Japan is expecting to see a record low number of newborns in 2020, government sources said. (South China Morning Post)

Data released by a group of researchers show the average 10-year survival rate of cancer patients in Japan stands at 58.3 percent. (NHK)

A Japanese welding firm has opened it’s first “welding theme park” in Fukui city in Ishikawa prefecture in Japan. (South China Morning Post)

The surge in coronavirus cases across Japan is putting a damper on plans for the festive season, with many bosses say they won't throw parties for their employees this year. (NHK)

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has urged residents not to eat and drink in large groups, to keep the coronavirus out of their homes. (NHK)

Japan-based Korean writer Yu Miri has won the National Book Award, the most prestigious literary prize in the US. (NHK)

This year's Beaujolais Nouveau went on sale in Japan on Thursday with a more demure reception amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

The number of child abuse cases handled by child consultation centers across Japan in fiscal 2019 rose by 33,942 from the previous year to 193,780, the most since the survey started in fiscal 1990, the welfare ministry said in a preliminary report Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Google has begun providing forecasts of the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths in Japan. (NHK)

A Japanese official indicated to a visiting group of South Korean lawmakers that it would be possible to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to next summer's Tokyo Olympics, a South Korean newspaper reported Wednesday, quoting one of the legislators. (Japan Times)

Japanese officials confirmed more than 2,300 cases across the country on Thursday -- a new daily record --and the continuation of a worrying trend. (NHK)

University students in Japan are finding it tougher to line up graduate jobs, as the coronavirus pandemic casts its shadow over the economy. (NHK)

Japan's exports in October bounced back to just below the levels seen before the novel coronavirus pandemic, as global demand for products such as cars has risen in line with a gradual recovery in business activities, government data showed Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Japan will adopt stronger security requirements for drones used in defense and infrastructure surveillance next fiscal year, a move that will essentially shut out Chinese-made devices from government procurement. (Nikkei)

The Resort Shirakami runs on the Gono line through the stunning seaside scenery of Shirakami-Sanchi, a World Heritage Site. (ONLY in JAPAN * GO)

Kyushu Electric Power Co has restarted the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant in southwestern Japan after completing mandatory upgrades to protect the facility against terrorist attacks, a spokesman said. (Japan Today)

Japan reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday for the first time since the outbreak of the virus, with Tokyo also confirming a daily record in what experts say could be the third wave of the pandemic in the country. (Japan Today)

More than 150 women in Japan have made use of a major Denmark-based sperm bank amid an absence of rules on business transactions related to sperm and ova, the company said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A significant pair of retirement announcements came in the middle of the ongoing November Grand Sumo Tournament. (Japan Times)

SoftBank Group Corp.’s founder Masayoshi Son said he has $80 billion (Y8.3 trillion) in cash to buy back more shares and continue investing in both private and public companies. (Japan Times)

Budget carrier AirAsia Japan filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday due to headwinds from the coronavirus. (NHK)

For generations people have been saying there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and in the modern era we could probably add that there’s no such thing as a free-to-play mobile game. (soranews24.com)

The Japanese unit of Malaysia's budget airline AirAsia Group said Tuesday it has filed for bankruptcy due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel demand, with a lawyer saying the unit is unable to refund around 23,000 air tickets. (Kyodo)

As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on education systems worldwide, a Japanese program to welcome more than 300,000 foreign students is at a crossroads. (NHK)

Members of the SpaceX Crew Dragon are now settling into the International Space Station -- their home and workplace for the next six months. (NHK)