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (NHK)

Tokyo has been ranked the world's safest city for the third year running, followed by Singapore and Osaka, according to the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit released on Thursday. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Customs on Tuesday started to make electronic customs declaration gates at Narita International Airport available to foreign nationals visiting Japan. (Japan Times)

Seoul said Wednesday it will file a World Trade Organization complaint against Japan, hours after Tokyo formally imposed additional trade restrictions on South Korea. (Nikkei)

A South Korean man who was on a nationwide wanted list for alleged theft and intrusion gave himself up to police in Tokyo on Tuesday, 10 days after fleeing from a hospital. (Japan Today)

The US State Department has criticized South Korea's recent military drills near the Takeshima Islands. South Korea controls the islands. Japan claims them. (NHK)