Japan's glacial COVID-19 inoculation push is prompting some foreign residents to consider flying to other countries to get vaccinated, as the pandemic surges again with no shots in sight for everyday people. (Reuters)

The Japanese government may be edging closer to declaring another state of emergency, based on a request from the western prefecture of Osaka. (NHK)

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has explained that a reference to Taiwan in a joint statement he issued with US President Joe Biden reflects Japan's hope for a peaceful settlement of the cross-Strait issue. (NHK)

It may sound trite, but the keep of Inuyama Castle here really was built for keeps. (Asahi)

Japan's government said Monday it is asking Myanmar to release a Japanese journalist who was arrested by security forces in its largest city of Yangon the previous day. (coastreporter.net)

Japan will conduct its first large-scale survey on myopia among elementary and junior high school students, to begin as a government digital device rollout nears its conclusion, education ministry officials said Monday. (Kyodo)

The Japanese city of Sapporo, host of marathon and race walk events at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has downsized a test running event due to be held early next month as coronavirus cases rise. (Reuters)

For some observers, the 2018 arrest – and alleged rough treatment – of Carlos Ghosn, who had served as chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, signaled that "the bloom was off the rose" for Tokyo and Japan as a coveted international executive assignment. (cgtn.com)

Oriental Land Co. said Monday that it will lower the cap of the daily number of visitors to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea each from 20,000 to 5,000, starting Tuesday to May 11. (Japan Times)

Toyota, which pioneered hybrid cars, on Monday unveiled plans for its first global line-up of battery electric vehicles as other carmakers have pulled ahead in electrification. (Japan Today)

The vaccine rollout in Japan has been very slow with less than 1% vaccinated, causing concern about the postponed Tokyo Olympics that are scheduled to open in just over three months. (texarkanagazette.com)

Cherry blossoms at a park in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Aomori are in full bloom. (NHK)

Nearly 4 percent of children living in group homes for youngsters across Japan have at least one parent with foreign roots, forcing staff members to confront issues they were not initially trained to handle, an Asahi Shimbun study shows. (Asahi)

The Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team offered fans free coronavirus antibody tests before a game on Sunday. (NHKn)

US climate envoy John Kerry has reaffirmed Washington’s confidence in Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea despite concerns raised by South Korea. (aljazeera.com)

Beijing has accused the United States and Japan of sowing division after they said they would counter China’s “intimidation” in the Asia-Pacific region and referred to Taiwan in a joint statement for the first time in over 50 years. (South China Morning Post)

New data show the number of HIV infections confirmed in Japan last year dropped nearly 20 percent from a year earlier. The health ministry attributes the decline to a fall in HIV testing due to the coronavirus pandemic, and says the actual figure could be higher. (NHK)

People in Japan are questioning the social norm of married couples adopting the same surname. (NHK)

The Japanese minister overseeing the government's COVID-19 vaccination program says Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has effectively reached agreement with US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer for additional vaccine supplies. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting singer Tomomi Kahara by forcibly pulling her by the arm and shoving her shoulder while in a taxi. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. on Saturday to provide additional supplies of COVID-19 vaccine to Japan, Japanese officials said. (Kyodo)

U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have agreed to jointly invest $4.5 billion for the development of next-generation communication known as 6G, or "beyond 5G." (Nikkei)

Japan Airlines Co. will replace jet fuel with alternative energy sources for all domestic flights from 2040 under its plan to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures have confirmed their highest new infection counts of the coronavirus since the second state of emergency was lifted last month. (NHK)

Japanese fried chicken, or "Karaage," is in a period of Warring States, with a bunch of new stores opening nationwide, including 678 just last year! (JapanNutrition.com)