Will wearing a surgical mask help protect against the new coronavirus that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has so far killed more than 80 people? (Nikkei)

A former SoftBank Corp. employee was arrested Saturday for allegedly passing proprietary information from the major phone carrier to officials at Russia’s trade representative office in Tokyo. (Japan Times)

Osamu Yano, a former gang boss on death row over the killing of four persons nearly two decades ago, has died in prison in an apparent suicide, the Ministry of Justice said, reports TBS News (Jan. 26). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo and Washington are making plans to evacuate Japanese and American citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 50 lives, while Honda Motor said Sunday it was evacuating about 30 employees and family members out of the area back to Japan. (Nikkei)

Health authorities in Japan have confirmed the country's third case of the new coronavirus. (NHK)

Lebanon and Japan have about 40 days to decide whether ousted Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi boss Carlos Ghosn will be extradited to Japan or stand trial in Lebanon, a judicial source and a source close to Ghosn said on Thursday. (Japan Times)

Narita Airport east of Tokyo is crowded with tourists from China as the Lunar New Year holiday period gets underway. (NHK)

A huge monument featuring the Olympic symbol has been lit up in Tokyo six months before the Japanese capital hosts the Games. (NHK)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament on Thursday the government will ask airlines to make announcements on flights from China urging passengers to notify cabin crew if they feel ill, as a new coronavirus continues to spread. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 49-year-old man who is suspected of drugging and raping dozens of women over the past three years, reports NHK (Jan. 22). (tokyoreporter.com)

The last train schedules in and around the Japanese capital will be extended by up to two hours during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (NHK)

The Japanese government has decided it will not to give subsidies this fiscal year ending March to a university where a large number of foreign students have gone missing. (NHK)

After leaving Tokyo, the original life-size Gundam is establishing a new base in another major Japanese city. (soranews24.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a member of the Nihon University Rugby Club over the alleged possession of marijuana in Shibuya Ward, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 20). (tokyoreporter.com)

Okayama Prefectural Police are questioning a man after a woman was fatally stabbed and her husband injured at their residence in Okayama City earky Saturday, reports TV Asahi (Jan. 20). (tokyoreporter.com)

Quarantine officials at a port near Tokyo have conducted a drill aimed at preventing the new coronavirus linked to a pneumonia outbreak in China from spreading in Japan. (NHK)

The founder of retail giant Lotte Holdings has died. (NHK)

Japan will start issuing passports featuring art by ukiyoe master Katsushika Hokusai for people applying as early as February. (NHK)

Three employees were slashed by four men in a bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo, early Saturday morning. (Japan Today)

Five major Tokyo-based private television networks will take turns airing daily coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, sources close to the matter said Saturday. (Kyodo)

Fears are mounting that a new coronavirus identified in China may spread, not only infecting humans but also hurting the world’s second-biggest economy, which already is beset by a trade war with the United States. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after a dump truck rammed an office of a criminal syndicate in Adachi Ward early Friday, reports Jiji Press (Jan. 17). (tokyoreporter.com)

An amazingly affordable way to see Japan and live like a local. (soranews24.com)

Japan's SoftBank Group Corp. has offered to invest between $30 billion and $40 billion in the development of the new Indonesian capital on Borneo Island, a close aide of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Friday. (Kyodo)

Emperor Naruhito expressed his hope for a bright future for children in his poem recited Thursday at the first New Year’s Poetry Reading Ceremony held since he ascended to the chrysanthemum throne last year. (Japan Times)