At the time of writing, Japan are well on course to finish at the top of Group F in their attempts to qualify for the highly-anticipated 2022 Asia World Cup. (newsonjapan.com)

Tourist boats operating in Tokyo Bay, including traditional roofed boats serving food and drinks, are worried that their business will be hurt when next summer's Olympics and Paralympics water games prevent them from operating on popular routes during the high season. (Japan Today)

People in Japan are in shock over a violent murder. (NHK)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have visited ancestral mausoleums to report the completion of rites signifying the Emperor's enthronement. (NHK)

Executives at firms around the world increasingly see Japan as a lucrative place to do business. Investment in the country in 2018 has set a new record for a fifth year. (NHK)

Japan's Foreign Ministry says a Japanese man in his 50s has been in the custody of Chinese authorities in the southern inland province of Hunan since July. (NHK)

The government is considering incorporating more part-timers into the employee pension program by requiring companies with smaller workforces to participate, according to government sources. (Japan Times)

A Japanese manufacturer is set to embark on a risky mass production process for OLED panels -- the next generation of electronic displays -- that will test whether the company can find more success than another government-backed challenger. (Nikkei)

Some Japanese lawmakers giggled this week during a drill to practice the use of disaster prevention helmets, at least one of which was put on backwards, prompting Twitter users to question if they were making light of a life-and-death matter. (Japan Today)

People spending long hours at gaming have a tendency to experience adverse effects at school or work and develop physical or mental problems, a Japanese national health institute's survey showed Wednesday. (Japan Today)

yoto has long been considered the cultural heart of Japan, and with good reason. For centuries, the city’s temples, gardens, and other scenic sights have been prompting poets and painters to move brush and pen with their serene beauty. (Japan Today)

A senior member of Japan's largest organized crime syndicate was shot dead Wednesday in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture by a man armed with a submachine gun and a handgun amid a possible gang feud, police said. (Japan Today)

A nuclear power plant reactor that was damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster and idled under stricter safety standards following the Fukushima crisis won approval from the nuclear watchdog on Wednesday for operations to resume. (Japan Times)

Two men were referred to prosecutors Tuesday on suspicion of smuggling into Japan two rare perentie lizards, a protected species under the Washington Convention, police said. (Japan Today)

The suspect in a deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co studio suffered life-threatening burns on 90 percent of his body and has undergone surgeries without using donor skin, in the first case of such procedures for critical burns, medical sources said Tuesday. (Japan Today)

China, South Korea and Japan will hold a new round of negotiations on the trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) this week in Seoul, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday. (Xinhua)

Japanese materials maker Showa Denko has moved to spend roughly 900 billion yen ($8.26 billion), or double its market value, to purchase domestic rival Hitachi Chemical, demonstrating its resolve to remain relevant in today's global industry. (Nikkei)

Top Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo will offer customers a free year of Amazon Prime as telecom and tech companies form alliances ahead of next spring's rollout of ultrafast 5G wireless service. (Nikkei)

A famed Tokyo sushi restaurant where Barack Obama is said to have enjoyed the best sushi of his life has been dropped from the latest Michelin gourmet guide after it stopped accepting reservations from the general public. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government plans to promote quantum technology as part of its national strategy. (NHK)

Gender equality is a topic that has become more prevalent in recent years. Governments, businesses, and the media have all been seeking to find ways to address the imbalances between men and women. One big area of this is the gender pay gap. (newsonjapan.com)

Countries playing host to the Olympics usually get a medal “bounce,” pushed by cheering fans and the advantage of being at home. (Japan Today)

Japanese births are on pace for the steepest drop in three decades, plunging even by comparison to the declines in recent years, despite earlier hopes that couples would ring in the new Imperial era with an addition to the family. (Nikkei)

A former professional boxer who spent 48 years in prison for murders he says he did not commit was among some 50,000 people greeting Pope Francis as he entered Tokyo Dome to celebrate Mass on Monday. (Japan Times)

Sales at major restaurant chains in Japan plunged in October due to the effects of Typhoon Hagibis and the consumption tax hike at the start of the month. (NHK)