Without overseas spectators, this summer's Olympics and Paralympics will likely place an additional financial burden on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. (NHK)

The average price of land in Japan fell for the first time in six years due to declining demand for urban commercial land spurred by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the government said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government believes a major multinational trade agreement it joined will be a boon for the economy. Officials say the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, will likely increase GDP by nearly 3 percent. (NHK)

A Tokyo-based restaurant chain operator filed a damages suit on Monday against the Tokyo metropolitan government for ordering that business hours be reduced as a public safety measure during the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks will extend the hours they open daily from April 1, their operator, Oriental Land Co., said Monday. (Japan Times)

NHK has learned that nine people were injured in a strong earthquake in northeastern Japan on Saturday. (NHK)

The Japanese stock market is one of the most popular stock markets in the world. Japan’s stock market features several prominent multinational companies that have amazing reputations, including Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Fujitsu, Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan will emerge from 10 weeks of coronavirus restrictions on Sunday, just in time for the peak of the annual cherry blossom viewing season. (theguardian.com)

Police in Higashi-Osaka have arrested an 18-year-old high school student on suspicion of violation of the Swords and Firearms Control Law and interfering with a police officer in the performance of his duty after he threatened an officer with a knife in a koban (police box). (Japan Today)

Japan Airlines plans to discontinue its in-flight audio service on domestic routes at the end of March, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. (the-japan-news.com)

Cults and other dubious groups are approaching university students who feel lonely and isolated by the ongoing closure of classrooms as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into a second year. (Nikkei)

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is set to begin experimenting with its central bank digital currency later this year. BOJ said in the past that it doesn’t intend to issue a digital yen, claiming that Japan’s digital payments are sufficient currently. (coingeek.com)

Tokyo and the IOC won’t allow oversea spectators to attend the summer games. What does this mean for tourism before and after? (ONLY in JAPAN)

The number of suicides in Japan has topped 21,000 in 2020, the first year-on-year increase since 2009, the year after the global financial crisis triggered by Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy. (NHK)

In Japan, the state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures expired at the end of the day on Sunday. (NHK)

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says he will work to further strengthen Japan's alliance with the United States when he visits the country early next month. (NHK)

Surveillance camera footage submitted to a US court indicates that one of the two men who were arrested on suspicion of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan met with his daughter at a Tokyo hotel on the day of the escape. (NHK)

Japan is a major world economy and home to legendary organizations such as Toyota, Hitachi, and Honda. However, it has some of the most conservative laws in the world. For instance, there are no land-based casinos, as of now. (newsonjapan.com)

Police in Nagoya have arrested a 48-year-old woman and her 26-year-old son on suspicion of killing the woman’s 54-year-old husband. (Japan Today)

A decision has been made to bar overseas spectators from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer due partly to the unpredictability of coronavirus variants. (NHK)

The Bank of Japan on Friday tweaked its policy framework to continue with monetary easing in more sustainable and effective ways as economic recovery from the pandemic is still nascent and its inflation target is far off. (Kyodo)

Despite the COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures no longer being in effect from Monday, strict entry restrictions at airports and ports will continue to be in place, with no indication of when they will be eased. (Japan Times)

Japan's government is scaling back its use of the popular messaging app Line and investigating how it is employed across municipalities, as the service comes under scrutiny over data security. (Nikkei)

The proportion of job-seeking university students in Japan graduating this month who had secured informal job offers as of Feb. 1 fell for the first time in 10 years, a government survey showed Friday. (Japan Times)

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit northeastern Japan on Saturday evening. Officials in Miyagi Prefecture say some people are injured. A tsunami advisory was issued for the prefecture, but it was lifted after about an hour and a half. (NHK)