One of Japan’s top policymakers has indicated that the government will continue to resist U.S. efforts to create a bilateral free trade agreement between the two nations. (Japan Times)

The highest-ever temperature in Japan has been recorded in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, amid an extreme heat wave that continues to plague wide areas of the country. (NHK)

Japanese officials issued new warnings Monday as a deadly heatwave blankets the country, producing record high temperatures in Tokyo just two years before the city hosts the 2020 Summer Olympics. (Japan Today)

A vehicle crashed into the front of a cafe in the Roppongi entertainment area of Minato Ward on Saturday night, causing two injuries, police said, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has unveiled the names of the mascots for the Games. (NHK)

Sweltering heat continues to shroud most of Japan. Temperatures reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius in some places on Sunday. (NHK)

The Japan Coast Guard says the latest volcanic eruption on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean is continuing. (NHK)

New VR Zone attraction lets you take on Godzilla in an attack chopper… (soranews24.com)

Tokyo Olympic organizers on Friday unveiled ticket prices for the 2020 Games ranging from 2,020 yen up to 300,000 yen, largely in line with prices at the London Olympics in 2012. (Japan Today)

The Japan Swimming Federation conceded defeat on Thursday in its effort to have the Tokyo 2020 Olympics swimming finals aired domestically in the evening. (Japan Today)

China's biggest ride-hailing service, DiDi Chuxing announced that it has set up a joint venture with Japanese mobile carrier Softbank. DiDi Mobility Japan will provide taxi companies with a system that uses artificial intelligence to manage their fleets. (NHK)

Negotiators for the 11 signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed to work toward launching the free trade pact early next year. They also assented to preparing for future membership expansion. (NHK)

The International Olympic Committee and organizing committee for the Tokyo Games failed to agree on what time the swimming finals will be held. (NHK)

The main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, now under construction, has been shown to media 2 years ahead of the games' opening. (NHK)

The schedule for the Tokyo Olympics has been broadly determined. Starting times of the marathon and other races along roads were moved forward in view of the hot summer weather. (NHK)

In Japan's ancient capital Kyoto, spectators braved sweltering heat to watch a series of colorfully decorated floats at the annual Gion festival on Tuesday. (NHK)

Japan and the European Union have signed a free trade deal in Tokyo after years of negotiations. The economic partnership agreement covers about 40 percent of the world's trade and 30 percent of its gross domestic product. The EPA calls for Japan and the EU to remove tariffs on most of each other's goods in phases. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government invited the media to observe the construction sites for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics venues on Tuesday, 2 years ahead of the games' opening. (NHK)

Many retailers and consumers in Japan are welcoming the free trade pact with the European Union. They are expecting it to lower prices for a range of gourmet products and provide a boost to the economy. (NHK)

The government has launched a nationwide probe into allegations that foreign residents are abusing the public health insurance system, according to sources familiar with the matter. (Japan Times)

People in many parts of Japan are sweltering as temperatures have soared to nearly 40 degrees Celsius. The heatwave is likely to continue this week with the risk of heatstroke remaining high in areas including those hit by recent heavy rain. (NHK)

Five people died and more than 1,500 others were taken to hospitals for heat exhaustion, as a heat wave covered Japan on Saturday, a Kyodo News tally showed. (Japan Today)

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have cancelled their planned summer retreat north of Tokyo following last weekend's deadly torrential rain in western Japan, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 22-year-old male resident of Yokohama who is alleged to have repeatedly molested a female university student across two municipalities earlier this year, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Law enforcement has accused a married couple of cultivating marijuana and possessing a special form of the same banned drug at their residence in the town of Tobetsu, reports the Hokkaido Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)