Hardly a day goes by without news of SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son. The global technology investor is convinced that the future belongs to artificial intelligence, but he is also dissatisfied with his performance today and what he sees as a lack of drive in the Japanese business world. (Nikkei)

The number of babies born in Japan is declining even faster than expected, highlighting the need to support families in order to avert even greater strain on the nation's social safety net and economy. (Nikkei)

Japan’s Naomi Osaka came from a set down to beat French Open champion and world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty on Sunday and win the China Open. (Japan Times)

Airbnb's chief executive is optimistic about the company's prospects in the year ahead, saying he expects next summer's Tokyo Games to provide a much-needed boost in Japan while the home-sharing service heads into its planned stock market flotation with a "very healthy balance sheet." (Nikkei)

The European Union has informed the Japanese government that it will likely ease import restrictions on Japanese food products before the end of the year. (NHK)

Kotaro Matsushima scored a bonus-point try deep into injury time as Japan moved to the brink of their first Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with a 38-19 Pool A victory over Samoa at the City of Toyota Stadium on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Japan will require technology companies to seek approval for mergers and acquisitions worth 40 billion yen ($374 million) or more, Nikkei has learned, under proposals put together by a digital antitrust committee convened for the first time Friday. (Nikkei)

Japan’s space agency says its Hayabusa2 spacecraft has released a small rover that will land on the surface of an asteroid as part its final mission before heading back to Earth. (Japan Today)

With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars. (Japan Times)

The Rugby World Cup is bringing waves of foreign visitors to venues throughout Japan, along with their spending to areas often overlooked in favor of big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. (Nikkei)

A male teacher at an elementary school in western Japan has complained of being bullied by four senior colleagues, claiming they daubed curry on his body and rubbed spicy soup against his eyes, a local education board said Friday. (Japan Today)

A Japanese court ruled on Thursday against a government deportation order issued to a U.S. activist opposing dolphin hunts when he tried to enter Japan three years ago. (Kyodo)

Head to the winding streets of Tokyo’s trendy Omotesando district on any given day and you’ll see young South Korean women taking selfies in front of popular cafes or snapping photos of their logo-emblazoned coffee cups. (Japan Times)

A Japanese airline seat-booking system that shows where young children will be sitting on flights is stirring controversy through overseas media and social networking services. (NHK)

Japan has a problem. More and more tourists are visiting but very few of them leave the trail between Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Shinobu Sato, a Japanese soprano singer known for her performances in European and American opera houses, has died, her office said Thursday. She was 61. (Kyodo)

The gambling laws in Japan are not the easiest to work out and understand. The big point is that no legal casinos exist in the country, although that doesn’t stop other forms of gambling from existing as a stand alone service. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan is ready to share, as requested by South Korea, information related to the launch a day earlier of what North Korea claims to have been a submarine-launched ballistic missile, government sources said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Typhoon Mitag, which is traveling across the Sea of Japan and has brought torrential rain to the western region, was downgraded Thursday to an extratropical cyclone, but powerful winds were still expected in areas facing the sea, the weather agency said. (Japan Times)

Japan staff of Uber Technologies Inc.’s food delivery service Uber Eats formed a labor union Thursday to negotiate contract terms and seek improved working conditions. (Japan Times)

North Korea's state-run media reports that the country has succeeded in test-firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM. (NHK)

The consumption tax hike to 10 percent Tuesday has left low-income households already struggling to make ends meet worrying about how to cope with the higher cost of living. (Japan Times)

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. has terminated its embattled 7pay smartphone-based cashless payment service, leaving around 400,000 users still with unused deposits in the service. (Japan Times)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday Japan's national interests are protected under a trade agreement with the United States but he vowed to prepare measures to address the concerns of farmers in the country before the pact takes effect. (Kyodo)

More than 330 coins were found in the stomach of a dead alligator in a central Japan zoo in May, apparently having been swallowed over a span of decades as visitors tossed spare change into the pond while making a wish. (Kyodo)