On 14 October, the Minister in charge of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Yoshitaka Sakurada was questioned by opposition party members in the Japanese Diet. In one particular exchange with Constitutional Democratic Party member Masato Imai he made a surprising revelation. (soranews24.com)

Japan will help countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations groom 80,000 manufacturing and digital industry specialists over five years, part of a broader effort by Tokyo toward cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. (Nikkei)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged greater cooperation with the United States on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Abe met US Vice President Mike Pence in Tokyo on Tuesday. (NHK)

Health officials in Japan say nearly 2,000 people have contracted rubella, or German measles, this year. (NHK)

SoftBank Group has set the stage for what is likely to be one of the largest initial public offerings ever, with its move to float mobile phone unit SoftBank Corp. But as Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son completes the conglomerate's divergence into an investing holding company and a wireless provider, market watchers see significant risks on both fronts. (Nikkei)

The dark side lurking within the Kabukicho red-light district of Shinjuku Ward — today, something like a mix of a theme park and a strip club — can easily get lost amid its blinking lights and the roar of Godzilla. (tokyoreporter.com)

Oriental Land Co. ltd., the operator of Tokyo Disneyland, asked a court Tuesday to reject a suit filed by two female workers seeking damages for overwork and harassment while they were working as costumed performers at the theme park. (Japan Times)

The Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo will be partially opened to the public early next month for autumn foliage viewing. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo said Saturday they have arrested a 27-year-old woman on suspicion of killing an American airman in his 30s who was stationed at the U.S. military’s Yokota Air Base. (Japan Today)

TV Asahi Corp. said Thursday it had canceled a live performance by K-pop group BTS amid a furor over a member having worn a controversial T-shirt, said by some to celebrate the use of atomic weapons against Japan during WWII. (Japan Times)

Toshiba Corp. on Thursday announced its five-year business reform plan to revamp its operations, with thousands of global job cuts, a withdrawal from its nuclear plant construction business in Britain and a sell-off of a U.S. liquefied natural gas operation on the agenda. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government is set to ban flights of drones over and near the venues of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to prevent accidents and acts of terrorism. (NHK)

The transport ministry will prohibit passengers of all trains in Japan from carrying unpacked knives onto trains from next April under new security measures following a fatal stabbing on a shinkansen bullet train in June, officials said Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male employee of Japan Post for allegedly paying a teenage girl for an illicit encounter earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Medical University will admit applicants who were rejected in 2017 and 2018 due to a rigged admission process, if they still wish to attend the school, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Osaka Prefectural Police have sent papers to prosecutors on a man who allegedly drove a vehicle at 220 kilometers over the speed limit on a road in Higashiosaka City earlier this year, reports NHK (Nov. 5). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. has launched an English-language online virtual tour of the interior of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 power plant, allowing website visitors to check the progress of decommissioning work following the 2011 meltdowns --- one of the world's worst nuclear crises. (Japan Times)

A total of 13 men were arrested as the Halloween street event in Tokyo's Shibuya district reached its climax Wednesday night, while young people were seen collecting garbage left over from the revelry on Thursday morning. (Japan Today)

Japan Airlines says one of its pilots was detained by London police last month. He was found to be under the influence of alcohol just before he was about to pilot a flight to Tokyo. (NHK)

Japan has launched a new GPS service accurate to within several centimeters thanks to its Michibiki satellites. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 34-year-old officer for allegedly engaging in illicit acts with school girls he me through a so-called “JK business,” reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

Japanese consumer goods companies are increasing investment in factories at home, with an eye to exporting to China and other Asian markets where "Made in Japan" products have cachet. (Nikkei)

Tokyo's famous Shibuya district was flooded by costume-clad Halloween revelers on Wednesday, forcing police to dispatch several hundred officers in preparation for a possible repeat of the past weekend's antisocial behavior. (Kyodo)

About 70 dignitaries including imperial family members and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday attended the wedding banquet of the former Princess Ayako, the youngest daughter of Emperor Akihito's late cousin, and her husband Kei Moriya in Tokyo following their marriage the previous day. (Kyodo)

Sumo wrestler Takanoiwa has withdrawn a damages suit against former yokozuna Harumafuji, claiming he can no longer tolerate harassment of his family by his fellow Mongolians. (NHK)