The Democratic Party's former secretary-general has formally entered the race to lead Japan's main opposition party, laying the groundwork for a battle over whether the Democrats can offer viable alternatives to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies, known as Abenomics. (Nikkei)

Investigative sources have revealed that six male students at Keio University have been prosecuted on Tuesday in the alleged sexual assault of a female student in Kanagawa Prefecture last year, reports Nikkan Sports. (tokyoreporter.com)

Professional sumo wrestlers visited a university in Tokyo on Tuesday for a demonstration of their traditional sport, aiming to win more fans among the young generation and people from overseas. (NHK)

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says hundreds of vehicles contaminated with radioactive substances left the compound unchecked in the immediate aftermath of the 2011 accident. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 25-year-old man suspected in several molestation incidents involving young girls in Adachi Ward, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

A tropical storm is ripping through Japan`s main island of Honshu, bringing heavy rain to wide areas. Two people have died and 47 others injured. (NHK)

The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nikkei Inc. announced Monday they will reshuffle the component issues of the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 and the JPX-Nikkei Mid and Small Cap Index following a periodic review. (Nikkei)

A male national of Myanmar accused in the stabbing of his former girlfriend in Chiyoda Ward early Monday had received a warning about stalking by police, reports TBS News (Aug. 7). (tokyoreporter.com)

A train stopped before striking a woman who had just been pushed onto the tracks from a station platform by her intoxicated boyfriend in Soka City early Sunday, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan is fretting about running out of hotel rooms as foreign tourist numbers surge and as the capital prepares to host the 2020 Olympics. (Nikkei)

Actress Mariko Ishihara is not expected to be indicted for allegedly shoplifting food at a Tokyo supermarket after investigators referred her to prosecutors Friday with a recommendation of leniency, police said. (Japan Today)

Actress-singer Yuki Saito, 50, on Thursday denied a report in a weekly magazine that says she is engaged in an extra-marital affair with a married family doctor, describing her alleged partner as more of a “background mainstay,” reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 4). (tokyoreporter.com)

In the search for a Chinese woman who went missing in Hokkaido last month, prefectural police have largely relied on security camera footage in determining her movements. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo-based rail operator Tobu Railway has announced that the results of an internal investigation has revealed an alleged embezzlement of more than 100 million yen over a 24-year period by a former executive of a subsidiary, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

On the 22nd anniversary of a triple murder at a supermarket in Hachioji City, law enforcement renewed a request for help from the public in solving the brutal crime, reports NHK (July 30). (tokyoreporter.com)

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the groundwater level briefly plummeted near a building that houses one of the crippled reactors. (NHK)

A police officer dumped a plastic bag containing parts of the body of a woman in her 80s at a garbage collection point at a Tokyo police station in July by mistake and some of them remain unrecovered, the police said Friday. (Japan Today)

Homebuilder Sekisui House was swindled in a land deal valued at more than 6 billion yen earlier this year, the company revealed on Wednesday, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan is considered a "super-aged" nation, where more than 20% of the population is over 65 and the birth rate has reached record lows. (CNN)

A Japanese court has ordered a pro-North Korean group to repay more than 800 million dollars in debts to a Japanese government-backed collection agency. (NHK)

The Japanese government launched a search Wednesday for venomous fire ants at the 68 ports that regularly receive shipping containers from other countries including China. (Japan Today)

Nine major Japanese hotels established before World War II are kicking off a joint marketing blitz and enhancing services to lure more foreign tourists. (Nikkei)

Former world number four Kimiko Date has been invited to play in next month's Japan Women's Open barely a fortnight before she turns 47, the Japan Tennis Association said on Wednesday. (Japan Today)

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake has struck north of Tokyo. The tremor occurred at 2:02 AM on Wednesday. The epicenter was in northern Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of 10 kilometers. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the president of a talent agency suspected in at least two rapes of women, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)