A woman using a toilet in the Diet building in Tokyo saw a miniature spy camera being aimed at her, police said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Train stations and tourist spots were largely quiet in Tokyo and elsewhere under Japan’s third coronavirus state of emergency as the Golden Week holiday period began Thursday. (Japan Times)

Have you ever thought of crying as something positive? We met a Japanese man who started a course that makes people cry on purpose with the goal to relieve their stress. So far, he has made over 50,000 people cry through his seminars. (Asian Boss)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday reported 1,027 new coronavirus cases, the result of 12,533 tests conducted on April 26. The number is up 102 from Wednesday and is the first time the figure for the capital has surpassed 1,000 since Jan 28. (Japan Today)

A man in his 40s is suspected of killing a 21-year-old university student in her apartment and then killing himself by setting fire to his own apartment one floor below in Daito, Osaka Prefecture, on Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Olympic organisers have unveiled a new rule book to explain how the Games will be conducted in the middle of a pandemic. (ABC News)

Police in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, have arrested a 22-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted murder after she threw her newborn son out a window. The infant's injuries are not life-threatening, police said. (Japan Today)

The Japanese composer of the theme song for the popular anime "Doraemon" has died. Kikuchi Shunsuke was 89. (NHK)

‘20J1 in 2021’ is a project from J.LEAGUE to celebrate the remarkable diversity, unique club cultures, and iconic, vibrant fashions that are at the heart of Japanese football. (J.LEAGUE International)

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday rejected Japan's request to delete from his Twitter account a parody picture of an "ukiyo-e" work to criticize its decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima power plant into the ocean. (Kyodo)

Japan's nuclear regulators have approved a plan drafted by Tokyo Electric Power Company to decommission all four reactors at the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant. (NHK)

In Japan officials are grappling with rising coronavirus cases as Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures remain under a state of emergency. Experts blame the surge on a more infectious variant. (NHK)

Japan plans to introduce "vaccine passports" to make it easier for people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 to travel internationally, government sources said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The number of homeless people in Japan stood at 3,824 as of January, down 4.2% from a year before, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

For many people, being buried up to the neck in hot, black volcanic sand doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to relax. But in parts of southern Japan, sunamushi (sand bathing) on a volcanic beach is a popular form of bathing that helps rest the mind and refresh the body. (stickymangorice.com)

The coronavirus continues to create serious question marks for Tokyo 2020 organizers. (NHK)

Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land Co. on Wednesday reported a loss for the year ended March, its first annual red ink since listing in 1996, due to record-low visitor numbers as a result of the temporary closure of its theme parks and subsequent capacity limits amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)

About two weeks ago, a man in Nagakuta City, Aichi Prefecture was arrested for stealing a pair of pumps that belonged to a music teacher. What made this theft even stranger was that when taking the shoes, he had replaced them with a nearly identical new pair. (Japan Today)

Almost half a century after founding his pioneering motor-maker on the family farm, Japanese billionaire Shigenobu Nagamori is handing over leadership of Nidec Corp. to a former Nissan Motor Co. executive to lead an ambitious pivot into the electric-vehicle space. (Japan Times)

The Bank of Japan has decided to press on with its massive monetary easing program to help steer the economy through the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman has drawn criticism for using a parody picture of a "ukiyo-e" painting by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai to take a jab at Japan's decision to release treated radioactive water at the Fukushima power plant. (Kyodo)

Some 8% of pregnant women in Japan who had an abortion in October and November last year are believed to have decided to end their pregnancy due to reasons linked to the coronavirus pandemic, a health ministry study group found Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Excess salt intake is linked to cardiovascular disease as well as hypertension, but whether individual salt intake increases with age has not been studied. (JapanNutrition.com)

TOKYO (TR) – A court here has overturned a previous ruling and found a male Dutch national innocent of smuggling stimulant drugs, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Japan have arrested the 25-year-old former wife of an elderly wealthy man who died of acute stimulant intoxication three years ago. The man was a company president who likened himself to Don Juan. (NHK)