A court in Japan has sentenced a former care worker to death for killing 3 elderly residents at a nursing home in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. (NHK)

Across the country delicate pink and white cherry blossoms are emerging, but the famed blooms are facing a potentially mortal enemy, experts say: an invasive foreign beetle. (Japan Times)

Police on Thursday served another arrest warrant on a 27-year-old man over the murder of a high school girl last year - the 10th arrest warrant to be served on the suspect, who has admitted to killing and dismembering nine people at his apartment near Tokyo. (Japan Times)

Many foreign tourists to Japan often wonder why public transportation, especially in areas of Tokyo renowned for their nightlife, is so limited after the last trains of the night. (Kyodo)

Japanese condom-makers are ramping up preparations ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, seeing a golden opportunity to showcase their world-record ultrathin products. (Japan Times)

Japan will need the equivalent of 1,600 Tokyo Domes to store rubble and debris produced from a long-anticipated huge earthquake along the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coast, according to an estimate. (Asahi)

After months of cold weather, which brought the heaviest snowfall in four years to Tokyo back in January, the days finally began warming up in the capital last week, with sunny skies and temperatures reaching highs of 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit). (soranews24.com)

A female zookeeper at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo sustained injuries Tuesday after a gorilla bit her right arm, police said. (Japan Today)

A Somei-Yoshino cherry tree being monitored in Kochi reached full bloom on Monday, the Metrological Agency said. (Japan Times)

A 23-year-old female police officer has been sent to prosecutors on Monday after it was learned that she leaked information related to investigations to her boyfriend, who is a member of a criminal syndicate, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

Spain's surprise 18-10 defeat at the hands of Belgium in the Rugby Europe Championship on Sunday allowed Romania to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, setting up a tournament-opening match against host Japan. (Japan Times)

Japan aims to speed space startups toward the final frontier by offering monetary aid from a pool of 100 billion yen ($940 million), as well as creating a human resource hub and weighing a legal path for commercial development on the moon. (Nikkei)

Singapore remains the world's most expensive city for the fifth consecutive year, with Paris, Zurich and Hong Kong following closely behind, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey published on Thursday. (Japan Times)

The world's largest Muji store, slated to open in Osaka on Tuesday, will prominently feature pricey seafood, such as freshly caught sea bream and Japanese spiny lobster, part of a strategy aimed at promoting a high-quality image. (Nikkei)

More than two decades after Japan's Aum Shinrikyo cult plunged Tokyo into terror by releasing a nerve agent on rush-hour subway trains, its spinoffs continue to attract new followers. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 29-year-old man over the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend in Tama City on Friday, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

Investigative sources with law enforcement revealed on Saturday that popular adult video (AV) actress Nozomi Aso has been arrested again on drug-related charges, reports the Sankei Sports. (tokyoreporter.com)

A group of men boarded the women-only car of the Chiyoda Line subway in Tokyo during the morning commute on Feb. 16 as a form of protest, saying that excluding men was a form of discrimination. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police plan to arrest a man claiming to be the former boyfriend of a woman found stabbed to death in Tama City on Friday, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Barack Obama's office says the former US President will arrive in Japan on March 25. It will be Obama's first trip to the country since his presidency ended. (NHK)

Japan's Meteorological Agency announced on Saturday the official start of Tokyo's annual cherry blossom season. (NHK)

A blackmail letter has been sent to a restaurant owned by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife, Akie. (NHK)

Prices of school uniforms are on the rise in Japan, due to sharply climbing wool prices and changing fashion trends in neighboring China. (Nikkei)

The government on Friday announced a total ban on technical trainees from abroad carrying out work to decontaminate areas tainted with radioactive material. (Japan Times)

Prizewinning Japanese actress Rie Miyazawa and Go Morita, member of Japanese male idol group V6, announced Friday that they have married. (Japan Today)