A total of 47 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction, have been reported after some 580,000 shots of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine were administered to health workers in Japan, the health ministry said Friday. (Kyodo)

As some regions have fewer cases of Covid-19, prefectural governments have set out to give their residents a small travel allowance to boost local economies. (timeout.com)

Japan reported Friday more than 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus in one day for the first time since early February, fanning concerns of a rebound less than a week after a state of emergency was lifted in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures. (Kyodo)

Over the last several months, there’s been an increasing sentiment in Japan that it’s time for schools to take another look at their student conduct rules, and ask if they’re all really contributing to a better learning environment. One of the most controversial policies: schools that say students must wear white underwear. (soranews24.com)

One of Tokyo's landmark hotels is slated for a 2-billion-dollar redevelopment plan. The operator says the project will make the Imperial Hotel Tokyo more competitive as availability of international 5-star accommodation has been increasing in the Japanese capital. (NHK)

A volcanic hazard map for Mount Fuji in central Japan has been revised for the first time in 17 years, doubling the estimated volume of lava flows in the event of a major eruption. (NHK)

The health ministry plans to delay the comprehensive introduction of a system to use My Number social security and taxation identification cards as public health insurance cards, officials said Thursday. (Japan Times)

The Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings 2021 are designed to answer the questions that matter most to students and their families when making one of the most important decisions of their lives – who to trust with their education. (timeshighereducation.com)

Kyoto University's CiRA Foundation said Thursday it will provide induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells created from the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19 to research institutions both in Japan and abroad free of charge. (Japan Times)

Japanese fashion retailer Muji said on Thursday that its stores in China will continue to carry products made with Xinjiang cotton, separating itself from the uproar by Chinese netizens calling for a boycott of H&M and other foreign brands. (Nikkei)

The United States is under pressure to act as it enters the final stages of a review of North Korea's nuclear programme. (CNA)

Deep in the mountains of North Japan, one of Japan's biggest mining towns lies abandoned and forgotten. (Abroad Perspective)

A woman in Japan must fork over hundreds of dollars to a man because she had sex with his wife, according to a rare court ruling. (nypost.com)

AlphaTauri Formula 1 rookie Yuki Tsunoda’s meteoric rise up the ranks is well-documented, but less well known is the contribution of Japan’s first full-time grand prix racer to that progress. (autosport.com)

Japan granted asylum to less than 1 percent of refugees and asylum-seekers who applied in 2019, despite having the third-largest economy in the world. (foreignpolicy.com)

Mieko Kawakami has called out cliched depictions of women by one of her country's most feted writers, and seen her own bold style attacked by a top politician. (yahoo.com)

Japan's top telecommunications company is getting 7.3 billion yen in taxpayer money to design mobile tracking software to curb the spread of coronavirus infections during the Tokyo Olympics. (nzherald.co.nz)

There are many cherry blossoms a.k.a SAKURA in Japan. (桜ドローンプロジェクトDE)

Around 80 percent of people working in Japan's art scene said they have been subjected to abuse of power or sexually harassed during the last decade, an online survey by industry insiders showed Wednesday. (Kyodo)

A panel of experts convened by Japan's government has started discussing ways to ensure that there are suitable candidates to succeed to the Imperial throne for the foreseeable future. (NHK)

Japan's government has held its first examination in Vietnam for people to get work visas including residential status for specified vocational skills. (NHK)

Japan's messaging app Line has stopped its Chinese affiliates and contractors from accessing the personal information of Japanese users, the company said Tuesday, in response to growing scrutiny over its data management practices. (Nikkei)

Japanese Olympic judo champion Koga Toshihiko died on Wednesday at the age of 53. (NHK)

The Olympic torch started its journey across Japan on Thursday morning after a yearlong delay. That's because the Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed due to the global pandemic. (NHK)

Tokyo’s Cherry Blossoms are early this year. 12 days early! (ONLY in JAPAN)