The long-awaited Tokyo Olympics have officially kicked off. The Games were postponed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

COVID-19 cases among Olympic delegates are on the rise and roughly 15 per cent of those staying on site are unvaccinated, prompting warnings from medical experts about potential ripple effects if the world's largest sporting event doesn't clamp down on virus transmission. (CBC)

Olympics Athletes to suffer alongside Tokyoites as Japan's heat soars (Reuters)

The Japanese government says coronavirus vaccine certificates that the country issues will be valid in five nations, including Italy and Austria. (NHK)

Japan aims to hike its 2030 renewable energy target as part of efforts to slash emissions, according to draft documents released Wednesday, but activists described the planned goal as "disappointing". (AFP)

Japanese fighter pilots drew Olympic rings in the sky over Tokyo Wednesday (CBS Miami)

We met Mr. Nakatani, a mochi maker from Nara, Japan who has been pounding mochi for the past 30 years. (Asian Boss)

Tokyo Olympics organisers have fired the opening ceremony director on the eve of the event after reports emerged of a past joke he had made about the Holocaust, while media said former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a strong advocate of the Games, would also not attend. (Reuters)

Six Polish swimmers were sent home from the Olympics because of an admin error - the federation had put down too many competitors. They found out in Tokyo their names weren't on the list. (INQUIRER.net)

Several Japanese automakers are joining hands to speed up the development of low-cost electric mini vehicles. Suzuki Motor and Daihatsu Motor are set to take part in a joint venture led by Toyota Motor. (NHK)

Tokyo hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games. (taiwannews.com.tw)

Wipeout of an Olympic dream for Japanese surf pioneer: 78-year-old Ted Adegawa is known as a godfather of Japanese surf culture. (Reuters)

Nagasaki is hidden away on Japan's southern coast. We explore the abandoned Gunkanjima Island, enjoy mouthwatering street food and bring back Dr Jelly one last time. (Abroad in Japan)

Australia's softball side have opened the Tokyo Olympics with a crushing 8-1 loss to Japan in Fukushima, where the mercy rule was invoked. (ESPN)

A lack of parental knowledge about necessary paperwork is the main reason why children of foreign residents in Japan become stateless, a government survey showed Tuesday, amid an increase in such children without nationality. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry has approved an antibody cocktail as a COVID-19 treatment. It's the first authorization in the country of a medicine that can be used on patients with mild symptoms. (NHK)

With the wide range of models and increasingly affordable pricing, drone flying has become an extremely fun hobby for many. (Japan Today)

Today, I conduct one of the most dangerous interviews I've ever done, as I sit down with ex-yakuza member TYSON for a day to learn the ins and outs of the Japanese mafia world. ( The Anime Man)

What began as a trickle of infections among athletes and staff has turned into a steady stream just days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games, with COVID-19 threatening to derail the competition schedule and casting doubt on the ability of organizers to handle the situation if it continues to worsen. (Japan Times)

Japan's vaccine rollout might have hit a speed bump, but progress towards inoculating its general public by November has not been derailed, vaccine minister Taro Kono told The Straits Times. (The Straits Times)

Japanese investigative authorities have confirmed that some firms in the country were among those targeted by cyberattacks carried out by Chinese state-backed groups. (NHK)

When Tokyo last hosted the Olympics, in 1964, the unveiling of a bullet train capable of the improbable speed of 210 kilometers an hour heralded the dawn of a high-tech era in Japan. (taipeitimes.com)

One of two suspects arrested for killing a 48-year-old woman and then throwing her body into the Hinatami River in Nakanojo, Gunma Prefecture, in 2019, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison by the Maebashi District Court. (Japan Today)

The Tokyo District Court has sentenced a 72-year-old man to nine years in prison for killing a 28-year-old female acquaintance by causing her to ingest lethal amounts of stimulant drugs. (Japan Today)

A member of the Ugandan Olympic team who went missing from a pre-Games training camp has been found in Mie Prefecture, central Japan. (NHK)