Hotel Okura Tokyo, the flagship hotel of one of Japan's top hotel chain operators, has been fully booked during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics thanks to stays by officials connected with the International Olympic Committee. (Kyodo)

Strong sunshine pushed up temperatures across most of Japan on Friday. (NHK)

Triathlon events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be staged on the large man-made island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay and will start early in the morning to counter the heat that is expected in the Japanese capital. (Japan Today)

Sharp will stop making household appliances in Japan, relocating production abroad as it turns toward markets such as China and Southeast Asia. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday arrested a female Canadian cosplay (costume play) enthusiast for allegedly engaging in a fake marriage with a Japanese national two years ago in order to obtain residency, reports Jiji Press. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male Chinese national employed at a reflexology massage parlor in Ota Ward over the alleged molestation of a female customer last month, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Many parts of Japan saw record high temperatures and heavy rains in July. The Meteorological Agency called last month's weather conditions abnormal. (NHK)

Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested two persons, a man and a boy, over the killing of an 82-year-old man at his residence in Tochigi City last week, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Atsuko Maeda, 27, a pop cultural icon and original member of the all-girl group AKB48, has married actor Ryo Katsuji, 31, an official of his management company said on Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan will support Britain in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership accord as both countries seek to promote free and rules-based trade, economy revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan has decided to reduce its plutonium stockpile, in line with its principle of possessing only the amount necessary for peaceful use, the country’s nuclear panel said Tuesday, while failing to give a numerical target. (Japan Times)

The governor of Tokyo has declared that the new site for the city's main food market is safe. The declaration by Yuriko Koike paves the way for the planned opening of the Toyosu market in October. (NHK)

A runway at Narita Airport near Tokyo has reopened after being closed for several hours due to a passenger plane that mistakenly entered a taxiway under construction. (NHK)

A university in Tokyo decided Monday it will dismiss two former coaches of its American football team over a dangerous late tackle by one of its players during an intercollegiate game in May that injured an opposing player. (Japan Today)

A major fireworks festival was held on Sunday evening along one of Tokyo's rivers after being postponed on Saturday due to an approaching typhoon. (NHK)

Parasols -- accessories normally associated with women trying to protect their skin from the sun -- are proving increasingly popular with men as the nation grapples with one of its hottest summers ever. (Japan Times)

At least 16 people in 5 Japanese prefectures were injured by Typhoon Jongdari before it was downgraded to a severe tropical storm. (NHK)

Vegetable prices have spiked as much as 65 percent amid a grueling two-week long heat wave that drove temperatures Wednesday to records in some regions, including areas where recovery and cleanup efforts are underway after devastating floods and landslides. (Japan Times)

A second senior official of Japan's education and science ministry has been arrested on bribery charges. Kazuaki Kawabata allegedly accepted gifts in exchange for giving a favor to a medical consulting firm in Tokyo. (NHK)

The Japanese government has agreed with Vietnam to invite 10,000 nursing caregivers from the Southeast Asian country by the summer of 2020 to counter a serious manpower shortage in the industry. (Nikkei)

A 20-year-old Japanese national denies supplying marijuana to international school students in custody on drug-related charges, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Miyazaki Prefectural Police arrested a 34-year-old man over the fatal slashing of his father at the residence they share in the town of Kawaminami early Wednesday, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Okinawa Prefectural Police have arrested a male employee at a hotel over the alleged theft of women’s underwear from a laundromat in Uruma City earlier this year, reports the Okinawa Times (tokyoreporter.comt)

The extreme heat that is affecting much of Japan has prompted some foreign media outlets to express concern about the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (NHK)

The first official shop selling goods for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has opened in the Japanese capital. (NHK)