The Bank of Japan expects the national COVID-19 vaccination programme to spur an economic boost from households venturing out, armed with $183 billion in “forced savings” accumulated last year during pandemic-busting, stay-at-home policies. (Reuters)

The younger brother of Japanese NBA player Rui Hachimura has revealed a message received online that targets the two with anti-black insults, saying in his Twitter post sharing the racial slurs that he hopes to increase awareness of discrimination faced by minorities in Japan. (Kyodo)

Behind the newly-minted Asian record-setter Shoma Sato in the men’s 200m breaststroke at last month’s Japanese Olympic Trials, Ryuya Mura stunningly claimed 2nd place in a huge personal best. (swimswam.com)

As the global challenge of climate change mounts and the coronavirus pandemic magnifies economic inequalities, Karl Marx, who pointed to the contradictions and limitations of capitalism, is gaining new admirers in Japan, particularly among the young. (Japan Today)

Japan's Nissan Motor says it will sell all of its roughly 1.5-percent stake in Germany's Daimler through a placement to institutional investors. Nissan's French partner Renault made a similar announcement in March. (NHK)

Fumie Takino, 89, founded the cheer squad Japan Pom Pom in 1996. While the team’s average age is 72, the women believe that age does not matter when it comes to dancing. (South China Morning Post)

There are concerns over the link between obesity and the severity of COVID-19 infections, with Fukushima Prefecture having 4th highest incidence of metabolic syndrome in Japan. (JapanNutrition.com)

In support of the 'big nose, big hose' theory, a scientific study has found that men with larger noses do indeed have longer penises. (nation.lk)

TOKYO -- Japan will add a provision on human rights to its corporate governance code for publicly traded companies when it is revised next month, as allegations of abuses by China in Xinjiang shine a spotlight on the issue. (Nikkei)

Japan has recently made illegal the carrying or sending of seeds or seedlings of domestically developed farm products out of the country as it tries to protect local producers from the impacts of unauthorized overseas cultivation. (Kyodo)

A life-size virtual assistant in the guise of an anime character was showcased in Japan on April 26, 2021. (South China Morning Post)

Hotel Amsterdam is located inside Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park based on the Netherlands. This is the largest theme park in Japan. (I Will Always Travel for Food)

A Tokyo police officer was found dead and his female colleague is missing on Mt. Tanigawa in eastern Japan, local police said Tuesday, two days after receiving a distress call. (Kyodo)

World's oldest person, 118-year-old Kane Tanaka, pulls out of torch relay citing Covid-19 fears (stuff.co.nz)

Monday marks the anniversary of Japan's Constitution coming into effect 74 years ago. To mark the occasion, some people around the country have been calling for the Constitution to be amended -- while others favor keeping it in its present form. (NHK)

LONDON – Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken held talks on Monday in London to discuss issues related to China and North Korea, following up on their leaders’ summit last month. (Japan Times)

Shimadzu, the Japanese company known for measuring instruments, has developed what is thought to be Japan's first domestically made PCR testing reagents for the potentially more virulent COVID-19 variant detected in India, with plans for a release as early as June. (Nikkei)

OSAKA – Senior vice defense minister Yasuhide Nakayama said Monday that the government has decided to set up a state-run mass vaccination center at the Osaka International Convention Center. (Japan Times)

Japan's estimated child population hit a record low after falling for 40 straight years, government data showed Tuesday, adding to the evidence of the country's aging population. (Kyodo)

The town of Noto in Ishikawa received millions of yen due to the impact of covid-19. The money was part of a rural revitalization project to help the countryside in the wake of the virus. (kotaku.com)

Japanese healthcare workers have spurned plans to deploy 10,000 of the already overworked personnel during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics just as a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections has pushed the number severe cases to a new record. (laprensalatina.com)

A U.S. SpaceX ship carrying Japan's Soichi Noguchi and three American astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday following the group's six-month mission at the International Space Station. (Japan Times)

Netflix has joined Japan’s booming virtual YouTuber — or VTuber — scene with the launch of an animated character to promote its growing anime streaming offering. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry says there were 1,084 coronavirus patients with serious symptoms across the country as of Monday. (NHK)

It's rare to find an entire abandoned village in Japan. But what about 12 abandoned villages? Why were they abandoned? Where did everyone go? Why was so much left behind? (Tokyo Lens)