The price of cooking oil in Japan, which is indispensable for tempura, has risen sharply due to an increase in demand for soybeans and rapeseed. (JapanNutrition.com)

The Meteorological Agency has stopped using the term “aftershocks” for strong earthquakes occurring in areas around the focus of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, which devastated Japan’s northeast. (Japan Times)

High school and university students in Japan have started a weekly walkout from school to call for action to address climate change. (NHK)

Japanese Nobel laureate Akasaki Isamu died on Thursday at the age of 92. He was awarded the 2014 physics prize with two other Japanese scientists for inventing blue-light-emitting diodes. (NHK)

The head of the Japanese government's advisory panel on the coronavirus response has said its top priority is preventing a rebound in new infections until around June, when local governments will likely have received enough vaccine doses for their elderly citizens. (NHK)

Masahiro Kawase is a 48-year-old office worker who suffered a stroke six years ago and is paralyzed on his left side. However, in Saitama Prefecture custom dictates that everyone who rides an escalator stands on the left and walks – or in some cases runs – up the right side. (soranews24.com)

Strategic Japan is a CSIS Japan Chair initiative to introduce research from Japanese scholars highlighting potential areas for enhanced cooperation between the United States and Japan. (Center for Strategic & International Studies)

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has used his official Twitter account to call on the country's young people to observe anti-coronavirus measures. (NHK)

All Nippon Airways looks to sate the curiosity of those who wish to dine in the first-class cabin, debuting a service that raises revenue even while the planes remain grounded during the coronavirus pandemic. (Nikkei)

Foreign tourists in Japan spent 744.6 billion yen ($6.7 billion) in 2020, the lowest since the survey began in 2010, as the coronavirus pandemic has led to restrictions on entry into the country, a government estimate showed Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japanese firm Hitachi has made a major acquisition to boost its information technology business overseas. The company will buy US software developer GlobalLogic for 9.6 billion dollars. (NHK)

Osaka, Japan - Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the most important bacterial causes of human skin infections. If S. pyogenes invades deep into the tissue, it can cause life-threatening illnesses, such as sepsis and toxic shock. With its limited supply of carbohydrates, the skin is generally an effective barrier against infection and not a good surface for the survival of S. pyogenes. To survive successfully and invade deep into the tissue, bacteria must be able to find a source of nutrients and also evade the skin's immune defenses. (eurekalert.org)

New teaching guidelines for the subjects of kōkyō (public affairs) and chiri sōgō (comprehensive geography) stipulate that four Russian-held northeastern Pacific islands, the Sea of Japan islands of Takeshima and the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea should be described as Japan's inherent territories. (Japan Times)

A new law requiring companies to try to keep their workers on the payroll until age 70 takes effect on Thursday in Japan. (NHK)

One hundred and forty-seven out of 156 countries. That's where Japan stands in terms of women's political empowerment. The dismal ranking immediately prompted lawmakers across party lines to call for numerical targets to boost female representation in politics. (Nikkei)

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed due to Covid-19, will finally open on July 23 – with the Paralympics following from August 24 – although the organising committee has decided there will be no foreign fans and volunteers. (South China Morning Post)

A volcano on a southwestern Japan island erupted late Tuesday, sending large rocks nearly 1 kilometer from the crater, prompting the weather agency to raise its alert level. (Kyodo)

Japan's famous cherry blossoms have reached their flowery peak in many places earlier this year than at any time since formal records started being kept nearly 70 years ago, with experts saying climate change is the likely cause. (Japan Today)

An organization on broadcasting ethics in Japan has ruled that a TV reality show failed to consider the possible mental distress of a cast member who died in a suspected suicide after being slandered on social media. (NHK)

International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said Tuesday that Japan's economic recovery will not be derailed by staging the Tokyo Games without overseas spectators, while hailing the country's "strong response" to mitigate the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic through timely stimulus packages. (Japan Times)

Japan ranked 120th among 156 countries in the gender gap rankings in 2021, remaining in last place among major advanced economies, a Swiss-based think tank said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

The government has halted new aid to Myanmar in response to the coup there, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said, but is stopping short of sanctions imposed by some nations on military and police commanders. (Japan Times)

Japan stayed perfect in World Cup qualifying by routing Mongolia 14-0 in Chiba. (abc.net.au)

Underscoring the fragile nature of the economy's recovery from last year's slump, Japanese retail sales fell for the third straight month in February as households kept a lid on expenditure amid the coronavirus emergency. (WION)

After the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Fukushima’s farmers work to overcome radiation stigma, despite the prefecture's track record of producing some of the most delicious produce in Japan. (Munchies)