Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has spoken over the phone with US President Donald Trump ahead of next week's US-North Korea summit. (NHK)

Carlos Ghosn's new lawyer took aim at Nissan, prosecutors and courts on Wednesday, dismissing the charges against the ousted chairman as an internal company matter and saying Japan was out of step with international norms by keeping his client in jail. (Japan Today)

There have been several horned owl sightings in residential areas of Tokyo. Police are looking for the bird to protect it and prevent it from harming people. (NHK)

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 12 years in prison for abducting a teenage girl and keeping her in captivity for two years from 2014, annulling the lower court ruling that gave him a nine-year jail term. (Japan Today)

Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested former professional boxer Tomoaki Hashizume over the alleged fatal assault of a male bar patron in Matsubara City over the weekend, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

A policeman was referred to prosecutors last week for allegedly driving at 145 kilometers per hour (approx. 90 miles per hour) near Tokyo in January while off duty in a rush to get to the dentist, police said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Rising resource costs, a worsening labor shortage and a flood of easy money are pushing property prices in Tokyo to near-historic levels. (Nikkei)

Ibaraki Prefectural Police believe a male temporary employee at a research center for industrial machinery manufacturer Kubota Corp. stabbed another employee before slashing himself on Sunday, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

The health ministry on Monday approved the world's first clinical test in which artificially derived stem cells will be used to treat patients with spinal cord injuries. (Japan Times)

Ichiro Suzuki fluidly went through a variety of stretches on the floor in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse even before going onto the field. Once outside, he smoothly went through fielding, hitting and baserunning drills. (Japan Times)

People are enjoying the first signs of spring at an annual plum flower festival at the Kairakuen garden in Mito City, north of Tokyo. (NHK)

By changing his lead attorney from a former prosecutor known as "the breaker" to a hotshot trial lawyer nicknamed "the acquitter", Carlos Ghosn plans a defense in his own image -- combative and media-savvy, experts say. (Japan Today)

The Royal Express is coming to Hokkaido, but if you can't wait, it's already running in the Tokyo area. (soranews24.com)

When Chie Takaiwa struck up the courage to reveal a family secret to her colleague some years ago, she was met by an unexpected response.

(Japan Times)

Don't go looking for titillation at your local convenience store.　As reported last month, Japan's three largest convenience chain operators - 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson - are planning to halt sales of pornographic magazines nationwide by the end of August. (Japan Times)

A fire broke out at a warehouse in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon leaving three men dead and another man injured, while some flights at nearby Haneda airport were also disrupted by the incident. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have apprehended a man who is suspected of slashing another man and a woman at a railway station in Bunkyo ward on Thursday, reports NHK (Feb. 14). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 58-year-old woman who while nude portrayed an elderly woman on a pay-to-view site, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 14). (tokyoreporter.com)

Convenience store operator Family Mart Co. on Monday announced the dismissal of a male employee after the emergence of a video showing him licking items, the latest of several similar incidents involving a food-related company in the last week, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 12). (tokyoreporter.com)

A man in custody in connection with the death of a female university student whose body was found buried in a field in Kamisu City last month has also been accused in her murder, police said over the weekend, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

A cold snap hit Tokyo and its surrounding areas Saturday, causing cancellations of more than 100 domestic flights to and from the capital. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 20-year-old man over the fatal assault of a Thai woman inside a love hotel room in the Uguisudani area of Taito Ward last year, reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

The parent company of All Nippon Airways will invest in the operator of Philippine Airlines to take advantage of growing demand for travel in Asia. (NHK)

A developmental carriage from the next-generation bullet train has been shown to the media in western Japan. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two men who are accused of snatching a woman’s purse last year. They later used cash found inside to cover a taxi fare, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 8). (tokyoreporter.com)