The Supreme Court has finalized high court rulings ordering owners of television-capable cellphones to pay a subscription fee to public broadcaster NHK, Kyodo News learned Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's Emperor Akihito has begun a series of rituals leading to his abdication on April 30. (NHK)

Three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company have pleaded not guilty to professional negligence in connection with the 2011 nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. (NHK)

Kagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 36-year-old woman for allegedly strangling her mother to death at their residence in Takamatsu City on Monday, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

A 44-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his father-in-law at the victim’s apartment building in Kisarazu City over the weekend fled the scene after the crime via taxi, police revealed on Tuesday, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japan leg of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay will start at a soccer facility in Fukushima Prefecture that is considered a symbol of the country's reconstruction from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

With 500 days to go until the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the organizing committee has unveiled 50 pictograms of the 33 sports being held. (NHK)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will jointly develop a rover to be sent to the moon in 2029, amid fierce global competition to explore Earth’s natural satellite. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo District Court on Monday rejected a request by former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn to attend Nissan's board meeting on Tuesday. He was released on bail last week and was seeking permission to take part in the meeting. (NHK)

Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested a 45-year-old man over the fatal stabbing of his former employer at the victim’s residence in Fukuoka City’s Minami Ward last month, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The number of Japanese athletes at next year's Tokyo Olympics is expected to exceed 500 and could conceivably be one of the largest contingents in Olympic history, an informed source said Sunday. (Kyodo)

Japan on Monday marked the eighth anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan that left more than 15,000 people dead and triggered the world’s worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl crisis. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are hunting for a man who disguised himself as an employee of a takkyubhin delivery service before fatally strangling a 52-year-old male resident of an apartment Taito Ward on Saturday, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

March 11th marks the eighth anniversary of the major earthquake that hit northeastern Japan and the ensuing nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. (NHK)

Police have apprehended a man following the fatal stabbing of an assemblyman for Kisarazu City at his apartment building on Saturday, reports Jiji Press (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a priest and seven other persons at bar in Shibuya Ward on Saturday for violations of the Cannabis Control Law, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Machida, Tokyo, said Sunday they have arrested a 43-year-old woman on suspicion of murder after she drugged her 61-year-old boyfriend and then stabbed him. (Japan Today)

Nissan Motor's former chairman has been spotted visiting a park with his family, after leaving a Tokyo detention center on bail earlier this week. (NHK)

The governor and mayor of Osaka tendered their resignations Friday to seek election in each other's current position with the aim of reorganizing the major city into a metropolitan government system similar to Tokyo's. (Japan Today)

Heavy machinery maker IHI Corp. said Friday it has found 211 cases in which airplane engines were improperly inspected over the past two years, including by uncertified workers. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested five men on suspicion of possessing marijuana after they barricaded themselves inside a vehicle in Shibuya Ward on Thursday, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested arrested a woman and her daughter who are suspected of shoplifting nearly 2,000 items from stores in Nagoya, reports Tokai Television Broadcasting (tokyoreporter.com)

A passenger vehicle driven by actress Yu Aoi crashed into a taxi in Shibuya Ward earlier this week, police revealed on Thursday, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

In Tokyo, the party can keep going all night, with bars, pubs, and clubs that stay open until the morning light. However, if you’ve got something else you’d like to do before sunrise, like, say, go home and get some sleep, you’ll want to keep the time of your last train in mind while you’re out partying. (Japan Today)

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denied a media report Thursday that the government is considering introducing a minimum wage for specific industrial sectors that would apply to workers nationwide, regardless of where they live. (Japan Times)