Japanese companies are temporarily shutting offices or suspending production as they battle a record wave of COVID-19, disrupting businesses in a country that has until now weathered the pandemic better than most advanced economies. (Japan Today)

Actor Andrew Koji, who is half Japanese and was born and raised in England, said he’s always felt out of place. But in the new action-comedy film “Bullet Train,” Koji plays a Japanese character, and in the process, he found a new appreciation for his heritage. (yahoo.com)

People in Hiroshima are marking the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombing that devastated the city in the final days of World War Two. Thousands of people gathered on Saturday morning for an annual ceremony at the city's Peace Memorial Park. (NHK)

Japanese people are considered to be some of the politest people in the world, but they’re definitely NOT as polite as you think! (Mrs Eats)

The Japanese government plans to roll out a new type of COVID-19 vaccine considered effective for the Omicron variant as early as October, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan's agricultural and seafood exports hit a record high in the first six months of 2022 owing to increased overseas demand as more people dine out amid a decline in COVID-19 infections, the government said in a report Friday. (Xinhua)

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) reported on Friday an investment loss of 3.75 trillion yen ($28.13 billion) for April-June, the second consecutive quarter of negative returns, as economic slowdown fears hit global stock markets. (MSN)

Japan's prime minister on Friday condemned China's firing of ballistic missiles during military drills around Taiwan, calling them a "serious problem that impacts our national security and the safety of our citizens." (FRANCE 24 English)

A Japanese Cabinet minister has denied that politics played any role in a decision by the government to certify the then-Unification Church's name change in 2015. (NHK)

YONAGUNI ISLAND, Japan — For years it was known as the "Two Gun" island – one gun for each of the two policemen stationed here. (NPR)

Torrential rains have continued to fall across a wide part of Japan on Friday, with record downpours reported in Fukui and Shiga prefectures as rivers have overflowed and many areas are left at increased risk of landslides. (Kyodo)

Japan’s minister for gender equality and children’s issues, Seiko Noda, said that the country’s male-dominated parliament has treated its dramatic population decline with ​​“indifference and ignorance”. (South China Morning Post)

Officials are warning of more rain on Friday after record rainfall hit parts of the Japanese region of Hokuriku and Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures from Wednesday through Thursday, causing flooding and landslides. They are urging vigilance over landslides and flooding in low-lying areas. (NHK)

Japan is finally bringing crypto ATMs (BTMs, according to local terminology) to life after four years. (egamers.io)

SoftBank has raised as much as $22bn in cash from deals that would sharply reduce its stake in Alibaba over the coming years, as the Japanese investor responds to a market downturn that has ravaged its technology portfolio. (Nikkei)

Mitsubishi Estate is readying for Japan's first crewed flying-vehicle test flights in fiscal 2024, turning the rooftops of Tokyo high-rises it owns into takeoff and landing pads. (Nikkei)

This year, the oldest man in the world has turned… no, not one hundred twenty, and not even one hundred fifty. A Japanese monk named Shinnyōkai celebrates his five hundred fiftieth birthday! (Ridddle)

The circular economy is coming to electric vehicles for both environmental and financial reasons, as a leading Japanese automaker plans on starting a rental scheme for its battery-powered cars. (fortune.com)

Wonderfest is considered Japan's biggest toy and action figure event also famous for garage toys, cosplay, figures, Toys etc (Ajay Pandey)

Japan's Meteorological Agency has issued an emergency heavy rain warning for Niigata Prefecture, next to Yamagata Prefecture, where the same warning was issued on Wednesday night. It's a level 5 alert, the highest on the emergency scale. (NHK)

I'm going to eat around in Yamagata Japan. It's famous for high quality Yamagata beef and Yonezawa beef. They are awesome marble beef. (Solo Travel Japan / Food Tour)

Japan’s health ministry has approved the use of a smallpox vaccine believed to be effective against monkeypox. (ptvnews.ph)

Despite imposing various sanctions against Russia, Japan is still exporting a huge number of used cars to the country. (New Straits Times)

Japan will consider revamping its quotas for visas issued to skilled foreign workers, putting more emphasis on production of ready-made meals and less on restaurants and hotels to reflect changes in demand amid the pandemic. (Nikkei)

Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan's largest brokerage, reported a 97% plunge in profit. Gains from fixed income trading were unable to make up for weaknesses elsewhere. Russell Ward reports on Bloomberg Television. (Bloomberg Markets and Finance)