Hundreds of dolls, from Hello Kitty to Disney favourites, are packed to the ceiling at a funeral home near Tokyo. (thejournal.ie)

Japan Post Holdings Co. is likely to drop a plan to acquire Nomura Real Estate Holdings Inc., as its price is expected to be higher than initially estimated, informed sources said Saturday. (the-japan-news.com)

Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 31-year-old teacher in an alleged attempted arson case at a kindergarten in Miyakojima Ward last month, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

As the LGBT community continues to fight for equal rights across the globe, here in Japan small steps are being made towards equality, with same-sex partnerships now officially recognised in six areas of the country, including Osaka, Shibuya, Setagaya, and Naha. (rocketnews24.com)

The Defense Ministry announced Friday that the Maritime Self-Defense Force's largest warship, the Izumo helicopter carrier, wrapped up three days of joint drills with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the disputed South China Sea. (Japan Times)

Irises are in full bloom in a mountainous area in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. (NHK)

Japanese farmers have urged lawmakers to stop officials from making too many concessions in an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. (NHK)

The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee says he hopes the northern city of Sapporo will bid to host the 2026 Winter Games if procedures are revised in its favor. (NHK)

A Japanese man accused of taking pictures up a woman's skirt stabbed two court officers Friday as the verdict in his sex pest case was being delivered, a court spokesman and media said. (dailymail.co.uk)

Japan's Diet has enacted a bill criminalizing the act of plotting terror attacks and other organized crimes. (NHK)

Officials say a giant panda cub just born at a Tokyo zoo is in good health. (NHK)

Japan on Wednesday kicked off a whaling campaign in the northwestern Pacific, in a move sure to anger animal rights activists and others calling for an end to the hunts. (phys.org)

Toshiba Corp. unveiled on Thursday a submersible robot to take live video of reactor 3 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant to confirm whether fuel debris is sitting at the bottom of a pool of radioactive water inside. (Japan Times)

Labor authorities on Wednesday referred H.I.S. Co. and two of the travel agency's senior officials to prosecutors for allegedly forcing employees to work overtime beyond legal limits. (Japan Times)

A German senior executive of the Japanese arm of Volkswagen AG was arrested Wednesday for the alleged use of a stimulant drug, police said. (Japan Today)

A soccer coach of a private senior high school near Tokyo has been fired after a video of him striking a player was posted online. (NHK)

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito said on Tuesday he will devote himself "body and soul" to his job as emperor, just days after a law was enacted allowing his father to abdicate, which would be the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in two centuries. (Reuters)

A man pedaling a bicycle died after plunging into a harbor during a chase by Okinawa Prefectural Police in Naha City on Tuesday, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

As part of a crackdown on organized crime, investigative sources with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Tuesday revealed that eight members of the Yamaguchi-gumi have been arrested over the alleged extortion of entertainment establishments in Chuo Ward, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

Toshiba disclosed Tuesday a lawsuit from 70 plaintiffs, including foreign banks and institutional investors, that seek about 43.9 billion yen ($399 million) for losses they blame on the dodgy accounting that came to light in 2015. (Nikkei)

An institute in Japan treating 5 workers exposed to radioactive substances says it has not detected plutonium in any of their lungs. (NHK)

A giant panda cub was born in a Tokyo zoo Monday, but its gender, weight and even whether it will survive are uncertain. (Japan Today)

Tokyo metropolitan government officials are stepping up efforts to exterminate a deer species that is destroying crops on the Island of Izu Oshima. (NHK)

The manager of an adult entertainment business was stabbed by a man who then apparently jumped to his death in Tokyo's Ikebukuro area, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

A student-led movement is campaigning to raise Japan's minimum wage and improve the lives of low-paid workers, many of whom struggle to meet their basic needs despite toiling long hours. (Japan Today)