The general public in Japan will be able to receive low-cost at-home coronavirus testing from SoftBank Group, which until now had only offered its PCR screening to companies and local governments. (Nikkei)

Iwate Prefecture may be known as a place devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, but it's coming back better and stronger than ever. (NHK WORLD-JAPAN)

The Meteorological Agency expects heavy snow and strong winds to hit wide areas along the Sea of Japan coast from Wednesday through Friday. Snow is also forecast in flat areas along the Pacific coast. (NHK)

In this video, we explore three side-trip options from the city of Nagoya, each with something unique to offer travelers willing to venture a little off the beaten track. (japan-guide.com)

Tokyo's coronavirus outbreak is severe and could explode in the coming days just as Japan begins its New Year's holiday period, in which millions of people usually move around the country, the city's governor said on Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Tokyo stocks are likely to climb in 2021 with progress in global COVID-19 vaccinations helping to improve the business climate and Japan's accommodative monetary policies remaining in place. (Japan Times)

Get to know more about the Japan National Stadium, which will play host to the 2020 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP Final! (J.LEAGUE International)

The terminal for Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains in Tokyo is much quieter than usual during the year-end holidays due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

A new variant of the coronavirus that was first detected in South Africa has been confirmed in Japan. (NHK)

Japan's former transport minister Hata Yuichiro, who died on Sunday at the age of 53, has become the first incumbent lawmaker in the country to die of the coronavirus. (NHK)

FamilyMart Co. President Takashi Sawada has said the convenience store operator will increase the number of its outlets with Amazon Hub parcel lockers sevenfold, to about 350, by the fiscal year through February 2022. (Japan Times)

A fresh ban on foreign visitors announced less than a week before New Year's Day was a telling sign of the high pressure Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga faces as he grapples with a deeply unhappy public that has sent his approval ratings tanking. (Nikkei)

The government kept its assessment of industrial production unchanged, saying it was picking up. (WION)

Princess Kako, the niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, turned 26 on Tuesday, while spending much of her recent time at her residence in Tokyo and performing her duties online amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the Imperial Household Agency. (Kyodo)

Sakuradamon Gate Area: Remains of Edo Era Residence of Yonezawa Uesugi Family (ONLY in JAPAN)

Former transport minister Yuichiro Hata died on Sunday while being transported to a hospital in Tokyo, though the cause of his death was not immediately known, people close to him said. He was 53. (Japan Times)

Rika Kihira nailed a quad salchow in her free skate to overcome a powerful challenge from Kaori Sakamoto and capture her second straight women's crown at Japan's national figure skating championships on Sunday. (Kyodo)

World-renowned for their quality and beauty, Japanese kitchen knives are some of the best in the world. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan is developing a system aimed at keeping track of travelers from overseas as part of efforts to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus within its borders, a senior government official said Sunday. (Japan Today)

A total of 2,948 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed across Japan on Sunday. (NHK)

Shrines across Japan would usually expect to welcome millions of people to celebrate New Year, but the novel coronavirus pandemic has dampened the celebratory mood this time as the country faces a third wave of infections. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government has suspended entry of non-resident foreign nationals to Japan to prevent the transmission of coronavirus variants. (NHK)

The Japan Meteorological Agency says a volcanic eruption occurred on Suwanosejima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima at around 2:48 a.m. on Monday. (NHK)

Japan will ban entry from all countries to prevent the spread of the more contagious U.K. strain of the coronavirus, the government announced Saturday. (Nikkei)

A Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker attended a drinking party Friday with about 30 people in Toyama, his office said Saturday, despite authorities’ warnings to refrain from dining in large groups to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. (Japan Times)