The Japanese government's cybersecurity body says many public- and private-sector websites briefly went down early Friday. (NHK)

Let's discuss the most memorable looks from the 2020 / 2021 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Tokyo, Japan! (Clevver Style)

Who will follow them as the next sporting legends? Here is the lowdown on the new wave of top athletes. (Nikkei)

A UNESCO committee has requested that a Japanese facility dedicated to a group of World Heritage sites provide more explanation on former wartime workers from the Korean Peninsula. (NHK)

In his first U.S. television interview, Japanese Prime Minister Suga speaks with NBC News’ Keir Simmons about the challenges of staging the Olympics in a pandemic, relations with the Biden administration and more. (NBC News)

It's burning hot in Kyoto now, so please enjoy some sounds of Kyoto in summer without actually having to feel the heat! (Good Old Houses Japan)

French president Macron is expected in #Tokyo on Friday for a 36-hour visit during which he will attend the opening of the Summer Olympics and meet Japanese leaders. ( FRANCE 24 English)

The Blue Impulse aerobatic team from Japan's Air Self-Defense Force drew the five Olympic rings with colored smoke in the sky above an area near the new Japan National Stadium on early Friday afternoon, ahead of the official opening of the Tokyo Olympics later in the day. (Jiji)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with the CEO of Pfizer Inc on Friday, requesting faster delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, the Nikkei reported, as the Olympic host nation struggles with a slow rollout of vaccine amid a surge in infections. (kfgo.com)

Japanese corporate sponsors of the Tokyo Olympics have poured $3 billion into the Games, the largest-ever amount contributed by domestic companies. (fortune.com)

The Olympic flame has reached the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building after a 4-month journey across Japan. (NHK)

TOKYO -- Five years after its launch, Pokemon Go monsters still run amok in the world and are chased by a legion of fans. (Nikkei)

TOKYO - Japan's global superstar Naomi Osaka on Friday lit the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of Tokyo 2020, in an opening ceremony shorn of glitz and overshadowed by a pandemic but defined by hope, tradition and gestures of diversity. (gmanetwork.com)

VICE World News host Hanako Montgomery travels to Okinawa, a former American territory, to find out why the term “Amejo” sparks controversy among Japanese women. (VICE Asia)

The long-awaited Tokyo Olympics have officially kicked off. The Games were postponed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

COVID-19 cases among Olympic delegates are on the rise and roughly 15 per cent of those staying on site are unvaccinated, prompting warnings from medical experts about potential ripple effects if the world's largest sporting event doesn't clamp down on virus transmission. (CBC)

Olympics Athletes to suffer alongside Tokyoites as Japan's heat soars (Reuters)

The Japanese government says coronavirus vaccine certificates that the country issues will be valid in five nations, including Italy and Austria. (NHK)

Japan aims to hike its 2030 renewable energy target as part of efforts to slash emissions, according to draft documents released Wednesday, but activists described the planned goal as "disappointing". (AFP)

Japanese fighter pilots drew Olympic rings in the sky over Tokyo Wednesday (CBS Miami)

We met Mr. Nakatani, a mochi maker from Nara, Japan who has been pounding mochi for the past 30 years. (Asian Boss)

MGM Resorts International formally proposed building a $9 billion casino resort in Osaka, reinvigorating its push to open Japan’s first casino gambling facility after pandemic-related delays. (Wall Street Journal)

Tokyo Olympics organisers have fired the opening ceremony director on the eve of the event after reports emerged of a past joke he had made about the Holocaust, while media said former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a strong advocate of the Games, would also not attend. (Reuters)

Six Polish swimmers were sent home from the Olympics because of an admin error - the federation had put down too many competitors. They found out in Tokyo their names weren't on the list. (INQUIRER.net)

Several Japanese automakers are joining hands to speed up the development of low-cost electric mini vehicles. Suzuki Motor and Daihatsu Motor are set to take part in a joint venture led by Toyota Motor. (NHK)