Kumamon, the popular Japanese black bear-like mascot, will soon change its official Chinese name used in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to better represent and promote Kumamoto, the southwestern prefecture said Thursday. (Kyodo)

A 30-year-old man was sent to prosecutors last week over the alleged smuggling of liquid cannabis from the U.S., reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

A policeman was referred to prosecutors last week for allegedly driving at 145 kilometers per hour (approx. 90 miles per hour) near Tokyo in January while off duty in a rush to get to the dentist, police said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

A fire broke out at a warehouse in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon leaving three men dead and another man injured, while some flights at nearby Haneda airport were also disrupted by the incident. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 20-year-old man over the fatal assault of a Thai woman inside a love hotel room in the Uguisudani area of Taito Ward last year, reports Kyodo News (tokyoreporter.com)

A developmental carriage from the next-generation bullet train has been shown to the media in western Japan. (NHK)

The operator of one of Japan's largest sushi restaurant chains said Wednesday that video footage recently uploaded to the internet showed one of its part-time kitchen workers throwing sliced fish into a trash can and returning it to a cutting board at an outlet in Osaka Prefecture. (Kyodo)

A 35-year-old man was arrested Thursday after the exhumation of a body, confirmed later to be that of a missing 19-year-old female university student, east of Tokyo. (Japan Times)

A mayor in the western Japanese prefecture of Hyogo is in hot water for calling a senior city official "stupid" and suggesting the official "burn down" a local building that stood in the way of the construction of a new road. (Kyodo)

Grand champion Hakuho has withdrawn from the ongoing New Year Grand Sumo Tournament due to injuries, his stablemaster announced Saturday, ending his bid for a record-extending 42nd top division championship. (Kyodo)

Hashima Island in the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki, better known as "battleship island" for its shape, will reopen to tourists on Feb. 1 after a typhoon-damaged pier and fences in a sightseeing area have been repaired, the local government said Friday. (Kyodo)

Two men have been arrested over an alleged attempt to smuggle from Thailand five otters in a carry-on bag through customs at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last October, police said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The operation of Japan's oldest monorail line will be suspended at a Tokyo zoo in November following a 62-year run as the current vehicles are getting old, the metropolitan government said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

A 59-year-old amateur hunter died after being attacked by a wild boar Sunday morning on a mountain west of Tokyo, police said. (Kyodo)

A car driven by a 79-year-old man ran onto the sidewalk near Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku Station on Wednesday afternoon, hitting and injuring five passers-by, police said. (Kyodo)

Japan's oldest chimpanzee, Johnny, has died at the estimated age of 69, a zoo in western Japan said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The Japanese talent company that runs the popular AKB48 band and its numerous spin-off groups is in hot water over its handling of the assault of a member of one of its local girls units, with the victim having to apologize in public for "the trouble caused" after coming forward with her ordeal. (Kyodo)

At least one in eleven people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to a survey conducted by advertising giant Dentsu Inc., while more than two-thirds of respondents were familiar with the acronym LGBT. (Kyodo)

A major Japanese weekly has apologized for using sexually degrading and discriminatory terms against women in part of an article on dating parties amid growing criticism shared in an online petition campaign. (Kyodo)

Japan is stepping up efforts to expand automatic train operations to cope with a possible shortage of drivers amid its declining population, with East Japan Railway Co. conducting its latest self-driving test on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line on Monday. (Kyodo)

Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire known for having been named as the first private passenger to orbit the moon, has now become tweeter of the most retweeted tweet of all time by announcing he will give 1 million yen ($9,200) to 100 people each. (Kyodo)

Flight cancellations due to heavy snow in Hokkaido, northern Japan, left around 2,000 travelers stranded overnight at a key airport through Sunday, right at the end of the country's New Year holidays. (Kyodo)

Japan Airlines Co. said Tuesday an internal probe has concluded that a female flight attendant who tested positive for alcohol last week consumed alcohol while on duty. (Kyodo)

Japanese prosecutors re-arrested Nissan Motor Co Ltd's ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn on Friday on fresh allegations of making Nissan shoulder 1.85 billion yen in personal investment losses, dashing chances he would be released on bail imminently. (Japan Today)

A famous hot spa resort is offering an online map showing "onsen" spots available for tattooed tourists traveling to the region for next year's Rugby World Cup in Japan. (Kyodo)