Japan is planning to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc for inoculations of those aged 60 and over, government sources said Tuesday. (Kyodok)

The transport ministry will require airlines to submit business improvement plans by late August in anticipation of a recovery in travel demand, which has been devastated by the coronavirus crisis, informed sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Thousands of fans will be allowed into venues to watch the Tokyo Olympic Games but they will be told not to cheer or even speak loudly. (BBC)

Veteran jazz saxophonist Nobuo Hara, whose band was at the forefront of Japanese jazz music for decades, died Monday due to pneumonia-induced respiratory failure, his family said Tuesday. He was 94. (Kyodo)

I’m at Higashiyama Onsen (Hot Spring) Kutsurogijuku Shintaki 新滝旅館 Ryokan (Inn) for the night and discovered they have a private bath (貸し切り) which is ideal for people with tattoos, couples, those shy to bathe with others. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Police in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture, have arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of killing a 19-year-old woman, whom he met on a social networking service, in May. (Japan Today)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says Governor Koike Yuriko will take time off from her duties this week due to extreme fatigue. (NHK)

A volcanic eruption has occurred on an island in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima. (NHK)

Four people were found dead in a minivan in Kobe on Sunday in what police believe was a group suicide. (Japan Today)

In late May, a nurse in Miyagi Prefecture sent a letter to Kahoku Shimpo, complaining that she had to give up on helping administer coronavirus vaccines — despite a shortage of qualified medical workers — due to what is called the "Y1.3 million income hurdle." (Japan Times)

Japan's lifting of the coronavirus state of emergency in areas including Tokyo and Osaka has brought alcohol back to bars and restaurants, to the relief of both drinkers and businesses battered by lockdowns. (Nikkei)

In a law-enforcement first, a 57-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of damaging the reputation of a female athlete by posting a video he secretly took of her in a sexualized context on a porn site, police said. (Kyodo)

The Japan Mint has started making new 500-yen coins featuring cutting-edge technology designed to prevent counterfeiting. ()

In Major League Baseball, Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels hit his 23rd home run of the season on Sunday, a career high for the Japanese two-way player. (NHK)

The Japanese government is allowing its biggest corporate brand names and employers like Toyota Motor Corp., SoftBank Group Corp., and Nomura Holdings Inc. to administer shots to their own employees within office premises from Monday. (Bloomberg)

Oigawa Railway in Japan runs Thomas the Tank Engine every summer between Shin-Kanaya Station and Senzu Station. (Kuga's Travel)

Tokyo Games officials have decided to allow up to 10,000 domestic spectators at Olympic events, provided each venue does not exceed 50 percent capacity. (NHK)

The coronavirus state of emergency was lifted on Sunday for Tokyo and eight other prefectures. It will remain in effect in Okinawa through July 11. (NHK)

How is green tea made, you wonder? Join Phoebe Amoroso in this episode of Pheebz to Table, where she meets 5th generation tea master Honda Mohei at his tea farm in Shizuoka (Fuji-san Marumo Tea Garden - 富士山まる茂茶園). (Japan by Food)

In this video we are going to visit the peace and nature NPO organic farm in Kobe Japan. (WAO RYU!ONLY in JAPAN)

Japan’s inflation has edged into positive territory for the first time in 14 months as rising commodity costs have fed higher gasoline prices at the pump, according to data released Friday before a central bank policy decision. (Japan Times)

Japanese energy company Eneos and plant engineer Chiyoda will build a facility that manufactures hydrogen without carbon dioxide emissions at one-third the current cost, a breakthrough in the nation's push toward decarbonization. (Nikkei)

Police in Osaka on Friday night arrested a 56-year-old man on suspicion of killing a 25-year-old woman at the karaoke parlor she owned. (Japan Todayj)

Members of Uganda's Olympic team have arrived in Japan to start gearing up for the Games at their training camp. But their preparations suffered a setback, when one person tested positive for the coronavirus at an airport quarantine station. (NHK)

If you have ever considered studying or working in Japan, you might know about the “判子 hanko” personal seal culture. (Let's ask Shogo)