Follow along as Shizuka dons a kimono and enters through a tiny sliding door into a “chashitsu” tea room. (Japan by Food)

Japanese logging company Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University are planting the seeds for a 2023 launch of the world's first satellite made out of wood. ()

Yahoo Japan Corp. said Wednesday it will delete hateful and defamatory comments from all of its online posting sites with the use of artificial intelligence, beefing up efforts to tackle cyberbullying after the suspected suicide of a reality show star. (Kyodo)

The Inagawa-kai criminal syndicate is cancelling various events typically held around the New Year’s holiday due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, police have revealed, reports the Asahi Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

The number of teachers at public schools in Japan who received disciplinary action or a reprimand for sexual misconduct in fiscal 2019 stood at 273, the second-highest figure on record, education ministry data showed Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games will cost at least ¥1.64 trillion ($15.9 billion), organizers said Tuesday, unveiling a final budget swollen by the unprecedented postponement and a raft of pandemic measures. (Japan Times)

Japan's former Emperor Akihito turned 87 on Wednesday, having spent much of the year quietly at his residence in Tokyo amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

Japan and other Asian countries are adding to the cascade of global restrictions on travel from the U.K., amid fears of a new coronavirus variant believed to be more transmissible than strains seen so far. (Nikkei)

Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya was sentenced Tuesday to one year in prison, suspended for three years, for possessing cannabis. (Kyodo)

The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Tuesday eight senior officials, including its top two officers, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will be working remotely under quarantine. (Japan Times)

US President Donald Trump's nomination for Washington's next ambassador to Japan is likely to be scrapped now that the current session of Congress is all but over. (NHK)

Inspired by his grandfather’s passion for airborne personal transport, Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s current president, has not just inherited the world’s largest car company but also his grandfather’s vision – to make cars fly. (scmp.com)

National associations of doctors, nurses and seven other medical groups in Japan declared a state of medical emergency on Monday, urging the government to support the nation’s medical system creaking under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

The Japanese health ministry's expert board on Monday postponed a decision on whether to approve Fujifilm Holdings' Avigan for coronavirus treatment, opting to examine more evidence to determine its efficacy. (Nikkei)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated there was no need for Japan to call a national state of emergency, even as healthcare authorities declared their own state of emergency for the medical system as coronavirus infection rates continue to rise. (Reuters)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government approved a ninth consecutive rise in military spending on Monday, to fund the development of an advanced stealth fighter and longer-range anti-ship missile to counter China’s growing military power. (aljazeera.com)

After 70 years, Nikon will cease camera production in Japan and shift manufacturing to Thailand (digitalcameraworld.com)

In Japan, New Year celebrations begin on the evening of 31 December with a simple bowl of soba noodles in dashi broth and the ringing of a gong. (SBS)

Japanese telecom company SoftBank Corp. will launch a wireless plan in March offering 20 gigabytes of data for 2,980 yen ($29) per month, matching a recent move by market leader NTT Docomo. (Nikkei)

There is nothing like Christmas in the Land of the Rising Sun to unleash a collective frenzy of romance. (ucanews.com)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Tuesday reported 563 new cases of the coronavirus, up 171 from Monday. The number is the result of 4,913 tests conducted on Dec 19. (Japan Today)

Heavy snowfalls have hit Niigata Prefecture, leaving roads and houses blanketed in heavy snow. (RT)

Japan will remove the limit on the amount of time that children can spend looking at screens in class from April as it aims to introduce digital textbooks to all schools by fiscal 2025, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

A zoo in Toyama, Japan, treated their capybara to a traditional Japanese hot citron bath to help them through the winter, as seen on Saturday. (RT)

The number of people seeking a career change is decreasing in Japan as the pandemic hits the economy. (Nikkei)