The presidents of Japan's telecom giant NTT and satellite broadcasting firm, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, have apologized for a series of wining and dining scandals involving bureaucrats and lawmakers. (NHK)

A music group that counts among its members Japanese percussionist Ogawa Keita has won this year's Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. (NHK)

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has received a COVID-19 vaccine ahead of his visit to the United States. (NHK)

Grand champion Hakuho will have surgery for a right knee injury that forced his withdrawal Tuesday from the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament. (Kyodo)

Major travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Monday its sales plunged 80.5% to Y38.86 billion ($356 million) in the November-January quarter from a year earlier due to a sharp decrease in travel demand caused by the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami, a Japanese drummer who was a studio musician for composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, died last week of thalamic bleeding at a Tokyo hospital, his office said Monday. He was 70. (Kyodo)

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of causing injury resulting in death after they got into a fight with a third man on a street in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Tokyo reported 239 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, falling below 300 for the first time in five days. (Japan Times)

The Japan Meteorological Agency has declared the start of cherry blossom season in Tokyo. (NHK)

Researchers at a Japanese cancer center have found that the more alcohol premenopausal Japanese women drink, the more likely they are to develop breast cancer. (NHK)

Finance Minister Taro Aso marked 3,000 days in office Saturday, at a time when he is struggling to rebuild Japan’s finances. (Japan Times)

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson confirmed on Saturday he did not put his name forward for a spot on the U.S. team for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and will instead focus on the PGA Tour. (Japan Times)

The Japan Sumo Association said Saturday a total of 28 wrestlers, all from outside the top two divisions, will miss the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament starting this weekend after a pair of coaches tested positive for the coronavirus. (Japan Today)

A group of researchers studying disaster management say they will call on the government to designate March 11th as the day for teaching about disaster management and handing down disaster experiences. (NHK)

Japan Airlines has concluded a partnership agreement with a university in Russia's Far East in a bid to promote academic and cultural exchanges between the countries. (NHK)

Japan's Foreign Ministry has released two short English-language videos on the Internet to mark the 10th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan. (NHK)

The life of a wakashu in Edo Period Japan. Sometimes called Japan's third gender. ()

24hours of Japanese mom and 23 month-old-baby. (Kimono Mom)

People in eastern and northeastern Japan have been hit by heavy rains and strong winds. (NHK)

“Fukushima is famous for agriculture, and its coastal region was once one of the richest rice-growing areas (in Japan),” Ryoichi Sato says, highlighting one of the prefecture’s prized assets. (Japan Times)

The Bank of Japan will consider changes to its approach to purchasing exchange-traded funds at its policy board meeting next week, a potentially significant move by the institution that has become the top holder of Japanese stocks. (Nikkei)

The Suga administration recently submitted a bill to revise Japan’s Act on Special Measures to Facilitate Investment in Agricultural Corporations. (eastasiaforum.org)

It’s a documentary about child sexual abuse in Japan. (TBS NEWS)

The Japanese government will revoke the license given to a channel of a satellite broadcaster after finding the company, which was at the heart of a wining-and-dining scandal, had applied for the approval based on false information, the communications minister said Friday. (Japan Today)

Due to the fact that the world is facing regional conflicts flaring up here and there, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) urgently needs a modern fighter jet. (Daily Aviation)