Democratic Party leader Renho announced Thursday she will step down as the head of the nation’s largest opposition force, saying she didn’t have the leadership ability to maintain party unity in the wake of its crushing defeat in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election earlier this month. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an 83-year-old man who has a reputation for picking people’s pockets at large events, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former professional boxer who is suspected in a series of muggings in Shinagawa Ward, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

The new National Stadium being built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be used exclusively for team ball sports like soccer and rugby after the games, sources told Kyodo News on Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Two men have been arrested for allegedly sending virus infection alerts purporting to be from Google Inc. and deceiving recipients into paying for antivirus software, police said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

An estranged wife of a former violin maker in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of destroying 54 violins and 70 bows collectively worth around 105.9 million yen that belonged to him, police said. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 31-year-old man for allegedly beating a bar hostess who later died, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The government held a teleworking campaign day on Monday, with about 60,000 people from about 1,000 companies mainly based in the Tokyo metropolitan area working outside their regular workplaces. (the-japan-news.com)

Over the past few weeks, actress Kazuyo Matsui has been a fixture on Japan's tabloid TV shows for the very public battle she is waging against her actor husband, whom she has accused of adultery. (Japan Times)

Reports of poisonous fire ants being discovered at ports across Japan are boosting sales of pesticides. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week conducted the first queries into so-called “JK” parlors in Chiyoda Ward following the enactment of new legislation earlier this month aimed at restricting the harmful employment of youths, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

The giant panda cub at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo is growing steadily and starting to open her eyes. (NHK)

Images captured by an underwater robot on Saturday showed massive deposits believed to be melted nuclear fuel covering the floor of a damaged reactor at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. (washingtonpost.com)

Hornets have stung a group of more than 20 kindergarten children in Tokyo. The victims have been rushed to hospital. (NHK)

Dozens of venomous fire ants have been found at Hakata port, the Environment Ministry said, marking the first detection of the invasive species in Kyushu. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have re-arrested a 39-year-old for allegedly dumping the bodies of two Chinese sisters, found in suitcases in a mountainous area in Hadano City earlier this month, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

An informed source in the sumo world says Mongolian Yokozuna Grand Champion Hakuho is considering the option of acquiring Japanese citizenship. The move would allow him to become a stablemaster after retirement and train younger wrestlers. (NHK)

Princess Kako, a granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, will study at the University of Leeds in England from September to June next year, it was reported at a cabinet meeting on Friday. (Japan Today)

In two separate cases, Tokyo Metropolitan Police have this week arrested two men suspected in dozens of bag-snatching incidents across the metropolis, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday handed a homeless man a prison sentence extending for three years and six months for starting a fire that damaged a number of buildings in the historic Golden Gai last year, reports Jiji Press. (tokyoreporter.com)

The Yokohama District Court on Wednesday sentenced a former elementary school teacher to three years in prison on sexual abuse and child pornography charges. (Japan Today)

A group set up by psychiatric patients, their families and lawyers has called for strict rules on the use of physical restraints at hospitals in Japan. (NHK)

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant says the metal scaffolding right below the damaged No.3 reactor appears to have gone missing after the 2011 disaster. (NHK)

Officials at the Japan Fair Trade Commission are investigating major department stores in Osaka. They suspect the firms colluded on increasing delivery fees. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are seeking the help of the public in locating a man suspected of molesting a girl inside an elevator in Machida City last year, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)