Awesome Techniques Of Japanese Carpenter, Self-locking Three-Way Lap Wood Joints Structure (H Carpenter)

Google's foray into fintech services in Japan threatens to drastically change the smartphone payment market, challenging PayPay and other leading cashless payment companies that are already struggling to win customers after offering big refunds. (Nikkei)

Two of the pioneers of the Japanese skate scene are Aki Akiyama and Nishi. Aki represented the clean, contest wholesome skater while Nishi was the wild man who skated, took photos, made art and published magazines. (Vans)

Japan’s robotics market is booming thanks to the need to avoid in-person contact amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Japan Times)

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. has said it will start programs to support both the private and work-life of foreign workers at its convenience stores as part of efforts to retain them amid a labor shortage due to Japan's graying population. (Kyodo)

Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang will visit Japan for the July 23 opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, Taiwanese authorities announced on Saturday. (Nikkei)

The body of a Nottinghamshire teacher who disappeared in Japan has been discovered, it has been reported. (nottinghampost.com)

Japan Airlines plans to enter the flying car business in fiscal year 2025, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

The government will ask duty-free stores to check the date of entry to Japan in customers' passports and report if they were shopping in violation of the required 14-day quarantine period, sources close to the matter said Friday. (Kyodo)

Toyota is building a $10 billion smart city at the base of Mount Fuji. Woven City will be a living laboratory where Toyota employees, engineers, scientists, and researchers can live and work. (TheRichest)

A Japanese official choked up with tears on Friday as he apologized for the cancellation of Olympic tickets, a moment that crystallized the country’s pain at seeing the Tokyo 2020 Games overshadowed by a worsening COVID-19 pandemic. (fox5sandiego.com)

Tokyo Olympic organizers said late Friday they have reversed their earlier decision to allow up to 10,000 spectators at daytime events on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, a day after deciding to stage the games behind closed doors at almost all venues due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Tokyo area. (Kyodo)

This summer's Tokyo Olympics will go ahead without spectators after a surge in coronavirus cases, organisers have announced. (sky.com)

Emperor Naruhito received his first COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Akasaka Imperial Residence in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Tuesday afternoon, the Imperial Household Agency announced. (Japan Times)

Google is making a foray into financial services in Japan by acquiring a cashless payment company for between 20 billion and 30 billion yen ($180 million to $270 million), Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Though the Japanese wolf has been thought extinct since 1905, there have numerous sightings of wolf-like creatures in mountainous areas of Japan. (Japan Times)

The Cabinet approved budget compilation guidelines for fiscal 2022 on Wednesday, , setting aside around Y4.4 trillion ($40 billion) to promote key policies such as decarbonization under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's green growth strategy. (Japan Times)

Some 11,091 athletes from around the world are expected to feature at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, in what will be the 32nd running of the biggest multi-sport event on the planet. (Xinhua)

Japan's government has decided to impose a fourth coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo, lasting through the Olympics. The state of emergency is to be in effect from next Monday to August 22. (NHK)

The Olympic Games will be held during a state of emergency, the central government announced Thursday, forcing organizers to further reduce spectators two weeks before the opening ceremony as major cities struggle to stifle a growing resurgence of the coronavirus. (Japan Times)

Another setback for the Tokyo Olympics. The torch relay in the capital has been scrapped over COVID-19 concerns. (CNA)

Weather officials are warning that the seasonal rain front will continue to bring localized torrential rains on Friday to western Japan and other areas. (NHK)

A seasonal rain front is bringing heavy downpours to Tottori Prefecture, western Japan. Officials are calling on residents in hard-hit areas to evacuate as more rainfall is expected through Thursday. (NHK)

Japan is considering banning all spectators from the Olympics, several sources told Reuters on Wednesday, with authorities expected to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo to contain coronavirus infections 16 days before the Games begin. (theglobeandmail.com)

Japan has officially inaugurated its team of athletes for the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to open on July 23. (NHK)