Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu has won gold in the men's figure skating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea. (NHK)

A woman in her 20s has sued a public-private investment fund designed to promote Japanese pop culture overseas for sexual harassment and unfair labor practices, her lawyer said Thursday. (Japan Today)

At least five people died in prefectures facing the Sea of Japan and elsewhere as heavy snowfall hit the areas Monday due to a strong winter pressure pattern, according to a Kyodo News tally. (Kyodo)

The public approval rating for the Cabinet has inched up to 50.8 percent in the latest survey, with more than half of respondents backing its policy of pressuring North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons and missile development programs. (Japan Times)

Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, met with her longtime calligraphy teacher at an exhibition in Tokyo on Friday in her first official duty since the Imperial Household Agency announced she will postpone her marriage until 2020. (Kyodo)

A group of geisha and their apprentices in Japan's ancient city of Kyoto have copied Buddhist scriptures to learn more about traditional culture. (NHK)

The western Japan town of Taiji, known for its whaling and dolphin hunts, said Wednesday it has established a sister-city relationship with a town on the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic with similar hunting practices. (Kyodo)

Discount retailer Don Quijote Co. unveiled a renovated Ferris wheel Monday in Osaka’s Dotonbori shopping district. (Japan Times)

Sumo's top-ranked referee will resign over a sexual harassment scandal, the sport's governing body said Saturday following an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors. (Kyodo)

Around 430 passengers were forced to stay a night aboard a local train stranded since Thursday evening due to heavy snowfall in Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast. (Kyodo)

Three yokozuna, or grand champion sumo wrestlers, have taken part in a ring-entering ceremony at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo to pray for safety and success at the sport's New Year tournament. (NHK)

Japanese women who work for social change out of the public eye often go unrecognized, but a new award aims to change that by honoring unsung heroes who effect grassroots reform in their communities. (Kyodo)

A mayor in western Japan, who has taken a hard-line stance toward news organizations he considers "biased," refused to answer questions from a reporter on Thursday, telling him "I'll kill you" before walking away. (Kyodo)

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, along with other members of the imperial family, welcomed 2018 with a New Year's ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. (Kyodo)

Japan's planned introduction of a "departure tax" on international travelers has received a mixed response, with many questions yet to be answered about how the revenues will be spent. (Kyodo)

Local assemblies around Japan are discussing or preparing to pass ordinances that will place strict limits on where minpaku (private lodging services) can be located, in advance of a national law that will go into effect in June regulating their use. (Japan Times)

A western Japan prefecture which has been promoting its starry nights to tourists has enacted an ordinance to preserve the views and pass them onto the next generation. (Kyodo)

The U.N. General Assembly on Monday endorsed a Japanese antinuclear resolution by a wide margin, although fewer countries backed it than in previous years amid perceptions of backpedaling on disarmament. (Kyodo)

Japan have been presented with a chance for revenge in their opening match of next year's World Cup finals after being drawn against Colombia, Senegal and Poland in first-round Group H on Friday. (Kyodo)

A new Tokyo Bay amphibious bus tour was launched Monday to service the expected influx of foreign tourists drawn to the city ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Kyodo)

Police in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Akita say they have found 8 men of undetermined nationality and a wooden boat washed ashore. Police say the men claim to have come from North Korea. (NHK)

In the latest incident involving the American military in Okinawa, a U.S. Navy C-2 transport aircraft carrying 11 crew members and passengers crashed into the ocean 150 km northwest of Okinotorishima on Wednesday. (Japan Times)

A woman employed as a costumed performer at Tokyo Disneyland was awarded labor compensation after developing a disorder that caused acute pain in her arm, the park's operator said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

A woman employed as a costumed performer at Tokyo Disneyland was awarded labor compensation after developing a disorder that caused acute pain in her arm, the park's operator said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Toshiba Corp. will remove its corporate logo from its prominent position atop the One Times Square Building overlooking New York's iconic tourist hub as part of cost-cutting efforts, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)