Tokyo prosecutors have asked former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to appear for voluntary questioning about the dinner parties his political group held for supporters, sources close to the matter said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Sakura Jingu Shrine provides foreigners the unique experience of having a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony. (NHK WORLD-JAPAN)

Akihabara is overrated. Join me and my friend in this slice of life around West Tokyo's Otaku center. (Enlightize in Japan)

Japan's government is considering extending its Go To Eat campaign, designed to help the restaurant industry amid the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Officials in Japan's western prefecture of Osaka plan to call on all residents to refrain from leaving their homes for any non-essential reason until mid-December. This follows a surge in the number of coronavirus cases with severe symptoms. (NHK)

The Japanese government expressed regret Wednesday after a district assembly in Berlin adopted a resolution to allow a statue symbolizing Korean women who were procured for Japan's wartime military brothels to remain in place. (Kyodo)

Kiyomizu Temple in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto has held a ceremony to mark the renovation of the wooden stage and the new roof of the main hall. (NHK)

The grand opening for the Mario Cafe and store at Universal Studios Japan, plus a look inside. (Attractions Magazine)

NTT Docomo Inc. plans to cut mobile phone fees across the board, sources familiar with the matter said, becoming the first of Japan's major carriers to do so following a government call for the industry to lower charges. (Kyodo)

Prosecutors sought a one-year prison term for Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to cannabis possession in his trial at the Tokyo District Court, while his defense lawyers asked for a suspended sentence. (Kyodo)

Japanese astronaut Noguchi Soichi has enjoyed eating a canned mackerel dish in space. The product was developed by Japanese high school students. (NHK)

In Japan, more people have died of suicide in one month than from the Wuhan virus the entire year. (WION)

A bill to provide coronavirus vaccinations free of charge with the central government covering the cost was passed in the Diet, offering a key plan to stem the virus as Japan struggles with its worst-yet wave of infections. (Japan Times)

Japan aims to admit “large-scale” numbers of overseas visitors for the Tokyo Olympic Games without mandatory vaccinations or quarantines, provided tourists submit negative coronavirus test results and download smartphone tracking apps on arrival, the Nikkei business daily reported Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The unemployment rate in Japan hit a 3-year high in October. Officials say the coronavirus has driven the figure to 3.1 percent, the highest since May 2017. (NHK)

Japan’s capsule hotels have long been a convenient shelter for commuters and even an intriguing option for budget tourists. (South China Morning Post)

A political cacophony persists as lawmakers clash over who has the final say in peeling back countermeasures meant to blunt the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times)

The five Olympic rings are back in Tokyo Bay. (Japan Today)

The number of seriously ill patients with COVID-19 across Japan hit 472 on Monday. That's a new record high, and the health minister says it's another sign the situation is growing more serious. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and the Tokyo governor agreed to ask seniors and people with underlying health issues to refrain from using the central government's "Go To Travel" domestic tourism campaign when traveling to and from the capital. (NHK)

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday reported 500 new cases of the coronavirus, up 128 from Tuesday. The number is the result of 1,431 tests conducted on Nov 29. (Japan Today)

The World Trade Organization says South Korea broke international trade rules when it renewed a series of tariffs on Japanese stainless steel bars in 2017. (Bloomberg)

A survey by an aid group shows that some young people in Japan are giving up on higher education due to financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Data from mobile phones show that considerably fewer people went to tourist spots outside Tokyo over the weekend, compared to the 3-day holiday that ended on November 23. (NHK)

A dazzling 'fireball' has been seen lighting up the skies across large areas of western Japan. (don honky)