Weather officials are urging continued caution against heatstroke as temperatures are forecast to top 35 degrees Celsius in wide areas across Japan on Wednesday. (NHK)

Some of the capital's most iconic hotels have already stopped taking room reservations during next summer's Olympic Games as the city stares down a 14,000-room shortfall for an expected 10 million visitors when the festivities get underway. (Nikkei)

A strong earthquake has rocked Japan's northeastern prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi. There is no threat of tsunami. (NHK)

Japanese weather officials are urging people to stay on the alert for heatstroke as sweltering conditions continue to grip wide areas of the country. (NHK)

Tensions between two Asian neighbors are increasing following Japan's decision to remove South Korea from its list of trading partners eligible for preferential export procedures. (NHK)

As a record-breaking inbound tourism trend continues in Japan, a closer analysis of government data reveals somewhat skewed regional results. (Nikkei)

The overwhelming majority of middle and high school students in Japan are required to wear uniforms, and so it’s no surprise that Japanese schools tend to have lots of other rules governing students’ personal appearance. One that’s been attracting controversy in recent years, though, is a requirement at some schools that all students must have black hair. (Japan Today)

Police have arrested a 30-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of attempted murder after he stabbed a woman in the neck at a Daiso 100-yen store in Tokyo’s Hachioji district on Wednesday night. (Japan Today)

Third-year students in Japan’s junior high schools struggle with speaking and writing in English, according to the results of this year’s nationwide achievement test conducted by the education ministry. (Japan Times)

With two months to go before the consumption tax hike, the government released a document Thursday spelling out cases regarding food and drinks purchased at theme parks, saying they will be taxed at 10 percent if consumed at tables, but 8 percent if consumed while walking. (Japan Today)

A government panel identified on Tuesday a set of Jomon Period archaeological sites in northern Japan as a potential candidate for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage designation in 2021. (Japan Times)

A government panel proposed Wednesday that the average hourly minimum wage in Japan should be raised to 901 yen in fiscal 2019, exceeding 900 yen for the first time ever as the consumption tax will be increased in October. (Japan Today)

Police are to look into a novel written by a person with the same name as the suspect in the deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio. (NHK)

Much of Japan sweltered on Tuesday, as temperatures hovered around 35 degrees Celsius. Weather officials are urging people to take precautions against heatstroke, as the hot weather is expected to continue for about a week. (NHK)

Organizers of next year's Tokyo Olympics say they will hold an additional online ticket lottery for more than four million people who came up empty-handed in the first one. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 31-year-old man who is suspected in at least 40 bag-snatching incidents, reports NHK (July 29). (tokyoreporter.com)

The unusually long and cool rainy season has dampened demand for apparel, furniture and other goods, with some retailers already reporting steep drops in merchandise sales. (Japan Times)

With around a year to go until the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, the age-old question of whether to put family or given name first when writing Japanese names in English has started to garner attention. (Japan Times)

About 20,000 fireworks were set off at an annual festival along the banks of Tokyo's Sumida River on Saturday evening. (NHK)

Real estate companies in Japan are busy building luxury hotels that will charge more than $250 a night, perceiving a shortage of top-of-the-line accommodations due to a surge in international travelers, particularly from the U.S. and Europe. (Nikkei)

A centuries-old outdoor kabuki festival performed by local residents on a movable stage has opened in the city of Nasukarasuyama, north of Tokyo. (NHK)

The Kyoto Prefectural Police have finished identifying all 34 of the people killed in last week’s arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio through DNA tests and plan to reveal their names soon, investigative sources said Thursday. (Japan Times)

The operator of the nuclear plant wrecked by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami said Wednesday that it will decommission four more reactors in northeastern Japan in addition to those already being scrapped. (Japan Today)

Organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have revealed the design for the medals that will be presented to the winners. (NHK)

Oita Prefectual Police have arrested a suspected thief of women’s underwear who was found in be in possession of 1,100 pairs in Bungo-ono City, reports Nippon News Network (July 23). (tokyoreporter.com)