The number of foreign nationals who were deported in the January-June period for immigration violations rose 16.5 percent from a year before to 7,892, the Justice Ministry has announced. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested at a 69-year-old man over the alleged theft of a bag from a woman at a railway station in Taito Ward earlier this week, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

In a bid to curtail hate speech ahead of the 2020 Games, Tokyo on Friday adopted a non-discrimination ordinance protecting the LGBT community. (Japan Times)

Kyoto has topped a ranking of major Japanese cities as measured by criteria such as livability and economy, according to a survey by a think tank affiliated with major real estate developer Mori Building Co. (Japan Times)

A man carrying more than 50 million yen in cash was mugged on a road in Osaka City’s Yodogawa Ward on Wednesday, police said, reports Sankei Sports (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Tokyo are looking for two men who injured three people with pepper spray in Ueno on Sept 29. (Japan Today)

Part of a theme park based on the Moomin series of children's books is to open near Tokyo next month. (NHK)

Japan's prime minister has reshuffled his Cabinet. Shinzo Abe appointed a dozen first-time ministers, while keeping several central roles unchanged. It follows his re-election as Liberal Democratic Party leader last month, where he won a third and final term despite recent scandals. (NHK)

A woman injured a man after she made a fatal leap from a building Shinjuku Ward in an apparent suicide on Tuesday, police said, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

Typhoon Trami continues to wreak havoc across Japan after making landfall on its main island of Honshu on Sunday evening. (NHK)

A Japanese court on Thursday released on bail Hitomi Yoshizawa, a former member of the all-girl J-pop group Morning Musume, who was indicted the previous day for injuring two people in a hit-and-run incident while driving under the influence of alcohol. (Kyodo)

Beginning Monday, visitors to Kyoto will be hit with an increase to their lodging bills as the city’s accommodation tax goes into effect at over 3,200 hotels, traditional inns, and private lodgings. (Japan Times)

The organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have begun inviting volunteers for the events. (NHK)

Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted Hitomi Yoshizawa, a former member of the all-girl J-pop group Morning Musume, for injuring two people in an alleged hit-and-run incident while driving under the influence of alcohol. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former taxi driver over the alleged robbery of a current cabbie earlier this month, reports TBS News (Sept. 26). (tokyoreporter.com)

A 36-year-old woman and her three children -- a 10-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter -- were found dead in their apartment in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on Wednesday morning in an apparent murder-suicide, police said. (Japan Today)

A record 103 Japanese universities made it onto this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings list, with the nation’s two top universities — the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University — moving up in the standings. (Japan Times)

Japan rugby international Takuma Asahara was run over by a car early Sunday, but only sustained light injuries, police said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A medical school in Tokyo that recently admitted to rigging entrance exams to discriminate against women has approved its first female president. (NHK)

Tokyo's Ameyoko Market is the city's street food paradise. There is no debate. The market street runs for 400 meters along the Yamanote Line from Okachimachi to Ueno Station. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Police in Tokyo said Tuesday they have arrested a 49-year-old woman on suspicion of abandoning a body after she left the corpse of her newborn baby in coin lockers for 4-5 years. (Japan Today)

Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka not only hit the cash jackpot with her historic U.S. Open victory -- she struck a blow for racial equality, according to a former Miss Japan. (Japan Today)

Mongolian grand champion Hakuho said Monday he wants to give himself a treat for the feats he accomplished at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament. (Kyodo)

In just one year, some of the toughest athletes are set to hit the pitch in Japan for the Rugby World Cup. As the players gear up to play, they're getting some advice about adhering to local customs, including covering up their tattoos. (NHK)

It may be a spring chicken compared to its film festival siblings in Tokyo, Yamagata and elsewhere, but the Kyoto International Film and Art Festival has reached an important milestone: its fifth anniversary. (Japan Times)