Judo's founder Jigoro Kano was decades ahead of his time by empowering women to take up a sport that prizes technique over brute force. (Japan Times)

In Japan, just about every city boasts at least one local specialty, where the climate, soil composition and geographical location combine to create the perfect growing conditions for a particular product. (soranews24.com)

Mercedes-Benz Japan reported to the transport ministry Thursday that it will recall a total of 58,021 cars from 65 models, including the E 350 sedan, for free repairs over concerns of glass panels of sliding sunroofs falling off. (Japan Times)

Officials of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government say a record-high 286 new cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Thursday. (NHK)

Shogi prodigy Fujii Sota has clinched his first major title in the Japanese board game, similar to chess. (NHK)

The Japanese capital on Thursday recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, and the lack of an aggressive government response has prompted businesses to undertake their own prevention efforts. (Nikkei)

Japan Meteorological Agency have captured footage of an eruption at Nishinoshima Island, located to the far south of Tokyo. (NHK)

The family of a TV star who died in a suspected suicide due to cyber-bullying has filed a complaint with Japan's Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization, known as the BPO. (NHK)

Nissan Motor has unveiled its new all-electric sports utility vehicle. It's the first EV to roll off the firm's production line in about 10 years, since the Leaf. (NHK)

Alarmed by a spike in infections in Tokyo’s nightlife districts, the metropolitan government has released educational videos in the form of a Q&A between nightclub hosts, a hostess and a doctor, hoping to stem the spread of the outbreak. (Japan Times)

Tokyo has been put on the highest level of alert for the coronavirus after a string of triple-digit new daily cases. Officials are urging people to take precautionary measures. (NHK)

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in June plunged 99.9 percent from a year earlier due to the coronavirus, extending a record decline for three months in a row. (NHK)

An advisory panel of experts to Japan's health ministry warns that coronavirus infections are continuing to spread throughout the country. (NHK)

All Nippon Airways said Tuesday that the Japanese carrier will operate 88 percent of its planned domestic flights in August. (Japan Times)

Japan's government is considering whether to request business closures for nightlife establishments that fail to follow its guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)

Japan's asteroid probe Hayabusa2 will return a capsule containing samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth in early December. (NHK)

About a third of medical institutions are cutting summer bonuses to staff, a trade union said Monday, as many hospitals and clinics face a cash crunch, having had to delay routine treatments to make room for coronavirus patients. (Japan Times)

A panel under the justice minister proposed Tuesday establishing criminal penalties for foreign nationals who do not comply with deportation orders as Japan seeks to curb long-term detention of foreigners at immigration facilities. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government has chosen four urban areas as "global startup cities" in a program in which it aims to create its version of the US Silicon Valley. (NHK)

Japan is planning to start letting foreign residents who left the country before April 3 back in, starting in August. (Nikkei)

Japan may start operating coronavirus testing centers at major airports and in large cities in September as part of efforts to ease restrictions on international travel, government officials said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee says he still cannot see any criteria for welcoming people from overseas to the Tokyo Games, which have been postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The operator of Narita International Airport said Tuesday that it will reopen one of its two runways that has been closed since April due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Torrential rain has devastated parts of Japan. In the western region of Chugoku, thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate after a major river burst its banks. Officials are having a tough time helping the survivors while maintaining anti-COVID measures. (NHK)

Researchers say they have discovered how earwigs, a type of small insect, are able to fold their wings into a compact size. They say the findings can be applied widely, from space development to everyday goods. (NHK)