Over a nearly one-hour period on Monday, a 41-year-old male driver accompanied by his mother caused multiple accidents in Matsuyama City as he led Ehime Prefctural Police on a chase that proceeded through a shopping mall, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have busted a so-called “delivery health” service operating in the Ueno area of Taito Ward for providing prostitution, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four male Nigerian nationals as a part of a crackdown on unruly street touts who target women in the Roppongi entertainment area of Minato Ward, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an organized crime member for allegedly providing pistols to a fellow gangster in custody for running a drug trafficking ring, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says she wants to step down as president of the opposition party Hope. (NHK)

The icebreaker Shirase, operated by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, left Tokyo’s Harumi pier for Antarctica on Sunday. (Japan Times)

Gunma Prefectural Police believe thieves suspected in a string of recent burglaries of second hand shops in the prefecture struck again twice early Friday, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Concluding a peace treaty between Russia and Japan would involve Moscow examining how it could be affected by Tokyo's security commitments to its allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday. (Japan Today)

A court here on Wednesday handed former marathon champion Yumiko Hara, 35, a suspended prison term for shoplifting from a convenience store in Ashikaga City, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Miyagi Prefectural Police have arrested a former employee of a subsidiary of trading company Mitsui & Co. in Sendai who is suspected in the embezzlement of nearly 200 million yen, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has instructed ministers to step up measures against inappropriate websites that deal with suicide. (NHK)

Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 23-year-old man who is suspected in dozens of purse-snatching incidents in and around Kawaguchi City over the past few months, reports NHK. (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's opposition party Hope, led by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, has elected Lower House lawmaker Yuichiro Tamaki as its co-leader. (NHK)

The manager of a used car dealership in Chofu City was slashed with a sword during a robbery by three men on Thursday, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an organized crime boss over the cultivation of marijuana in Nagano Prefecture, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Multilingual robot concierges have been unveiled in Tokyo prior to trials that will gauge their ability to welcome visitors to the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. (NHK)

A reporter for one of Japan's leading newspapers, Asahi Shimbun, was arrested for allegedly recording video up women's skirts while riding a train on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo. According to police, the suspect, 35-year-old Keisuke Masuda, confessed, "I've been doing it for months, and I couldn't stop." (rocketnews24.com)

A major Tokyo aquarium suffered a massive die-off inside its largest fish tank late Tuesday and early Wednesday, likely due to lack of oxygen. (Japan Times)

Anti-drug authorities in Japan have arrested 6 people on suspicion of possessing a large supply of so-called "dangerous drugs." The drugs are mixtures of herbs and chemicals, similar to illegal narcotics. (NHK)

Japan's prime minister said his round of golf with visiting President Donald Trump was a good chance to relax and discuss difficult issues. (Japan Today)

US online retail giant Amazon has launched a line of voice-controlled AI speakers capable of understanding Japanese. (NHK)

This is how my first-ever day in Japan went. Arrive at Tokyo’s Narita airport, sushi for lunch in the city, bullet train (shinkansen) to Kyoto, train to Yamazaki. (thedailybeast.com)

After receiving a tip during an investigation, Fukushima Prefectural Police have begun digging for the body of a missing man in a riverbed in Aizuwakamatsu City, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

A helicopter carrying 4 people has crashed near Tokyo, killing everyone on board. (NHK)

The IMF on Wednesday urged Japan to maintain its massive monetary stimulus to boost consumer prices, a view echoed by a central bank board member, reinforcing expectations policy will remain accommodative. (Reuters)