Japan's government plans to issue gold and silver coins to mark 50 years since the return of the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa to the country from postwar US rule. (NHK)

J-Pop James May? Join James in the city of Sendai, where the Zenryoku Boys have a special shopping spree planned for him. (The Grand Tour)

International Mail from Japan has been suspended to much of Europe as of March 8, 2022 due to the War in Ukraine. Flights to Paris, Frankfurt, London and several other major cities to Europe have also been cancelled until further notice which has impacted Japan Post's deliveries. (ONLY in JAPAN * GO)

As democracies slap sanctions on Russia, Japan's sushi restaurants and seafood importers find themselves suffering from some unintended consequences. (Nikkei)

The government adopted on Tuesday a set of bills to revise laws — including the Penal Code — to toughen the penalties for insults in order to deter online libel and cyberbullying, which are increasingly becoming problematic. (Japan Times)

In 1967, the WABOT-project was started at Waseda University Japan. In 1972, the first android, the WABOT-1 made its appearance to the world. (TTI - English)

Japan's farm ministry said Wednesday it will raise the average price at which it sells imported wheat to the country's milling companies by 17.3 percent from April, nearing a 14-year high, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stokes fears of global supply disruptions. (Kyodo)

Japanese credit card company JCB has announced its suspending operations in Russia starting on Monday in light of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (NHK)

The Chiba District Court has sentenced a 49-year-old man to 21 years in prison for fatally stabbing his 32-year-old wife in 2020, even though her body has never been found. (Japan Today)

Japan's top government spokesperson says he expects that a significant number of foreign students now waiting to enter Japan may be able to do so by late May. (NHK)

Every wondered why Japanese fruit is so expensive? You might've noticed that fruit in Japanese grocery stores can be VERY pricey. (Sharmeleon)

明るい未来を夢見ることが難しい時代に、必死で夢を追いかける若きフェンシング選手ナ・ヒド（キム・テリ）。 (Netflix Japan)

US researchers have said "flying" spiders from Japan could soon be thriving up and down the American east coast - but despite the fears of arachnophobes everywhere, it's nothing to be concerned about. (9news.com.au)

Japan is struggling to bridge its gender pay gap, with women in the country still making 74% as much as the men and remaining a minority in lucrative professions. (Nikkei)

Japan's justice minister said Tuesday the government has accepted into the country eight people displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, following an earlier announcement by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to do so as Tokyo ramps up its humanitarian support. (Kyodo)

Japan's bank lending rose at the slowest increase in a decade in February as immediate pressure for corporates to borrow cash continued to ease amid a broader economic recovery from the pandemic slump. (yahoo.com)

Japan has frozen the assets of dozens more Russian and Belarusian officials and oligarchs in Tokyo’s latest move to punish Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. (Al Jazeera)

ANA Holdings Inc plans to start flights on its new lower-cost carrier from the second half of the 2023 financial year, the Japanese airline said on Tuesday. (nasdaq.com)

Years of quietly developing high-powered virtual reality displays is starting to pay off for Japan's Sharp as the company make an aggressive bet on the "metaverse." (Nikkei)

Predictions of dark forces being unleashed by an evil vixen hung over social media in Japan on Monday after a famous volcanic rock said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it was found split in two. (theguardian.com)

Police in Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested two women and a man after the body of a 5-year-old boy was found beneath the floorboards of their house. (Japan Today)

Japanese video game and toy company Bandai Namco Holdings is spending 15 billion yen ($130 million) to develop a "metaverse" featuring fearsome battle robots and other characters from its flagship Gundam franchise. (Nikkei)

Date-rape assaults involving the illicit administration of drugs are on the increase. (the-japan-news.com)

Japan is working to set up a support system as it plans to accept Ukrainians fleeing their homeland because of Russian attacks. (NHK)

Japan's Foreign Ministry has raised its travel advisory for Russia, urging its nationals not to travel to the country. (NHK)