The Toei Oedo Line subway will temporarily reduce service after 15 drivers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said on Saturday, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

The spread of the new coronavirus is threatening the supply of blood for transfusions in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. (NHK)

The Winter Cup is Japan’s biggest high school basketball tournament, but the 2020 edition is facing an unprecedented crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Japan Times)

日本は言わずと知れたギャンブル大国。 (newsonjapan.com)

Tokyo 2020 organizers said Thursday that all 68 domestic sponsors for the Summer Olympics have agreed in principle to extend their contracts for the delayed games, even as growing coronavirus infections in Japan overshadow the event. (Japan Times)

Japanese airports and train stations on Saturday started seeing some lines of travelers heading to their hometowns or other places for the year-end and New Year holidays, but there was less crowding than usual because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government faces both technical and policy challenges in reaching the goals it has set to achieve net-zero emission of greenhouse gases by 2050. (NHK)

Japan's health ministry says five people who returned to Japan from Britain have tested positive for a new variant of the coronavirus. (NHK)

Japan's unemployment rate improved to 2.9% in November, dropping for the first time in five months in a sign that the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on the labor market is easing, government data showed Friday. (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday said the country is prepared to introduce vaccines and is looking at February as a key decision-making point. (Nikkei)

Japan's prime minister said his administration will consider revising the law so that subsidies and penalties can be used in combination to enforce shorter business hours at bars and restaurants. (NHK)

Tokyo reported a record 949 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as infections continue to climb throughout the country. (Japan Times)

Japan's two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu made a stylish return to competition Friday after skipping the Grand Prix season over fears of coronavirus infection. (Japan Times)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday corrected statements he had made in the Diet, apologizing for what he said were mistakes regarding a political funding scandal that has also cast a pall over the current prime minister, Yoshihide Suga. (Japan Today)

Former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe will not be charged over allegations his political funding group illegally subsidised parties for hundreds of voters in a case casting a shadow over the current prime minister. (straitstimes.com)

About 18 percent of more than 1,000 universities and other higher education institutions in Japan continued to reduce their in-person teaching to less than half of their total as of October due to the coronavirus pandemic, the education ministry said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Cannabis has a long history in Japan, dating back to the country's pre-historical period. (newsonjapan.com)

If you thought Japanese beer meant Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo, think again. ( VICE Asia)

Japanese authorities have reported more than 3,200 new coronavirus cases so far on Wednesday -- the highest daily tally ever. (NHK)

Japan has set its 2021 catch limit for large whales at 383, the same as for the current year, in line with calculations to avoid a negative impact on cetacean resources, according to the Fisheries Agency. (Kyodo)

Japanese affordable home furnishing chain Nitori’s slogan is “Onedan ijo,” which loosely translates to “quality beyond its price.” Unfortunately, it turns out that some of Nitori’s products have also gone above and beyond expectations for how much asbestos they contain. (soranews24.com)

In Japan, you will see lots of cute things. In fact, there is a Japanese word for it– Kawaii means a "culture of cuteness." (wthr.com)

A 28-year-old teacher in custody over the alleged sexual abuse of a boy overseas has been accused in two other cases, police have revealed, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Qantas has made its first significant move to restart international flying after revealing it has plans to launch a new business with Japan Airlines in July. (australianaviation.com.au)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 888 new cases of coronavirus infection, a new daily high, were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Thursday. (NHK)