On Thursday the Asahi Shimbun newspaper remembered a 29-year-old reporter killed in a 1987 shooting at its western Japan bureau, in an attack claimed by ultra-rightists angered by the major daily's "antinational" reporting. (Japan Times)

A hypothetical eruption of Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest peak, could rain volcanic ash on Tokyo and push the capital into a state of paralysis, according to a government report obtained by Kyodo News. (Japan Times)

A memorial dedicated to Filipino "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese brothels during World War II was removed Friday night, days after suspicions surfaced about its possible demolition. (Japan Today)

The organizer of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan has started recruiting about 10,000 volunteers. (NHK)

The volcanic alert level for Mount Kusatsu-Shirane in central Japan have been raised due to increased activity. (NHK)

SoftBank Group Corp. is among several potential buyers for U.S. newspaper publisher Tronc, U.S. online news outlet Axios reported Monday, quoting a source familiar with the situation. (Kyodo)

Criticism mounted Friday of Japan's top Finance Ministry bureaucrat after an alleged audio clip of him sexually harassing a female reporter emerged. (Kyodo)

Japan's largest ancient mound, Daisen Kofun, officially designated as the tomb of Emperor Nintoku, was at least about 40 meters larger when it was first constructed in the fifth century, Imperial Household Agency officials said Thursday. (Kyodo)

The Kasumigaseki Building, known as the first skyscraper in Japan, held a lighting-up ceremony Wednesday in Tokyo marking the 50th anniversary of its completion, operator Mitsui Fudosan Co. said. (Kyodo)

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Iwami Ginzan silver mine in western Japan was partially damaged by the magnitude-6.1 earthquake that jolted the area early Monday, local government officials said. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Disneyland's new parade celebrating the theme park's 35th anniversary was unveiled to the media on Tuesday, with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters dancing on gigantic floats. (Japan Times)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested an official at a night school for paying a teenage boy to engage in sex earlier this year, reports Kyodo News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Isao Takahata, who co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed the award-winning animation "Grave of the Fireflies," has died of lung cancer at a Tokyo hospital, people close to him said Friday. He was 82. (Kyodo)

Fujifilm Imaging Systems Co. announced Friday it will terminate sales of monochrome photographic film, with the last shipment expected to be in October, due to falling demands in the digital age. (Japan Times)

Japanese online brokerage Monex Group Inc. said Friday it has agreed to purchase all outstanding shares in troubled cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc. for 3.6 billion yen ($33.6 million). (Kyodo)

A female mayor was forced to give a speech outside a sumo ring on Friday after being refused entry because of her sex, just two days after the Japan Sumo Association drew heavy criticism for telling women to leave the ring even though they were trying to rescue a collapsed man. (Kyodo)

Shikoku Electric Power Co. will not seek to extend the operation of an aging nuclear reactor in western Japan, judging that the required safety investments will not pay off due to declining electricity demand in the region, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

Springtime cherry blossoms are drawing crowds of sightseers to the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo. (NHK)

Many foreign tourists to Japan often wonder why public transportation, especially in areas of Tokyo renowned for their nightlife, is so limited after the last trains of the night. (Kyodo)

A juryo-division wrestler on Monday pulled out of the ongoing Spring Grand Sumo Tournament a day after the revelation that he assaulted a lower-ranked wrestler, dragging the traditional Japanese sport into yet another scandal. (Kyodo)

American rocker and songwriter Bob Dylan will perform at the Fuji Rock Festival in July, his first appearance in Japan since receiving the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, the event's organizer said. (Kyodo)

A train operator in Kyoto on Wednesday unveiled a new train carriage featuring a huge gold oval design on the front. (Kyodo)

Pictograms on how to use Japanese electric toilets have been registered as a global standard, the government said Monday, in a step aimed at making such signs more familiar to the growing number of foreign tourists visiting the country. (Kyodo)

An uproar in Japan over the homeland of the "Moomin" storybook characters was elevated to a diplomatic matter on Wednesday, with the Japanese and Finnish foreign ministers assuring each other the issue has been well and truly resolved. (Kyodo)

Uber Technologies Inc. aims to introduce its ride-hailing services across Japan in around 2020 by joining hands with local taxi firms, its chief executive officer said Tuesday. (Kyodo)