The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced a 57-year-old man to 18 months in prison, suspended for four years, over an incident last April in which he left knives on Prince Hisahito’s desk at his junior high school in the capital. (Japan Times)

Japan saw several new cases of coronavirus infection reported on Friday, leading health officials to try and establish just how they contracted the virus. The latest cases bring the number of infected people in Japan to 259, including 218 from a cruise ship. (NHK)

Japan has confirmed its first death of a person infected with the new coronavirus in the country. Health ministry officials say the Japanese woman in her 80s was a resident of Kanagawa Prefecture, just south Tokyo. (NHK)

Popular Japanese singer-songwriter Noriyuki Makihara was arrested Thursday for allegedly possessing illegal drugs at his home in Tokyo, police said. (Kyodo)

SoftBank Group Corp. founder Masayoshi Son said he is considering a new type of fund for startup investing, showing his determination to keep cutting deals after missteps with WeWork and several other companies. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 28-year-old man who is suspected of molesting a woman in Koto Ward last year, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 13). (tokyoreporter.com)

Nissan Motor has filed a lawsuit with a Japanese court against former chairman Carlos Ghosn, seeking 10 billion yen, or about 90 million dollars, in damages. Ghosn is now in Lebanon after skipping bail in Japan. (NHK)

Lottery sales of tickets for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are to begin at a center in Tokyo in late April for Japan residents who apply by postcard. (NHK)

Japanese financial authorities will allow companies to delay submitting mandatory reports if they cannot meet the deadlines due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. (NHK)

Mie Prefectural Police have arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly shoving a female colleague, who was later found dead, into a river, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 11). (tokyoreporter.com)

A ship captain in the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) admitted to running a so-called “delivery health” business during testimony in the Diet on Monday, reports TBS News (Feb. 10). (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's health ministry says six more people on a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number to 70. (NHK)

Young women in Japan are experiencing serious financial trouble. (soranews24.com)

A boat possibly from North Korea was found washed ashore in the town of Iwami on Sunday, authorities said, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 9). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested three men and a boy over the alleged assault and robbery of a male corporate executive in Setagaya Ward last year, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 8). (tokyoreporter.com)

The top diplomats of Japan and Britain agreed Saturday to work quickly toward a bilateral trade deal that will be "at least as ambitious" as Japan's agreement with the European Union. (Kyodo)

Bic Camera Inc., a consumer electronics mass retailer, opened a new shop Friday in Mitsukoshi's flagship department store in Tokyo, focusing on high-end products to attract affluent customers. (Kyodo)

Clouds are gathering on the horizon for Japanese carmakers, their business outlook put at risk by the new coronavirus from China as it threatens to cripple their supply chains in the country, now a global manufacturing powerhouse. (Japan Times)

The coronavirus outbreak in China is wreaking havoc in the cruise industry, turning luxury Asian vacations into voyages to nowhere as the ships are denied entry at multiple ports. (Nikkei)

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced popular Japanese actress Erika Sawajiri to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for possessing illegal drugs. (Japan Today)

Osaka has lost its title as Japan’s bag-snatching capital after the number of cases recorded by police in the prefecture fell by 146 in 2019 from the previous year to 254, police sources said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a member of a criminal syndicate for allegedly spitting on an employee at a bar who denied him entry last year, reports TBS News (Feb. 6). (tokyoreporter.com)

Flights between China and Japan already are down by nearly one-third this month as airlines cut service in response to the coronavirus outbreak, with Osaka and Nagoya hardest hit by the drop in travel. (Nikkei)

As the supply of surgical masks in Japan's stores runs low amid fears of the new coronavirus from China, some have attempted to profit from the situation by offering masks for resale online at rates far higher than retail prices. (Kyodo)

Amid the growing spread of new coronavirus 2019-nCoV, universities and high schools approaching entrance exam season nationwide are setting out precautions for examinees, including allowing them to wear masks during the tests and reimbursing test fees if an infection prevents them from sitting their exams. (Japan Times)