There are a lot of things that can ruin a night out, like a restaurant losing your reservation, tickets for the movie you were hoping to see being sold out, or missing the last train and having to catch an expensive cab home instead. Or, in the case of Junichi Maehara last Saturday, getting shot. (soranews24.com)

On paper, the nation's low unemployment rate suggests an economy weathering the novel coronavirus reasonably well, but official figures belie worsening prospects for the country’s army of temporary workers, who make up about 40 percent of the employment market. (Japan Times)

Women currently occupy less than 8% of management positions in corporate Japan, a dismal figure showing that equal opportunity in the workplace remains elusive despite the government's bullish promises. (Nikkei)

Health officials in Japan are dealing with an increase in coronavirus infections. They're calling for vigilance as the number of seriously ill patients is on the rise. (NHK)

Sometime after 11 p.m. on the night of July 29, a 30-something woman was walking back to her home in the Bunka neighborhood of Tokyo’s Sumida Ward when a man on a bicycle rapidly approached her from behind. (soranews24.com)

A group of Ainu, an ethnic minority in northern Japan, filed a lawsuit Monday against authorities to grant them an exemption from a ban on the commercial fishing of salmon in rivers. (Japan Times)

Japan's major department store chains say their sales sharply dropped in the first half of August due to the resurgence of the coronavirus, which is keeping many shoppers at home. (NHK)

Japan's imperial family has decided to forgo their summer retreat outside Tokyo due to the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Japanese authorities reported 644 new coronavirus cases nationwide on Monday, including 161 in Tokyo. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan government confirmed 207 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Tuesday. (NHK)

The scorching heat currently gripping Japan has sent the temperature shooting up to 41.1 degrees Celsius in the central Japan city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. (NHK)

Japan's Cabinet Office says the country's economy saw a historic downturn in the April-June quarter. GDP contracted by the most in 40 years as the pandemic upended the economy. (NHK)

Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and said he will pull out of the tuneup tournament at Flushing Meadows that starts next week. (Japan Today)

An unknown gunman shot and wounded a member of a criminal syndicate in Iwakuni City on Saturday, police said, reports Fuji News Network (Aug. 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

The annual bonfire festival in the city of Kyoto was held on a much smaller scale on Sunday to avoid large crowds amid the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

A Japanese bulk carrier that has spilled more than 1,000 tons of oil since running aground off the coast of Mauritius has broken in two. (DW News)

Tenri University in Nara Prefecture said Monday it has confirmed 24 players in its rugby club have been infected with the coronavirus, leading to the suspension of team activities. (Japan Times)

Calls for the government to shift Diet sessions online and allow for remote attendance have increased as Japan endures a protracted battle against the coronavirus, but implicit restraints within the Constitution have hindered progress so far. (Japan Today)

Many schools across the nation reopened Monday after summer vacations were shortened to allow students to catch up on classes missed when schools closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Many parts of Japan endured an intense heat wave on Sunday. Weather officials forecast that the scorching heat will continue on Monday. (NHK)

Shizuka Oya, a member of idol group AKB48, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, her agency said on August 14. (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo reported on Sunday 260 new cases of the novel coronavirus, with the figure remaining above 200 daily infections for the fifth consecutive day. (Kyodo)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Saturday - the 75th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two - but avoided a personal visit that would anger China and South Korea. (Japan Today)

The maximum number of spectators allowed at concerts, professional sports and other events will be kept at 5,000 as the coronavirus continues to spread, government officials said Friday. (Japan Times)

Japan is sounding the alarm against the inexorable march of the fall armyworm, as reports of damage by the pest in Asia following its spread in Africa are increasing, threatening Japan with infestation. (Japan Times)