The Tokyo High Court has ruled that Yahoo Japan Co. defamed a man and has ordered that it delete 11 search results that associate his name with criminal behavior, sources have confirmed. (Japan Times)

All court action for former members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult is to end, after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by a man who took part in the 1995 deadly nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. (NHK)

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has found what looks like fuel debris in the plant's No. 2 reactor. (NHK)

A woman gave birth to a baby girl on a train at a station in Chiba Prefecture on Friday. The mother and child were taken to a hospital by ambulance, firefighters said. (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, have agreed that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is indispensable for safety in Asia. (NHK)

A new study shows the number of public elementary and junior high schools in Japan may fall to a third of its current total by 2050, due to a declining population. (NHK)

The Environment Ministry said Wednesday that a highly pathogenic, H5N6-type avian influenza virus was detected in a dead northern goshawk found earlier this month at a park in Tokyo’s Ota Ward. (Japan Times)

Bath houses in Japan have been a part of the culture for hundreds of years and in Tokyo, there are 600 of them in neighborhood all around the city. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Hakuho, one of three yokozuna competing in the ongoing New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, has withdrawn due to toe injuries, the Japan Sumo Association said Thursday. (Japan Times)

A seven-week trial of cab-sharing services in Tokyo will kick off next Monday, the first of its kind in Japan. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested hip-hop artist Uzi over the alleged possession of marijuana earlier this week, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two male Korean nationals who are suspected in dozens of burglaries in the capital dating back to late last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 27-year-old male teacher for allegedly molesting a second-year high school boy on a train on Tuesday, reports Sports Nippon (Jan. 17). (tokyoreporter.com)

Australian rugby legend George Smith was arrested by the Tokyo police on New Year’s Eve for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver after refusing to pay his fare, authorities said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have busted a so-called "JK" (joshi kosei) school girl business that is suspected of dispatching underage female employees to hotels to provide sex services, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Hokkaido Prefectural Police have arrested a former co-worker of a 23-year-old woman who was found murdered in her residence in Sapporo last year, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Eight corpses possibly belonging to North Korean nationals have been discovered aboard and near a wooden ship that washed ashore in Kanazawa City earlier this month, reports NHK (Jan. 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

Japanese confectionery maker Meiji will ramp up its production capacity of health-oriented chocolate. (NHK)

With the investigation into the rigging of arcade games widening in scale, Osaka Prefectural Police have re-arrested the president of a management company over the alleged fraud of additional persons, reports NHK (Jan. 13). (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who is suspected of stealing the wallets of dozens of sleeping passengers on the Yamanote Line since last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

It was said of the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century that the ones who made the money were those who sold the shovels. Today’s shovel sellers in Tokyo are the service providers, agents and brokers eager to entice clients with tales of gold in the hills. (Japan Times)

Chiba Prefectural Police on Wednesday re-arrested a 29-year-old man over the cultivation of marijuana in Mobara City last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday arrested the former male head of a fan club for popular voice actress Ayana Taketatsu for allegedly harassing her via email last year. The crime is believed to have included the sending of tens of thousands of messages dating back to four years ago, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Sumo's top-ranked referee will resign over a sexual harassment scandal, the sport's governing body said Saturday following an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors. (Kyodo)

Students and graduates of high schools across Japan are sitting the annual unified college and university entrance examinations. (NHK)