Prosecutors have announced the non-prosecution of track and field star Sota Kawatsura over the alleged rape of a female acquaintance in Ota Ward last year, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

Tickets for COVID-19 vaccinations will be sent to people age 65 or older in Japan from mid-March, according to the health ministry's vaccination schedule. (Japan Times)

As of now there are lots of clinic and medical facilities here in Japan offering a coronavirus test. Some are very affordable and some are still expensive. (Malago Forum)

The major Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways says it will suspend services on 16 international routes from late March, as demand falls amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (NHK)

India has honoured former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the country. (WION)

Take a trip back in time and trace the paths of past travelers in the post towns and sacred spaces found in the majestic mountains of the Japanese countryside. (NHK)

Japan will hold a coronavirus vaccination simulation in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said. (Japan Times)

Japan will require researchers applying to grant programs to declare if they have received financial support from other countries in a bid to ensure transparency and protect intellectual property, officials said Monday. (Kyodo)

Lawmakers in Japan have begun debating proposals to toughen up COVID-19 regulations. That includes controversial revisions allowing authorities to levy fines against rulebreakers. (NHK)

A familiar Japanese idiom goes nakitsura ni hachi (a bee stinging a crying face). In other words adding insult to injury, or to make matters worse. (Japan Today)

The season's first ice floes have reached the Okhotsk Sea coast of Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido. (NHK)

A new -- and large -- kind of deep-sea fish found off central Japan has been named "yokozuna iwashi," in reference to the highest rank in sumo wrestling. (NHK)

Currently, anyone in Japan is free to dress as their favorite characters. But it might not stay free for them to do so. (kotaku.com)

Toyota Motor is on track to produce about 8.25 million vehicles worldwide for the year ending in March, largely sticking to its previous forecast even though a global semiconductor shortage has disrupted the auto industry in recent weeks, Nikkei learned Monday. (Nikkei)

Airlines that were hoping to turn the corner this year after a rough 2020 may be in for a rude awakening. Major Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways is planning to slash international flights during the summer by 50 percent. (NHK)

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino has made an online inspection of hospitals treating coronavirus patients. (NHK)

The death toll related to snow shoveling has reached 70 this winter, a Jiji Press tally showed. (Japan Times)

Japan's government has drafted a law revision to encourage more men to take paternity leave. (NHK)

If you plan to fly into Tokyo, Haneda Airport is where you want to land. Sure, rival Narita Airport sometime gets called “Tokyo International Airport,” but it’s actually all the way out in Chiba Prefecture, while Haneda is the one truly located within Tokyo. (Japan Today)

Japan's three major telecoms -- NTT Docomo, KDDI and SoftBank -- are gearing up for a rate war in spring. (Nikkei)

At least 15,058 people were on waiting lists for a hospital or a designated accommodations after testing positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month in the 11 prefectures covered by a state of emergency, a Kyodo News survey found, as public health centers have been swamped with a surge in cases cases. (Japan Times)

Automakers in Japan, where almost 30% of the population is 65 or older, are taking the lead on adapting cars so the nation's legions of elderly drivers can feel more confident -- and be safer -- behind the wheel. (nwaonline.com)

Japan's major restaurant chains saw a record fall in sales last year due to the pandemic as people refrained from eating out and many businesses closed temporarily or shortened their opening hours. (NHK)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have suspended a 27-year-old officer after he was accused of splashing his own bodily fluid on women last year, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

The snow this winter on Japan’s ski runs and the powder on the off-piste is probably the best it has been in a decade. (South China Morning Post)