The leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea held a series of meetings in Tokyo on Wednesday. North Korea's nuclear program has dominated much of the day's discussion. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have reaffirmed joint efforts to fully denuclearize North Korea. (NHK)

East Japan Railway Co. said Wednesday it will launch a luxurious sightseeing train between Tokyo and the Izu resort area in the spring of 2020, shortly before the capital hosts the Summer Olympic Games. (Japan Times)

A memorial service has been held for old dolls in a Buddhist temple in Chiba Prefecture outside Tokyo. The dolls were no longer used by their owners. (NHK)

Okinawa Prefectural Police are searching for a man who slashed an American woman at her residence in the town of Chatan on Sunday, reports the Okinawa Times (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan Airlines is set to launch a budget airline with the aim of offering medium- and long-haul international flights by 2020, when Tokyo is set to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Nikkei)

Niigata Prefectural Police revealed on Tuesday that a 7-year-old missing girl who was found dead after being hit by a train in Niigata City had been strangled beforehand, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Tuesday marked the 500-day mark before the opening of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as scandals continue to plague the preparations for the tournament. (Japan Times)

Finance Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday repeated a controversial statement that appeared to downplay an incident of alleged sexual harassment by his ministry’s top bureaucrat, just a day after his earlier comments sparked protest demonstrations in a number of cities across the nation. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a Turkish national currently applying for refugee status and one other foreigner who are suspected in dozens of burglaries in the Kanto area since the beginning of the year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Hidden cameras were found in a restroom at a park in Toyota City that was used for a girls’ softball tournament over the weekend, reports Tokai Television (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan and China are unlikely to mention that the waters and airspace around a group of uninhabited islets controlled by Japan and claimed by China are subject to a bilateral communication mechanism aimed at averting unintended clashes, Japanese government sources said Monday. (Japan Today)

Osaka Prefectural Police are hunting for a man who slashed the female manager of a beauty salon in Nishinari Ward during a robbery on Sunday, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two men for allegedly employing an underage girl at a sex business, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

A 10-year-old boy was found unharmed Sunday after going missing on a mountain in Ome, Tokyo. The boy, who attends a school for children with special needs, had been missing for 22 hours after climbing Mt Mitake with his parents and a sibling on Saturday, Fuji TV reported. (Japan Today)

An online bomb threat has prompted Tokyo's Aoyama Gakuin University to call off classes on Monday, the university said Sunday. (Japan Today)

Sexual minorities and their supporters have paraded in central Tokyo to promote equality and greater awareness of LGBT issues. (NHK)

Robots and smart devices are the face of some new hotels in Japan, where owners are using hi-tech ways to offer a friendly welcome to guests who don't speak the language. (NHK)

Roads are congested and planes and trains are packed as people in Japan return home from their spring holidays. (NHK)

Miss Magazine contest finalist can thank famous DNA for contributing to her good looks. (soranews24.com)

Tatsuya Yamaguchi, a member of Japanese all-male pop group Tokio, has expressed his intent to leave the five-member band after coming under fire for kissing a high school student against her will, other group members revealed Wednesday. (Japan Today)

A hypothetical eruption of Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest peak, could rain volcanic ash on Tokyo and push the capital into a state of paralysis, according to a government report obtained by Kyodo News. (Japan Times)

Prosecutors have decided to drop the indictment against a 46-year-old member of an all-male pop group for kissing a high school student against her will at his condominium earlier this year. (Japan Times)

Fukushima Prefectural Police have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a male corpse in a mountainous area of the town of Aizumisato last week, reports Kahoku Shimpo. (tokyoreporter.com)

Saitama Prefectural Police have announced that a 25-year-old officer retired from duty after receiving a suspension over the fatal abuse of his three-month-old daughter in Saitama City earlier this year, reports TV Asahi (Apr. 28). (tokyoreporter.com)