Kyohei Tsutsumi, a veteran composer of popular Japanese songs that impacted the country’s music scene in the 1970s and 1980s, has died of aspiration pneumonia, sources close to the matter said Monday. He was 80. (Japan Times)

The prefectural government of Niigata issued a special warning about wild bear encounters on Monday, a day after a woman died from injuries sustained in an attack when she was working on a farm earlier in the month. (Japan Today)

More than 1,800 people committed suicide in Japan last month. Officials say the number of suicides rose during each of the last three months compared to the same months in 2019. (NHK)

Budget airlines operating in Japan have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with many struggling due to huge declines in passenger demand. ()

A growing number of Japanese companies in the retail and service sectors are turning shop space into shared rental space to meet demand for telecommuting due to the pandemic. (NHK)

A main event of a long-running festival usually held in western Japan has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The Imperial Household Agency is considering excavating Daisen Kofun in Osaka Prefecture, the country’s largest ancient burial mound, in a conservation project that could begin around next fall, sources close to the plan said Saturday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo on Sunday opened its first major community hub for LGBTQ people this month, part of a pre-Olympics project that campaigners hope will tackle stigma and raise awareness of discrimination. (Japan Today)

We are starting here on Akita: ONLY in JAPAN Fireworks Festival (ONLY in JAPAN)

The number of suicides rose in Japan in August due to more women and school-aged children taking their own lives — offering a first glimpse into the consequences of the mental health strain brought about by COVID-19 around the globe. (Japan Times)

Japan's health ministry is conducting an online survey to find out how the coronavirus is affecting mental health. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 146 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday. (NHK)

Tropical storm Chan-hom is moving away from Tokyo's remote southern islands. Meteorological officials say the worst of the rain is over, but call for continued caution against landslides. (NHK)

Japan will consider easing regulations on the sale of emergency contraceptive pills without a prescription, the health minister said Friday, taking a step toward allowing the kind of over-the-counter birth control that is already available in dozens of other countries. (Japan Times)

Pressures for public aid are mounting in the Japanese aviation market, with no rebound in sight for air travel, as full-service and budget airlines are preparing further cost-cutting measures that will hit their employees and routes. (Nikkei)

Japan's Justice Ministry is considering doing away with a requirement that people registering marriages or divorces must stamp documents with "hanko," or personal seals. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has explained more about the government's decision last week to reject six candidates for the Science Council. (NHK)

A survey in Japan has found that many children's sleep patterns have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

From the outside, Yuko Takeuchi seemed to have a golden life. She had won Japan’s top acting award three times and had recently given birth to her second child. A graceful beauty, she appeared in a box-office favorite last year and advertisements for a top ramen brand. (Japan Times)

As the fall semester kicked off, universities in Tokyo and the surrounding area, where daily new COVID-19 cases are still relatively high, have been slow in shifting to physical classes. (Japan Times)

The University of Tokyo is planning to issue its first bond, amid dwindling government grants and subsidies. (NHK)

The Japanese government has decided to conduct a set of ceremonies on November 8 to proclaim Crown Prince Akishino as the heir to the throne. (NHK)

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday that Japan will contribute more than $130 million to an international framework to ensure that developing countries have fair access to coronavirus vaccines. (Kyodo)

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Japanese retailers are seeing a rebound in business as the government tries to balance keeping coronavirus under control with stoking the economy. (Nikkei)