Shoppers washed their hands and sterilized their smartphones in the streets of Tokyo’s posh Ginza district using handwashing stations that a Japanese start-up hopes will broaden access to clean water and better hygiene. (Reuters)

Toshiba Corp., chastened by a string of disastrous overseas acquisitions, is once again looking to buy. This time more cautiously and closer to home. (Japan Times)

The capsule brought back by the Hayabusa2 space probe contained more than 5.4 grams of soil samples from a distant asteroid, exceeding the original target of 0.1 gram, Japan's space agency said Friday. (Kyodo)

NHK has learned that Japan's health ministry has ordered local governments to prepare coronavirus vaccination programs, so that medical workers can begin receiving inoculations in February. (NHK)

Heavy snow has brought traffic chaos to much of north-west Japan, with hundreds of vehicles stuck on blocked highways. (abc.net.au)

The coronavirus hasn't stopped a street in the city of Sendai, northeastern Japan, from becoming a dazzling winter wonderland. (NHK)

Japan's Kei Nishikori married 29-year-old former model Mai Yamauchi last week, the former world No. 4 men's singles player announced Friday on his personal app. (Kyodo)

Railway operators serving the Tokyo metropolitan region, including East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) announced Friday their respective decisions not to run trains all night on New Year's Eve through New Year's Day, as a measure to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Japan Times)

This area has changed ever so slightly but it’s bound to lose more iconic places. We’ll explore the area and hope for the best. (ONLY in JAPAN)

The Bank of Japan on Friday unveiled a plan to probe more effective ways to achieve its 2% inflation target, following in the foot steps of its U.S. and European counterparts as a renewed spike in infections threatened to derail a fragile recovery. (Japan Times)

Researchers have found a link between wearing masks and COVID-19 immunity. (NHK WORLD-JAPAN)

The spread of the Covid 19 pandemic has paralyzed the world economy to a great extent during 2020 and the country of Japan is not an exception to that. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan's decision to build two new naval vessels equipped with Aegis missile interceptors — an alternative to a scrapped plan to deploy a land-based system — could prompt further armament by potential adversaries, security experts have warned. (Japan Times)

Traditional Japanese architectural craftsmanship used in timber-framed structures was approved Thursday for addition to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a committee of the U.N. cultural body said. (Kyodo)

The mayor of Unnan City in Shimane Prefecture has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a female nurse while he was in hospital. (Japan Today)

Major U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc. on Friday filed for a fast-track approval in Japan of its COVID-19 vaccine, marking the first such application made in the nation, with industry sources saying the formal approval could come within months amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Though in-person casinos and gambling is banned in Japan, there are some very popular casino destinations which people throng in large numbers to enjoy the games. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan’s biggest-ever yen corporate bond sale has made this the busiest December since at least 2009 for the market, and the flood of supply is forcing companies to pay more for money. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 664 new cases of the coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Friday. (NHK)

Traveling abroad is always more enjoyable if the visitor can anticipate customs and amenities that are likely to be different from those at home. The following represent some of the concerns travelers to Japan will likely to want to know about before embarking on the journey. (newsonjapan.com)

The government said Thursday it will remove the two remaining wind power turbines it installed off Fukushima Prefecture citing lack of profit in the project, which cost ¥60 billion ($580 million). (Japan Times)

Every December people across Japan prepare to head back to their hometowns to spend the New Year holidays with family. (NHK)

The prefectural government of Kochi said Wednesday that an outbreak of avian influenza believed to be highly pathogenic has been confirmed at a chicken farm in the city of Sukumo. (Japan Times)

In Japan, coronavirus cases continue to climb --- at the end of a three-week period dubbed "crucial" to containment efforts. (NHK)

Japan will have a driver in Formula One for the first time in seven years after AlphaTauri confirmed Wednesday that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Daniil Kvyat at the team in 2021. (Japan Today)