Professional shogi player Yoshiharu Habu earned his 1,434th win at a tournament in Tokyo on Tuesday, setting a record for victories in the traditional Japanese board game. (Japan Today)

Japan's Crown Princess and her eldest daughter have watched a performance of the traditional dances of Ryukyu, now known as Okinawa. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week arrested two employees of the management company of a chain of English schools, including the former director, on suspicion of fraud, reports Jiji Press (tokyoreporter.com)

The operator of an automated train system in Yokohama, near Tokyo, says a data transmission glitch may have caused a train to move in the wrong direction. (NHK)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended a national tree-planting ceremony in Aichi Prefecture on Sunday in their first official duty outside Tokyo since the emperor ascended the throne on May 1. (Japan Times)

A group of men jam their feet into high-heeled shoes and walk back and forth, some falteringly, others with unlikely confidence. Some women watch on, gauging the men's reactions while sympathizing with each other's stories about wearing the torture devices masquerading as fashion. (Kyodo)

Tokyo police investigating the murder of a middle-aged man by his father, a former top government bureaucrat, say the son had had trouble with his neighbors elsewhere before moving into his parents' house. (NHK)

There are all kinds of sushi -- high end to cheap, high-tech conveyor belt sushi to supermarket and convenient store sushi. There's nigiri, maki, gunkan, narezushi, temaki. It's all pretty good and each offers a unique experience, but add this one to the list. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Japan's run as a core team in rugby sevens' elite world tour came to an abrupt end on Sunday, when the team was relegated for next season. (Kyodo)

Your medal-worthy Olympic venue selfies will have to stay within the confines of your phone, say organizers of 2020 Olympics. (soranews24.com)

Japan's Olympic organizing committee has unveiled a tentative torch relay route for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that features cultural and scenic attractions around the country. (NHK)

Mount Fuji. At 3,776 meters high, it’s Japan’s tallest mountain: standalone, vast and beautiful. A little over 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, and well connected by public transport to the capital, it is also one of the world’s most popular climbs — in 2018 alone, almost 300,000 people attempted the climb in the summer season. (Japan Times)

On May 28, Twitter user @influencercom uploaded a video that shows a man in a suit fleeing from two high school girls shouting "don't run away!", racing across a train platform of Akabane Station in Tokyo. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says the city's government and China have agreed to allow a popular panda, Xiang Xiang, to remain in Japan until the end of next year. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 27-year-old man over the alleged rape of an intoxicated woman at a railway station in Koganei City earlier this year, reports Fuji News Network (May 31). (tokyoreporter.com)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it clear that the US won't get special treatment in a trade deal with Japan. (NHK)

Amazon.com Inc.’s Japanese unit and Life Corp., one of the country’s major supermarket chains, said Thursday they will join forces to sell fresh foods online starting later this year, aiming to attract elderly and busy customers. (Japan Times)

The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Russia remain at odds over some security issues, including the Russian-controlled islands claimed by Japan. (NHK)

Amazon Japan will start offering groceries from supermarket chain Life in certain parts of Tokyo by the end of the year, Nikkei has learned, tapping growing demand for convenience among working couples and the elderly. (Nikkei)

Israeli airliner El Al has announced that it will launch its first ever direct flights between Narita Airport near Tokyo and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport. (NHK)

President Trump presented the "President's Cup" to the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament winner Asanoyama in Tokyo on May 26. ( Washington Post)

A male staff member for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has been accused of possessing stimulant drugs and marijuana, law enforcement has revealed, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (May 28). (tokyoreporter.com)

Prosecutors have announced the non-prosecution of a now deceased 79-year-old man for injuring five pedestrians after he drove his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians in Shinjuku Ward earlier this year, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's economic expansion dating to December 2012 remains intact thanks to wholly unexpected growth in the first quarter, but mounting headwinds have pushed the economy onto unsteady footing. (Nikkei)

Police say the man who stabbed 19 children and adults near Tokyo on Tuesday carried out the attack in less than 20 seconds. (NHK)