Following Mercari's blockbuster stock market debut Tuesday, Japan's lineup of unlisted startups valued above $1 billion has shrunk to basically two, underscoring the domestic tech industry's persistent failure to cultivate unicorns. (Nikkei)

An emerging number of Japanese schools are introducing genderless uniforms or flexible uniform codes in an effort to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. (Kyodo)

The Japanese operator of a popular app that matches buyers and sellers of used goods has gone public. (NHK)

Japanese soccer fans have been celebrating their national squad's 2-1 win over Colombia in its first group match in the World Cup finals. (NHK)

For a Filipino man visiting Tokyo in May last year, the tour of the capital was supposed to be a fun sightseeing trip. (Japan Times)

An estimated 1.3 million Japanese people aged 15 to 64 have used marijuana, surpassing for the first time the number of those who have abused inhalants such as paint thinner, a survey by a national institute showed Sunday. (Japan Today)

More than 2,000 venomous fire ants have been discovered in a shipping container from China that arrived at a port in Osaka Prefecture earlier this month, leaving two people hurt, government officials said. (Japan Today)

Jurina Matsui of SKE48, one of the AKB48 family of all-female idol groups, has taken the No. 1 spot in the franchise’s annual popularity contest, which was the first to let its Thai and Taiwanese members join the 10-year-old event. (Japan Times)

An earthquake shook Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Sunday afternoon. No major damage has been reported. (NHK)

The father of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl allegedly killed by a male neighbor near Tokyo in 2017 demanded capital punishment at a court hearing on Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan’s new law on minpaku (private lodging) businesses took effect Friday, but stringent rules may dampen the entry of homeowners into the market, despite hopes that it could help counter a shortage of accommodation amid a growing number of foreign tourists. (Japan Times)

Princess Kako, a granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, has returned to Japan after studying in Britain for about 9 months. (NHK)

The government has instructed West Japan Railway Co. to investigate why a driver of one of its bullet trains that hit and killed a man did not report any abnormal sound at the time, the transport minister said Friday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have accused three male university students of unlawfully obtaining a large quantity of tickets for concerts featuring all-girl idol group AKB48 for the purpose of resale, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

A day before a new law on minpaku (private lodging services) takes effect, Airbnb Inc. on Thursday welcomed the change and reinforced its commitment to the Japanese market with fresh initiatives. (Japan Times)

A railway company in western Japan has partially suspended operations on a Shinkansen bullet train line, after finding evidence that one of its trains hit a person. (NHK)

Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested an elderly man over the stabbing of his nephew in Kurume City on Thursday, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japanese government said Thursday foreign travelers with unpaid medical bills will be denied entry to the country in the future, with the number of foreign visitors set to surge in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. (Kyodo)

Japan's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday approved a plan to scrap a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant northeast of Tokyo over a 70-year period with the cost projected at 1 trillion yen ($9 billion). (Kyodo)

A man in his 40s, who was reported missing last year, and later "found," then confirmed dead by police and his family who had him cremated, has shocked his family by returning home alive and well. (Japan Today)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games plans to cap ticket prices at 300,000 yen ($2,720) while setting a minimum ticket price of 2,000 yen, sources familiar with the matter said late Monday evening. (Japan Today)

Princess Kako, granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, has completed a study program at the University of Leeds in England. (Japan Times)

A car rammed into a group of pedestrians in central Tokyo on Tuesday, injuring seven people, with the driver arrested on the spot, police and rescue workers said. (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the first step toward resolving various issues concerning the North. (NHK)

A Japanese high court has decided not to grant a retrial to an 82-year-old former professional boxer in a 1966 murder case. (NHK)