A former executive director of Amnesty International Japan has sued the human rights organization for Y5 million ($47,500), claiming unfair dismissal after he was diagnosed with depression that stemmed from being forced to give reports in Japanese, sources familiar with the case said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Hashimoto Seiko has officially been chosen as the president of the Tokyo Games organizing committee. She stepped down from her cabinet position as Olympics Minister. (NHK)

Japan has gracefully apologized to the women of South Korea who once served as sex slaves to the Japanese Army during World War II. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan and the United States agreed to extend an agreement on how much Toyko pays for the upkeep of US military bases on its soil for another year as they continue talks on a new pact. (aljazeera.com)

Japan’s 2021 defence budget is set to be its largest ever, continuing a near decade-long trend set in motion by former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Under Abe’s watch, Japan has increased its defence budget every year since 2005. (eastasiaforum.org)

Officials at one of Japan's major oil refiners say they are preparing to manufacture and sell an electric vehicle. (NHK)

After a sexism row sparked by Tokyo Olympics chief’s saying women talked too much at meetings, Japan’s ruling party has said it wants women to attend key meetings – but only if they do not talk. (aljazeera.com)

Japanese tennis star Osaka Naomi has beaten Serena Williams in two straight sets to advance to the women's singles final at the Australian Open. (NHK)

As job losses surge due to the pandemic, demand for food handouts has skyrocketed in Japan, prompting the government to release stockpiled rice to charities for the first time last May. Another expanded programme started this month. (Reuters)

Japan began assessing damage and restoring power after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck off Fukushima late Saturday, leaving about 150 people injured and temporarily cutting power to almost a million households. (Bloomberg)

A Japanese court has ruled in favor of a public high school in a case involving the color of a female student's hair. But it also awarded the student damages in a separate decision. (NHK)

Vaccinations that kicked off Wednesday in Japan are administered through intramuscular injection — the delivery of medication deep into the muscles — which is widespread in Western countries but not so in Japan. (Japan Times)

Japan has begun vaccinating healthcare workers at medical facilities across the country. (NHK)

Japanese companies are moving to expand the country's still-nascent hydrogen fueling infrastructure, taking advantage of recent deregulation as Tokyo positions the fuel as central to its pivot away from carbon. (Nikkei)

Another ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker quit the party Wednesday following a report that he visited a luxurious Tokyo nightlife venue despite government calls to avoid unnecessary outings under a state of emergency to contain the spread of the coronavirus. (Japan Times)

Miyagi Prefecture continues to rise from the devastation of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, with residents and newcomers alike finding new possibilities sprouting up in the north. (NHK)

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Seiko Hashimoto, the Cabinet minister in charge of the Tokyo Games and a former Olympic athlete, has emerged as the Tokyo Organising Committee’s sole candidate to replace Yoshiro Mori, who stepped down last week over his sexist remarks, media reports said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Since his relatively late emergence onto the scene, New York-based composer Alexey Shor has rapidly built a popular and appreciative following for his style of composition that, while a product of the 21st century, closely follows in the footsteps of the great composers of the 18th and 19th centuries. (newsonjapan.com)

Weather officials in Japan are warning that snowstorms will likely batter areas of the country facing the Japan Sea on Wednesday. They are calling on people to be on the alert against possible traffic disruptions. (NHK)

Toyota Motor Corp is temporarily suspending vehicle production on 14 lines at nine group factories in Japan due to an earthquake that hit Japan's northeast last Saturday. (Japan Today)

Japan's health ministry says coupons required for receiving coronavirus vaccination will first be issued to senior citizens. (NHK)

In this video, Japanese girls are asked about their experience of breaking up with guys. (That Japanese Man Yuta)

Japan plans to start inoculating elderly people only after the coronavirus vaccinations for frontline health workers have been administered, possibly delaying the initially anticipated start date for seniors in April, a senior government official said Monday. (Kyodok)

Japan’s economy clocked another quarter of double-digit growth and finished the pandemic year in better shape than initially expected, signaling potential for a more sure-footed recovery once a damaging state of emergency ends. (Japan Times)