The coronavirus vaccine rollout is accelerating nationwide. Officials say about 70 percent of healthcare workers have been fully vaccinated, and more than 20 percent of the elderly have received their first shot. (NHK)

Akihabara is a buzzing shopping hub famed for its electronics retailers, ranging from tiny stalls to vast department stores like Yodobashi Multimedia Akiba. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Ryota Yamagata ran 100 meters in 9.95 seconds on Sunday at a race in Tottori in western Japan, shaving 0.02 off the national record set by Abdul Hakim Sani Brown in June 2019. (Kyodo)

Local officials in central Japan have prayed for the safety of trekkers on Mount Ontake as the climbing season opened for the area. The mountain erupted seven years ago, causing the country's deadliest volcanic disaster since World War Two. (NHK)

Morihiro Hosokawa, who served briefly as prime minister and devoted his retirement from politics to painting, on June 5 presented a series of his sliding screen ink work to a Buddhist temple here that has centuries-old links with his family. (Asahi)

More than 7,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been disposed of in Japan due to mishandling, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday (Jun 6), as Japan races to inoculate its people amid a fourth wave of coronavirus infections. (channelnewsasia.com)

Japan intends to issue COVID-19 inoculation certificates this summer to vaccinated residents traveling abroad, hoping to give business travel and other economic activities a boost, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

We fly over Japan's most active volcano, Sakurajima, before heading to the subtropical paradise of Yakushima island. But not all goes according to plan. Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands begins! (Abroad in Japan)

Japan's Justice Minister has ordered the heads of public security intelligence bureaus across the country to gather information to protect the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics from terrorism and cyberattacks. (NHK)

There is a national debate going on in Japan right now about whether Japan should cancel the Tokyo Olympics because of the pandemic. (Asian Boss)

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp has reached a settlement with the family of an engineer whose suicide was ruled a job-related death due to harassment from his boss. (Japan Today)

In the south of Japan lies the country's most active volcano. With hundreds, if not thousands of eruptions per year, it is a place often covered in volcanic ash, and smoke. (Tokyo Lens)

A global shortage of wood and soaring prices are threatening Japan’s lumber industry and has business operators fearing serious damage to the domestic market. (Japan Times)

On 22 May, 80-year-old office worker Eiji Okamoto was out enjoying that natural scenery of Yanaizu Kokuzoson, a Buddhist temple in the mountains outside Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. (soranews24.com)

The White Elephant Show is BACK! And we're doing it in person! Thank you, science. In this episode of the White Elephant Show, our crew opens awesome gifts from Japan. (Vat19)

A 9-year-old boy has crashed a car into another vehicle in northern Japan, injuring himself and one other person. Police say no one else was in the car he was driving. (NHK)

Bad Bunny may not speak Japanese, but he sings a few words of it in his new single, “Yonaguni.” (Billboard)

Despite cannabis becoming more widely accepted in many countries around the world, in Japan it’s still considered a major crime to have or use any amount. (soranews24.com)

Japan has entered its first weekend since the coronavirus state of emergency was extended for nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka. Some facilities have reopened with anti-infection measures in place. (NHK)

Japan's top companies are joining forces as global competition over next-generation quantum technology grows more intense. (Nikkei)

The government is preparing to administer COVID-19 vaccines to Japanese citizens living abroad starting as early as August, officials said. (Japan Times)

Over the decades, gaming arcades in Japan have faced a series of challenges. Typically, they’ve been in the realm of technology — namely high-tech video game consoles that first promised arcade machine-level graphics and then, eventually, surpassed them. Now, Japanese arcades are facing a new menace, one that the entire world has been combating: COVID-19. (Japan Times)

CNA Lifestyle’s Making Room series returns to look at small homes with big transformations. This week, it’s a four-room HDB resale flat with a creative take on a traditional Japanese design element. (CNAc)

We made Japanese potato salad! (Kimono Mom)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that he is ready to continue peace treaty negotiations with Japan despite last year's amendment of his country's constitution that banned ceding any part of its territory. (NHK)