The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games said Wednesday it will sell premium ticket packages including upscale food service and admission to the opening and closing ceremonies, with a top price tag of 6.35 million yen ($60,000). (Kyodo)

Hinako Shibuno, a rookie on Japan's LPGA tour, captured the Women's British Open on Sunday, becoming the second Japanese golfer to win an overseas major event. (Kyodo)

Organizers and official partners of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games ramped up decorations in parts of the city and held events at Haneda airport on Tuesday, one day before Japan starts the one-year countdown to the opening of the games. (Kyodo)

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and International Surfing Association got a hint of what to expect when surfing makes its Olympic debut next year following a successful test at the competition's venue on Tsurigasaki Beach. (Kyodo)

Ornately decorated floats paraded through Japan's ancient capital Kyoto on Wednesday at the climax of the annual Gion Festival. (NHK)

Johnny and Associates Inc., one of the most powerful talent agencies in Japan, is suspected of having pressured commercial broadcasting television stations to stop inviting three former members of popular boy band SMAP on their shows after they left the office in 2017, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Toyota Motor Corp. and Japan's space exploration agency said Tuesday they have signed a three-year agreement to jointly research and develop a rover to be sent to the Moon in 2029. (Kyodo)

With just about two months to go before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in Japan for the first time, excitement is in the air in Higashiosaka, where the holy land of Japanese rugby -- Hanazono Rugby Stadium -- is located. (Kyodo)

The tourism ministry said Tuesday it plans to provide a 3,000-yen ($28) discount from July 19 to tourists staying in northwestern Japan areas hit by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake last month to support the local tourist industry. (Kyodo)

A major department store in Osaka on Monday started selling whale meat from the catch of Japan's commercial whaling fleet, which resumed its activities last week after a 31-year hiatus. (Kyodo)

The Japan Rugby Football Union on Thursday unveiled the national team's jersey for this year's Rugby World Cup, the shirt featuring a samurai helmet motif representing the tradition of Japan's warrior spirit. (Kyodo)

Land prices have risen for the fourth straight year, reflecting strong demand in major cities and tourist spots driven by increasing numbers of visitors from overseas and a recovering economy, according to National Tax Agency data released Monday. (Japan Times)

Johnny Kitagawa, the 87-year-old president of influential talent agency Johnny & Associates, was hospitalized after suffering a stroke last month, the agency said on Monday, reports Fuji News Network (July 1). (tokyoreporter.com)

A 26-year-old man in custody for allegedly dumping the corpse of his wife in Hiratsuka City last week has admitted to mutilating the body beforehand, police have revealed, reports Kyodo News (June 28). (tokyoreporter.com)

Little over 150 years ago, on May 11, 1869, the first year of the Meiji Era, Hijikata Toshizo, charismatic vice commander of the storied Shinsengumi -- Japan's last samurai -- met his end in battle defending the group's final stronghold on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido. (Kyodo)

A coed public high school in western Japan's Shiga Prefecture admitted on Friday to having required female students to verbally report to teachers how many days they were into their menstruation when needing to skip swimming class. (Kyodo)

A train ran off the track near Tokyo on Wednesday after crashing into a car stuck at a level crossing, leaving one passenger on the train slightly injured, its operator said. (Kyodo)

The Financial Services Agency estimates couples will require up to 30 million yen in retirement savings, far higher than the amount suggested by a panel in a controversial report that questioned the credibility of the public pension system, a document showed Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Toyota drivers Kazuki Nakajima, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Buemi claimed their second consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans victory Sunday, but only after some bad luck scuttled their sister car's hopes of a win. (Kyodo)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday to avoid a further escalation of tensions and an unintended military conflict in the Middle East, as he sought to nudge Tehran toward dialogue as a mediator with the United States. (Kyodo)

Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Monday the crash of an Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth fighter into the Pacific Ocean two months ago was likely caused by "spatial disorientation" of the pilot, rather than technical problems with the aircraft. (Kyodo)

The U.S. Marines in Okinawa said Wednesday that a piece of rubber tape attached to a wing blade of a U.S. military helicopter fell onto the grounds of a junior high school in Okinawa the previous day. (Japan Today)

A group of men jam their feet into high-heeled shoes and walk back and forth, some falteringly, others with unlikely confidence. Some women watch on, gauging the men's reactions while sympathizing with each other's stories about wearing the torture devices masquerading as fashion. (Kyodo)

Japan's run as a core team in rugby sevens' elite world tour came to an abrupt end on Sunday, when the team was relegated for next season. (Kyodo)

Three women died and around 10 students were taken to hospitals due to heatstroke symptoms as unseasonably hot weather continued in Japan on Monday, authorities said. (Kyodo)