Parasols -- accessories normally associated with women trying to protect their skin from the sun -- are proving increasingly popular with men as the nation grapples with one of its hottest summers ever. (Japan Times)

At least 16 people in 5 Japanese prefectures were injured by Typhoon Jongdari before it was downgraded to a severe tropical storm. (NHK)

Vegetable prices have spiked as much as 65 percent amid a grueling two-week long heat wave that drove temperatures Wednesday to records in some regions, including areas where recovery and cleanup efforts are underway after devastating floods and landslides. (Japan Times)

A second senior official of Japan's education and science ministry has been arrested on bribery charges. Kazuaki Kawabata allegedly accepted gifts in exchange for giving a favor to a medical consulting firm in Tokyo. (NHK)

The Japanese government has agreed with Vietnam to invite 10,000 nursing caregivers from the Southeast Asian country by the summer of 2020 to counter a serious manpower shortage in the industry. (Nikkei)

A 20-year-old Japanese national denies supplying marijuana to international school students in custody on drug-related charges, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Miyazaki Prefectural Police arrested a 34-year-old man over the fatal slashing of his father at the residence they share in the town of Kawaminami early Wednesday, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Okinawa Prefectural Police have arrested a male employee at a hotel over the alleged theft of women’s underwear from a laundromat in Uruma City earlier this year, reports the Okinawa Times (tokyoreporter.comt)

The extreme heat that is affecting much of Japan has prompted some foreign media outlets to express concern about the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (NHK)

The first official shop selling goods for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has opened in the Japanese capital. (NHK)

One of Japan’s top policymakers has indicated that the government will continue to resist U.S. efforts to create a bilateral free trade agreement between the two nations. (Japan Times)

The highest-ever temperature in Japan has been recorded in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, amid an extreme heat wave that continues to plague wide areas of the country. (NHK)

Japanese officials issued new warnings Monday as a deadly heatwave blankets the country, producing record high temperatures in Tokyo just two years before the city hosts the 2020 Summer Olympics. (Japan Today)

A vehicle crashed into the front of a cafe in the Roppongi entertainment area of Minato Ward on Saturday night, causing two injuries, police said, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has unveiled the names of the mascots for the Games. (NHK)

Sweltering heat continues to shroud most of Japan. Temperatures reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius in some places on Sunday. (NHK)

The Japan Coast Guard says the latest volcanic eruption on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean is continuing. (NHK)

New VR Zone attraction lets you take on Godzilla in an attack chopper… (soranews24.com)

Tokyo Olympic organizers on Friday unveiled ticket prices for the 2020 Games ranging from 2,020 yen up to 300,000 yen, largely in line with prices at the London Olympics in 2012. (Japan Today)

The Japan Swimming Federation conceded defeat on Thursday in its effort to have the Tokyo 2020 Olympics swimming finals aired domestically in the evening. (Japan Today)

China's biggest ride-hailing service, DiDi Chuxing announced that it has set up a joint venture with Japanese mobile carrier Softbank. DiDi Mobility Japan will provide taxi companies with a system that uses artificial intelligence to manage their fleets. (NHK)

Negotiators for the 11 signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed to work toward launching the free trade pact early next year. They also assented to preparing for future membership expansion. (NHK)

The International Olympic Committee and organizing committee for the Tokyo Games failed to agree on what time the swimming finals will be held. (NHK)

The main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, now under construction, has been shown to media 2 years ahead of the games' opening. (NHK)

The schedule for the Tokyo Olympics has been broadly determined. Starting times of the marathon and other races along roads were moved forward in view of the hot summer weather. (NHK)