A Japanese survey shows smokers are consuming more tobacco products amid the pandemic due to frustration from anti-coronavirus restrictions. (NHK)

On this 3-day road trip, we explore the best of what Fukushima Prefecture has to offer. (japan-guide.com)

At any other time in Yoyogi Park, the sight of workers going about their business with power saws would pass unnoticed. It’s a densely-treed spot and the glorious 57-year-old oaks and cedars won’t prune themselves. (ft.com)

What is the most popular bookstore in Tokyo? When is the best time to go shopping in department stores in Tokyo? (Veeluv Tokyo)

Police in Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder after he stabbed a 53-year-old man in the toilet of a shopping center. (Japan Today)

Advocacy groups submitted a written request to health minister Norihisa Tamura on Thursday asking the government to reconsider its plans to criminalize the use of cannabis, asserting the need for “support over punishment.” (Japan Times)

The Japanese government decided to extend the coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo and eight other prefectures until June 20. That's the same day emergency measures for Okinawa Prefecture are due to expire. (NHK)

The Japanese government will include 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations for fuel-cell vehicles deployed across the country by 2030 in a draft of its growth strategy due to be hammered out in June, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Local governments in Japan have been luring people to take ownership of the country's more than 8 million abandoned homes through a host of incentives, including millions of yen in renovation grants, new zoning laws and even giving away the structures for free. (Nikkei)

Books related to Karl Marx's "Capital" are selling well in Japan. Publishers say people could be more conscious of social issues, such as economic inequality and environmental destruction, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Few tourists were seen around Kiyomizu Temple in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto despite the sunny weather on Sunday. This follows the re-extension of the state of emergency in Kyoto Prefecture. (NHK)

A survey has found about three-quarters of young residents of Tokyo plan nonessential activities amid the coronavirus state of emergency. (NHK)

Singapore has removed its remaining import restrictions on food from Fukushima Prefecture imposed in the wake of the 2011 nuclear disaster, Japan's farm ministry said. (Japan Today)

The organizers of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics plan to require athletes to acknowledge that they may face health risks or death caused by coronavirus infections and intense summer heat if they compete in the games, a document detailing conditions for participation showed Friday. (Japan Times)

Universal's most-visited theme park closed last month, just weeks after the official debut of its greatly anticipated Super Nintendo World land. (themeparkinsider.com)

The University of Tokyo ranked eighth for high-quality natural science research in 2020, returning to the top 10 after falling to 11th the year before, according to a survey by research publisher Springer Nature Group. (Japan Times)

It's not often that an embassy has to issue an apology to an entire country because of a video on YouTube. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry decided on Friday to expand the use of US pharmaceutical company Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to people aged 12 or older. (NHK)

Japan's Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu has indicated that the government will provide extra coronavirus vaccine to other countries and regions, including Taiwan. (NHK)

Japan's parliament enacted a law Friday to make it harder for educators dismissed for sexual misconduct at work to return to the profession, a response to cases in which teachers have repeatedly offended against students. (Kyodo)

Japan will allow Myanmar residents to extend their stay for an additional six months as an emergency measure due to the unrest following the Feb. 1 military coup in the Southeast Asian country, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday gave up on legislation to promote public awareness of sexual minorities, proving unable to overcome opposition within its own ranks. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Olympic organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto stated on Friday that local fans in Japan may be barred from attending the Olympics, according to the Associated Press. (CBS)

Kagoshima has overtaken Shizuoka in output equivalent to green tea sales, gaining the top spot in Japan, with differences in cultivation methods between the two prefectures and changes in consumer tastes behind the shift. (Kyodo)

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan braced itself for the devastation of its elderly population. Yet, the biggest demographic blow arrived not in the form of more people dying but fewer people being born. (Nikkei)