Surrounded by bustling downtown streets, shopping malls and high-rises, Kawasaki Station and its vicinity are, on the surface, a paragon of urban development. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced a 57-year-old man to 18 months in prison, suspended for four years, over an incident last April in which he left knives on Prince Hisahito’s desk at his junior high school in the capital. (Japan Times)

Japan saw several new cases of coronavirus infection reported on Friday, leading health officials to try and establish just how they contracted the virus. The latest cases bring the number of infected people in Japan to 259, including 218 from a cruise ship. (NHK)

The Japanese government has launched a 136-million-dollar package to fight the coronavirus outbreak. It includes funds for the development of a vaccine and treatment for the illness caused by the virus. (NHK)

A doctor at a hospital in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama has tested positive for the new coronavirus. (NHK)

Japan has confirmed its first death of a person infected with the new coronavirus in the country. Health ministry officials say the Japanese woman in her 80s was a resident of Kanagawa Prefecture, just south Tokyo. (NHK)

Popular Japanese singer-songwriter Noriyuki Makihara was arrested Thursday for allegedly possessing illegal drugs at his home in Tokyo, police said. (Kyodo)

Japanese e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten on Thursday said it sold $1.4 billion worth of shares in its technology holdings, including its entire stake in U.S. social networking service Pinterest, underlying growing concerns about overvaluations in the sector. (Nikkei)

SoftBank Group Corp. founder Masayoshi Son said he is considering a new type of fund for startup investing, showing his determination to keep cutting deals after missteps with WeWork and several other companies. (Japan Times)

In a significant policy turnaround, the health ministry announced Thursday that those age 80 or older will be able to disembark the Diamond Princess if they test negative for COVID-19. (Japan Times)

A 112-year-old Japanese who has been recognized as the world’s oldest living man cited “laughter” Wednesday as the secret to his longevity. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry says 39 more people on a quarantined cruise ship have tested positive for the new coronavirus. That brings the total number of cases on the vessel to 174. (NHK)

Banknotes worth more than 100,000 dollars have been found at a waste disposal site in central Japan. (NHK)

Find out why the Integrated Resorts project in Japan is bound to be a raging success. The multi-billion project will transform the local economy in a big way. (newsonjapan.com)

The Japanese government plans to offer subsidies to face mask manufacturers to help them boost their production capacity. (NHK)

More Japanese companies are shifting to merit-based pay as competition for workers heats up, but the change risks holding back the sort of blanket wage hikes the prime minister says are needed to inflate the economy. (Japan Today)

The Board of Education in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, says that several 8th grade junior high school boys are suspected of voyeuristically filming up the skirts of their female classmates. (Japan Today)

A Japanese lawmaker who has been indicted for accepting bribes in connection with a government-led integrated resort project has been released on bail. (NHK)

Nissan Motor has filed a lawsuit with a Japanese court against former chairman Carlos Ghosn, seeking 10 billion yen, or about 90 million dollars, in damages. Ghosn is now in Lebanon after skipping bail in Japan. (NHK)

Lottery sales of tickets for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are to begin at a center in Tokyo in late April for Japan residents who apply by postcard. (NHK)

Visit any casino of your choosing, and you'd observe that its slot machines are the biggest draw for the foot audience. There are never enough of them for the massive number of customers who are swarming the machines in the hope that their turn would ultimately come. (newsonjapan.com)

Hall of Famer slugged 657 homers in 26-season career, won 1,565 games as longtime manager (Japan Times)

A team of infectious disease experts began examining a quarantined cruise ship at Yokohama Port on Tuesday. (NHK)

Itami airport is set to become the first in Japan to offer toilets for exclusive use by dogs. (Japan Times)

Japan's Immigration Services Agency is to tighten the screening process for issuing student visas, increasing tenfold the number of countries subject to stricter checks starting with foreign nationals applying from April. (Nikkei)