Japan's Supreme Court has upheld a high court ruling that significantly reduced compensation for the parents of a junior high school student who killed himself after being bullied by classmates. (NHK)

Japanese sumo wrestler Kotokantetsu was uneasy. Coronavirus was raging through Tokyo and ripping through the sumo wrestling fraternity, whose lives are controlled by trainers and handlers. (washingtonpost.com)

Japan is considering using its national ID system for its coronavirus vaccine rollout program, hoping to avoid the pitfalls and confusion that was created when the government dispersed economic aid earlier in the pandemic. (Nikkei)

Japan's COVID-19 death toll topped 5,000 with total cases surpassed 360,000 on Saturday as the country struggles to contain the resurgence of infections, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities. (Xinhua)

Japan's space agency has allowed the media to see the first and second stages of the country's next mainstay H3 rocket. (NHK)

Companies in Japan have not promoted teleworking much, despite a call by the government to reduce the number of workers in offices by 70% during the second coronavirus state of emergency, a survey by the Japan Productivity Center has shown. (Japan Times)

Oden is a type of Japanese stew, the ingredients are vegetables and meat and seafood. (Kimono Mom)

An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 occurred late at night on Saturday 23 January 2021 at 10:12 pm local time near Iwaki, Iwaki-shi, Fukushima, Japan, as reported by NIED. (JS Media)

Weather officials are warning of more snow in the areas surrounding Tokyo, mainly in mountainous regions. But they say it is unlikely to accumulate in central Tokyo as the temperatures at high altitude did not dip as much as expected. (NHK)

The Japanese government has denied a major British newspaper's report about a possible cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics this summer. (NHK)

Tough border testing for New Zealand honey imports to Japan is re-igniting the conversation about the use of the weed killer glypohsate in New Zealand. (rnz.co.nz)

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday it has begun clinical trials in Japan of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate by U.S. biotech firm Moderna Inc. with an eye to distributing it in the first half of this year. (Kyodo)

A Japanese court upheld a ban on dual citizenship on Thursday, rejecting a suit that challenged the measure's constitutionality and sought damages for those affected. (AFP)

Police in Japan have identified roughly 30 people for alleged involvement in illegal transactions stemming from 58 billion yen ($530 million at the time) worth of NEM cryptocurrency hacked from the Coincheck exchange three years ago, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Japan has joined a battle of diplomatic notes over the South China Sea dispute, adding to pressure on Beijing over its expansive claims in the strategically important waterway. (South China Morning Post)

Japan's central bank will keep its key monetary policy unchanged. It's a signal that it has delivered sufficient stimulus for now to cushion the blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNA)

Kyushu is said to be the wellspring of Japanese civilization. Yet few tourists visit the southernmost of Japan's main islands. This documentary contrasts modern Japanese cities with traditional customs in the countryside. (DW Documentary)

Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Group Inc. is considering selling its 48-story headquarters building in Tokyo for some 300 billion yen ($2.9 billion), which would make it the highest-priced building to be sold in Japan, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

People in many parts of Japan have reported seeing what appeared to be a fireball flashing through the sky on Wednesday night. (NHK)

The coronavirus is having a crushing effect on Japan's tourism industry. The number of foreign visitors in 2020 fell nearly 90 percent from the previous year. (NHK)

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday ordered the operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to pay damages to evacuated residents, but it overturned a lower court ruling that had also acknowledged the central government's responsibility over the 2011 nuclear crisis. (Japan Times)

Traveling the waterways of Tokyo, Japan. (CNN)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday congratulated Joe Biden on his inauguration as U.S. president and expressed hope the Japan-U.S. alliance will strengthen further. (Kyodo)

Japan's government has signed a contract with US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer to receive about 144 million doses of coronavirus vaccine for 72 million people this year. (NHK)

Japan's Finance Ministry is promoting a program to introduce artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology to help customs agents crack down on increased smuggling of illegal drugs. (Japan Times)