A raccoon spotted in a busy entertainment district has drawn huge attention from passing pedestrians in central Tokyo. (NHK)

Gunma Prefecture says its helicopter that crashed in August is suspected to have been flying in violation of civil aviation laws. (NHK)

A Tokyo court has begun questioning 3 former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company about their involvement in the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. (NHK)

An unmanned store using artificial intelligence instead of cashiers is set to open on a trial basis at a station in Tokyo. (NHK)

The government will announce an ambitious plan aimed at cutting disposable plastic waste by 25 percent over the next decade while promoting environmentally friendly bioplastics made from plants, sources said Saturday. (Japan Times)

The government will introduce an electronic system for tourist visa applications in April 2020 in an effort to help achieve its goal of 60 million foreign visitors a year by 2030, government sources said Sunday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male doctor who has been accused of using a so-called “JK business” for an illicit encounter with a teenage girl earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 11). (tokyoreporter.com)

In one of the most shocking scandals to hit Tokyo’s 149-year-old war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, the shrine’s top priest has been forced to resign after admitting his reported remarks harshly criticizing Emperor Akihito were genuine. (Japan Times)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Games announced the routes for the Olympic individual time trial and Paralympic road race on Wednesday, finalizing the courses for all cycling events taking place in two years’ time. (Japan Times)

Following the discovery of several body parts belonging to a woman on beaches since late last month, Chiba Prefectural Police have announced that a foot was found floating at sea in the same general area on Monday, reports NHK. (tokyoreporter.com)

The operator of the Tokyo Stock Exchange says trading was partially disrupted due to system trouble on Tuesday but was expected to return to normal on Wednesday. (NHK)

An executive of Fukushima Television Broadcasting Co. has been accused of paying a teenage girl for sex earlier this year, reports Nikkan Sports. (tokyoreporter.com)

More tourists in Kyoto and Tokyo are sightseeing early in the morning, although many venues are not yet ready to handle the new trend. (Japan Times)

The number of foreign nationals who were deported in the January-June period for immigration violations rose 16.5 percent from a year before to 7,892, the Justice Ministry has announced. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested at a 69-year-old man over the alleged theft of a bag from a woman at a railway station in Taito Ward earlier this week, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

In a bid to curtail hate speech ahead of the 2020 Games, Tokyo on Friday adopted a non-discrimination ordinance protecting the LGBT community. (Japan Times)

Kyoto has topped a ranking of major Japanese cities as measured by criteria such as livability and economy, according to a survey by a think tank affiliated with major real estate developer Mori Building Co. (Japan Times)

A man carrying more than 50 million yen in cash was mugged on a road in Osaka City’s Yodogawa Ward on Wednesday, police said, reports Sankei Sports (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Tokyo are looking for two men who injured three people with pepper spray in Ueno on Sept 29. (Japan Today)

Part of a theme park based on the Moomin series of children's books is to open near Tokyo next month. (NHK)

Japan's prime minister has reshuffled his Cabinet. Shinzo Abe appointed a dozen first-time ministers, while keeping several central roles unchanged. It follows his re-election as Liberal Democratic Party leader last month, where he won a third and final term despite recent scandals. (NHK)

A woman injured a man after she made a fatal leap from a building Shinjuku Ward in an apparent suicide on Tuesday, police said, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

Typhoon Trami continues to wreak havoc across Japan after making landfall on its main island of Honshu on Sunday evening. (NHK)

A Japanese court on Thursday released on bail Hitomi Yoshizawa, a former member of the all-girl J-pop group Morning Musume, who was indicted the previous day for injuring two people in a hit-and-run incident while driving under the influence of alcohol. (Kyodo)

Beginning Monday, visitors to Kyoto will be hit with an increase to their lodging bills as the city’s accommodation tax goes into effect at over 3,200 hotels, traditional inns, and private lodgings. (Japan Times)