Organizers and official partners of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games ramped up decorations in parts of the city and held events at Haneda airport on Tuesday, one day before Japan starts the one-year countdown to the opening of the games. (Kyodo)

Despite a record number of women winning seats in Sunday's House of Councillors election, some female voters have cast doubt over the government's pledge to help empower women. (Japan Today)

Muneo Suzuki, a veteran politician with close ties to Russia, won a seat in Sunday’s House of Councilors election, returning to the Diet for the first time since being forced out by a conviction in 2010. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and International Surfing Association got a hint of what to expect when surfing makes its Olympic debut next year following a successful test at the competition's venue on Tsurigasaki Beach. (Kyodo)

Police on Monday detained six South Koreans for allegedly illegally entering a Japanese diplomatic facility in South Korea and staging an anti-Tokyo demonstration there. (Japan Today)

One male customer at a restaurant in Tochigi Prefecture was seriously injured in a shooting early Sunday. The gunman remains at large, police said, reports NHK (July 21). (tokyoreporter.com)

Bowing and at times teary, the president of Japanese entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co said Monday he wants to withdraw punishment of two popular comedians over their paid appearance at a party for a group of swindlers and apologized to them for mishandling the aftermath. (Japan Today)

After Sunday’s election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party — along with its coalition partner Komeito — remains firmly in the saddle with a strong majority in both the Upper and Lower Houses of the Diet. (Japan Times)

After reporting more than 5,000 cases in 2017, the first time that happened in more than 4 decades and nearly 7,000 cases in 2018, the first time since 1970, Japan continues to see the sexually transmitted infection, syphilis at high levels in the first half of 2019. (outbreaknewstoday.com)

The tragedy that struck Kyoto Animation has sent shock waves across the world, as the Japanese studio's works are highly regarded both at home and abroad. (Nikkei)

East Japan Railway Co. and 25 other railway operators in the Kanto area said Thursday they will sell a three-day train pass for foreign visitors during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Japan Times)

Japan, China and six other economies of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission agreed for the first time Thursday to set annual catch quotas for saury, aimed at addressing fishery resource depletion. (Japan Times)

Police say the man suspected of causing the fatal fire at an animation studio in Kyoto is Shinji Aoba, a 41-year-old resident of Saitama City, near Tokyo. (NHK)

Police say 33 people were killed and 35 others were wounded by fire after a suspected arson attack at an animation studio in Japan's western city of Kyoto. (NHK)

It may not be as famous as Japanese anime legend Studio Ghibli, but Kyoto Animation has many core fans and is known as a team of skilled animators that provides top-quality work for others and can produce its own hits, such as "Lucky Star," ''K-On!" and the "Haruhi Suzumiya" series. (Japan Today)

Ornately decorated floats paraded through Japan's ancient capital Kyoto on Wednesday at the climax of the annual Gion Festival. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo disclosed Wednesday they are looking for a man who poked another man in the eye with what is believed to be an umbrella tip after an argument outside JR Meguro Station earlier this month. (Japan Today)

Tokyo DisneySea will launch a new flight simulator attraction Tuesday that promises to make visitors feel as if they are soaring over famous landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids. (Japan Times)

U.S. investment firm Blackstone Group will spend over 100 billion yen ($926 million) to buy distribution centers in Japan, seeing room for growth in the country's relatively small e-commerce market, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Former Emperor Akihito briefly suffered from cerebral anemia last week, forcing him to postpone his regular health checkup, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Over two weeks of cloudy and rainy days in Tokyo and nearby areas has resulted in higher vegetable prices and sluggish sales of summer clothing. (Japan Times)

A couple in Tokyo was arrested Monday on suspicion of pouring scalding water four years ago over an 11-year-old boy who was living with them at the time, police said. (Japan Today)

The Tokyo metropolitan region experienced another cloudy and rainy day on Monday, marking the 18th straight day in which the country’s capital has seen less than three hours of sunshine per day. (Japan Today)

Japan's 100-yen shops are stepping up store openings as they continue to gain ground among thrifty consumers, with supermarkets and drugstores seeking them out as tenants to draw customers, shifting the dynamic in the nation's retail landscape. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male thief of men’s underwear, a crime that emerged when the suspect was found taking illicit photography, reports TV Asahi (July 12). (tokyoreporter.com)