Three people remained missing as of Sunday evening after two Japanese cargo ships collided during the early morning hours off the coast of Chiba Prefecture, the Japan Coast Guard said. (Japan Times)

Temperatures rose across Japan on Saturday to highs usually not seen until the height of summer, causing hundreds of people to be taken to hospitals and prompting the weather agency to issue heatstroke warnings. (Japan Today)

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to start a four-day state visit to Japan on Saturday, a historic event that will make him the first foreign leader to meet with new Emperor Naruhito. (Kyodo)

Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday he plans to ask overseas media outlets to write Japanese names with the family name first, as is customary in the Japanese language. (Kyodo)

Japan's youngest professional Go player, 10-year-old Sumire Nakamura, debuted in an international match in Beijing on Tuesday, with her game being closely watched in China. (Kyodo)

A special six-car Mickey Mouse-themed shinkansen bullet train has begun serving southwestern Japan's Kyushu region, with images of the beloved character splashed across its yellow livery and interiors. (Kyodo)

Japanese seismologists believe that nearly 99 percent of their predictions related to massive earthquakes in the Pacific off central and western Japan are likely to prove wrong, a survey conducted by Kansai University showed Sunday. (Kyodo)

A UNESCO advisory panel has recommended adding two ancient tumulus clusters in western Japan, including the country's largest keyhole-shaped mound named after an emperor, to the World Cultural Heritage list, a Japanese government official said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The government is considering granting amnesty to criminals in honor of new Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony in October, sources close to the matter said Friday. (Kyodo)

Empress Masako wore a long white dress and a tiara Wednesday as she stood by her husband Emperor Naruhito, who delivered his first speech before representatives of the public in a ceremony to mark his ascension to the throne. (Kyodo)

It's the first day of the new Reiwa era in Japan -- full of celebrations and rituals. Emperor Naruhito took the throne at the start of Wednesday -- and has spent the day taking part in ceremonies to mark the historic occasion. (NHK)

Free Wi-Fi has become available at all 108 shinkansen bullet train stations in Japan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, data from the transport ministry showed Tuesday. (Kyodo)

A 46-year-old man working for Kyodo News was arrested for allegedly damaging a vehicle in Kanagawa Prefecture, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

Two knives were found at the classroom desk of Prince Hisahito, the 12-year-old grandson of Emperor Akihito, with security camera footage showing a man had trespassed on the grounds of his Tokyo junior high school, police said Saturday. (Japan Today)

Japanese immigration authorities said Friday they have decided to grant the first visas under a new system aimed at accepting more foreign workers to two Cambodian women. (Kyodo)

The Mashu Maru excursion boat broke the ice on Lake Akan in Hokkaido's Kushiro ahead of the start of the sightseeing season for the lake, which is known for its rare "marimo" green algae balls. (Kyodo)

One Japanese national was killed and four others injured in terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday. The attacks left at least 290 dead and more than 500 injured. (Japan Times)

British rock band Queen will perform in Japan next January as part of their 2020 Rhapsody Tour amid a wave of popularity after their biopic film "Bohemian Rhapsody" won an Academy Award, organizer Creativeman Productions Ltd. said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Tourists in Kyoto have been warned of aggressive monkeys after a series of monkey attacks at popular spots. (Kyodo)

People having their sexual orientation or gender identity revealed without their consent has become a deepening problem in Japan, a country known for its culture in which the "nail that sticks out gets hammered down." (Kyodo)

The ousted Chairman of Nissan says what's happening around him is a conspiracy. Carlos Ghosn's lawyers released a video of him addressing the public for the first time. It was filmed before his latest arrest last week. (NHK)

Police arrested Wednesday an associate professor of a university in Tokyo for killing pigeons in a park by feeding them food mixed with insecticide. (Kyodo)

Hokkaido Prefectural Police have sent two men to prosecutors for cultivating marijuana at a residence in Sapporo earlier this year, reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

The Japanese government on Tuesday approved sending two Self-Defense Forces officers to a multinational peacekeeping force in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula later this month, in what would be the first dispatch of SDF personnel to an overseas mission not under the command of the United Nations. (Kyodo)

An 18-year-old Japanese woman, once recognized for having the world's longest teenage hair, had her first-ever haircut Tuesday before starting life at university. (Kyodo)