The last of the Kounotori unmanned cargo vessels ended its final mission Thursday as it burned up re-entering the Earth's atmosphere after transporting supplies to the International Space Station, the country's space agency said. (Kyodo)

Alcohol sanitizers and clinical thermometers have become two of the most critical must-have items for those working in the food-service industry in Japan as they struggle to recover from the impact of coronavirus. (Japan Today)

In the aftermath of Japan’s defeat in Manchuria, sexual abuse termed then as “sexual entertainment” happened. During the Second World War, some 600 people from the formerly Kurokawa village in Gifu Prefecture settled in Manchuria under a government plan. (TV ASAHI)

The number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo on Thursday is 339. It's over 300 for the first time in 5 days. (NHK)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to work Wednesday after a three-day summer break that included a hospital visit, leading to speculation he is suffering ill health. (Japan Times)

Japan's second largest opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, has decided to dissolve itself and form a new one through a merger with the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party. (NHK)

A prominent infectious disease expert in Japan is warning that the country is in the midst of second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The alarm comes as the number of seriously ill patients has been rising. (NHK)

The Japanese government has been criticized by environmental groups for its weak presence and slow response in tackling an oil spill disaster caused by a Japanese freighter that ran aground off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean last month. (Kyodo)

Nissan Motor Co. has been ordered to pay several hundreds of millions of yen in back taxes in connection with misuse of funds by the Japanese automaker under former boss Carlos Ghosn, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Olympic organizers have settled on preserving the torch relay schedule developed for 2020 to be used in next year's postponed games, officials with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Osaka became the top prefecture in the number of new coronavirus cases in Japan with 187, eclipsing Tokyo by one. (Japan Times)

You know the world is really upside down when Masayoshi Son decides to become a day trader. (Nikkei)

Fukuoka City, the operator of the key western Japanese port of Hakata, has drawn up a policy that rejects port calls by cruise ships until an effective treatment or vaccine for COVID-19 is established. (NHK)

People in Tokyo are struggling with the scorching summer heat. Health officials say 79 people died of heatstroke in the capital this month. (NHK)

There are a lot of things that can ruin a night out, like a restaurant losing your reservation, tickets for the movie you were hoping to see being sold out, or missing the last train and having to catch an expensive cab home instead. Or, in the case of Junichi Maehara last Saturday, getting shot. (soranews24.com)

On paper, the nation's low unemployment rate suggests an economy weathering the novel coronavirus reasonably well, but official figures belie worsening prospects for the country’s army of temporary workers, who make up about 40 percent of the employment market. (Japan Times)

Women currently occupy less than 8% of management positions in corporate Japan, a dismal figure showing that equal opportunity in the workplace remains elusive despite the government's bullish promises. (Nikkei)

Health officials in Japan are dealing with an increase in coronavirus infections. They're calling for vigilance as the number of seriously ill patients is on the rise. (NHK)

Sometime after 11 p.m. on the night of July 29, a 30-something woman was walking back to her home in the Bunka neighborhood of Tokyo’s Sumida Ward when a man on a bicycle rapidly approached her from behind. (soranews24.com)

A group of Ainu, an ethnic minority in northern Japan, filed a lawsuit Monday against authorities to grant them an exemption from a ban on the commercial fishing of salmon in rivers. (Japan Times)

Japan's major department store chains say their sales sharply dropped in the first half of August due to the resurgence of the coronavirus, which is keeping many shoppers at home. (NHK)

Japan's imperial family has decided to forgo their summer retreat outside Tokyo due to the coronavirus outbreak. (NHK)

Japanese authorities reported 644 new coronavirus cases nationwide on Monday, including 161 in Tokyo. (NHK)

The Tokyo Metropolitan government confirmed 207 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Tuesday. (NHK)

The scorching heat currently gripping Japan has sent the temperature shooting up to 41.1 degrees Celsius in the central Japan city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. (NHK)