A police dog on Monday received an award from the Metropolitan Police Department for locating a gun that led to the arrest of a crime syndicate member. (Kyodo)

A 35-year-old police officer, stationed at a koban (police box) in front of Tokyo Station, has been arrested on suspicion of theft after he stole a wallet that had been handed in as a lost-and-found item. (Japan Today)

Ishikawa Prefectural Police have arrested a man after a stabbing incident at a residence in Kanazawa City left two officers injured, report TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Tokyo have arrested an unemployed 39-year-old man on suspicion of extortion after he threatened to beat up a smartphone user unless he paid money for "bumping" into him. (Japan Today)

A 33-year-old man has been arrested for the alleged possession of marijuana and a special form of the same banned drug at his residence in Isehara City, reports the Mainichi Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

A Tokyo high school student is in critical condition after suffering heatstroke during a basketball club practice, the metropolitan education board said Friday. (Japan Today)

After a hiatus of nearly a month that was lauded by the U.S., North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles early Saturday, with two flying roughly 250 km and the other exploding almost immediately, the U.S. military’s Pacific Command said. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested two men in the alleged trafficking of stimulant drugs in the Kabukicho red-light district of Shinjuku Ward, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

FamilyMart Uny Holdings Co. and discount chain Don Quijote Holdings Co. said Thursday they reached a basic agreement to forge a capital and business alliance. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 43-year-old male coach of a girl's basketball team who is suspected of molesting a player, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

The mayor of Montreal expects Air Canada's decision to introduce direct year-round service to Japan will increase foreign real estate purchases but he's not worried it will lead to price spikes seen in Toronto and Vancouver. (ctvnews.ca)

More than 40,000 tax-free shops are ready to welcome overseas tourists to Japan -- even those who step into more rural regions. (Nikkei)

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed a decision to designate four northwestern Pacific islands at the center of a longstanding territorial issue with Japan as a special economic zone. (the-japan-news.com)

The head of a neighborhood council is believed to have solicited a number of school girls for illicit encounters at his residence, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Director Hidetaka Inazuka, known for his documentary on the double atomic-bomb survivor, has completed a new film on three Japanese children fighting a very rare and little-known disease that has left them mostly immobile since birth. (Japan Times)

Investigative sources with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have revealed that a 51-year-old man in custody for allegedly dumping a body believed to be that of his missing wife communicated with her place of employment to cover up the crime, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male beautician who is suspected in a series of sexual assaults of women in Machida City, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly recruiting male customers, including a city councilor, for a teenage prostitute last year, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Sorakaze Inc and Japan Weather Association have released WeatherJapan, a simple weather forecast application that supports multiple languages for tourists to Japan. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 35-year-old woman for allegedly attempting to kill her newborn boy by burying him alive in Higashi-Murayama City earlier this month, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

Hyogo Prefectural Police are searching for a man suspected in the robbery of an outlet of discount department store chain Don Quijote in Kobe early Monday, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

The National Cancer Center will establish a system for cooperating on the development of cancer drugs with four medical institutions in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. The scheme aims to expedite the approval of new drugs. (the-japan-news.com)

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will begin the final phase of creating an underground ice wall on Tuesday. (NHK)

Aichi Prefectural Police on Sunday applied fresh charges of murder and robbery to two persons in custody for allegedly dumping the body of a woman found buried in the mountains of Shiga Prefecture, a crime that could have been motivated by an attempt to gain the victim's virtual currency bitcoin , reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

People are crowding into airports and train stations in Japan as they return from "bon" summer holiday travels. (NHK)