The stench of flesh rotting on a sultry day fills the air as cleaner Hidemitsu Ohshima steps into a tiny Tokyo apartment where a dead man lay decomposing for three weeks. (Japan Today)

Ibaraki Prefectural Police have arrested a 58-year-old man for abandoning the body of his mother at the residence they shared in Kasama City, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

Local restaurants, souvenir shops and even some temples and shrines are hoping to cater to foreign guests with an international custom yet to be adopted in Japan: letting customers pay their bills with credit cards instead of cash. (Japan Today)

Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, turned 16 on Friday, enjoying high school life and striving to better fulfill her role as a member of the imperial family. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a 70-year-old man for allegedly assaulting two female cabin attendants on a Japan Airlines (JAL) flight earlier this year, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

Prosecutors in Yokohama have decided not to prosecute six male students of Tokyo's Keio University, who were accused of sexual assault after coercing a female student to consume alcohol last year. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land plans a major expansion for the theme park, looking to spend over 300 billion yen ($2.68 billion) to build new attractions and ease congestion amid fierce competition in the industry. (Nikkei)

The latest edition of the Michelin guide for Tokyo is due out on Friday with 82 new restaurants, including five new two-star establishments and 23 entities garnering single stars, Michelin said on Tuesday. (Japan Times)

North Korea launched what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile early Wednesday morning, reaching a higher altitude than previous tests and suggesting one of the longest ranges in the country's arsenal. (Nikkei)

From a television commercial that gives a humorous twist to a theme park’s impending closure to hotels staffed by robots, tactics to capitalize on company outings, and ads featuring Japanese pop idols and actors — theme parks in Japan are squeezing their creative juices to attract more first-time visitors and repeaters through avant-garde ways. (Japan Times)

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have welcomed Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri and his daughter, Princess Alexandra, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. (NHK)

A new Tokyo Bay amphibious bus tour was launched Monday to service the expected influx of foreign tourists drawn to the city ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four men who are suspected of molesting a woman as a group inside train carriage earlier this year, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four male youths for allegedly attacking a man at a hotel in the Akasaka area of Minato Ward in an attempt to rob him of the virtual currency bitcoin, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

A new sports facility has opened in Tokyo's Chofu City. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested boss in an organized crime group for the possession of a firearm and ammunition at his residence in Soka City, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Japanese scientists plan an experiment to gauge the effect of gravity on time. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested nine persons, including organized crime members, over an extortion racket allegedly carried out in the Akasaka entertainment area of Minato Ward, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

At the opening of the documentary "Boys For Sale," a look at the underside of the trade in young boys in the 2-chome gay quarter of Shinjuku Ward, a former male prostitute, says, "I guess if you'd never experienced this, it would be hard to understand." (tokyoreporter.com)

The Yokohama family court granted a request by a daughter of Aum Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara to nullify her parents' right to inherit her property in the event of her death. (Japan Times)

The Japanese Olympic Committee and city of Sapporo announced Wednesday they will enter a dialogue process over a potential bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 39-year-old man for molesting a woman inside a carriage of the JR Saikyo Line last year, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police are searching have arrested eight persons, including an organized crime member, in the robbery of gold valued at nearly 100 million yen from a shop in Taito Ward earlier this year, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

The author of the smash hit comic series "Rurouni Kenshin" was referred to prosecutors Tuesday for alleged possession of pornographic images of underage girls, investigative sources said. (Japan Times)

A woman employed as a costumed performer at Tokyo Disneyland was awarded labor compensation after developing a disorder that caused acute pain in her arm, the park's operator said Wednesday. (Kyodo)