Tokyo's municipal government is preparing a pilot program that will grant electronic money to people demonstrating acts of good citizenship. (Nikkei)

Japanese consumers are rushing to buy expensive appliances, clothing and jewelry before the country's consumption tax increase on Oct. 1, retailers say, and the trend portends a drop-off in spending afterward. (Nikkei)

NHK has learned that most of the people who survived last year's deadly mudslides triggered by a powerful earthquake in Hokkaido were on the second floor of their homes. (NHK)

Yokozuna grand champion Hakuho has announced that he has obtained Japanese nationality. (NHK)

As the hike in the consumption tax approaches, consumers and businesses are worried about the confusion that might erupt from differing rates for similar goods. (Japan Times)

The Japan Olympic Museum will open in Tokyo on September 14. Members of the media were given a preview on Monday. (NHK)

Tenga, makers of Japan’s most popular line of masturbatory aids, has a surprisingly lighthearted approach to its marketing…but then again, maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising that a company that’s all about self-pleasuring is also into having fun. (soranews24.com)

Seven countries including China, Russia and Australia have won 26 of the 50 new international slots created at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in the run-up to next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, transport ministry officials said Monday. (Japan Times)

With the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics less than a year away, Tokyo police are stepping up efforts to strengthen their foreign language assistance. (Japan Times)

With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expected to reshuffle his Cabinet later this month, attention is turning to who might get what posts, and from which Liberal Democratic Party factions any new ministers might be from. ()

Police in Tokyo have arrested an 87-year-old man on suspicion of molesting an 8-year-old girl in a park in Edogawa Ward. (Japan Today)

A fire broke out at Toyota Motor Corp's technology development facility on its head office site in Aichi Prefecture on Friday, but no injuries were reported, police said. (Japan Today)

Japanese low-cost carrier Peach Aviation will start suspending flights to South Korea in October, due to a drop in bookings. It's the first airline to do so since relations between the two countries began deteriorating. (NHK)

Train and bus operators announced on Thursday plans to run more nighttime trips between Narita Airport and nearby Tokyo and Chiba to accommodate travelers taking advantage of the hub's service extension this fall. (Nikkei)

The death toll from heavy rains in Japan rose to three on Thursday, as authorities urged local authorities to stay on alert despite the lifting of some evacuation orders. (Japan Today)

Executives at Facebook have run afoul of authorities for failing to report about 4.7 million dollars in income at the firm's Japanese arm. (NHK)

Japan's squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup was announced on Thursday. The 31 members include captain Michael Leitch and hooker Shota Horie. (NHK)

The combined number of people newly found to be infected with HIV and new AIDS patients in Japan fell for the second straight year in 2018, the health ministry said Thursday. (Japan Times)

A research team from a Japanese university said Thursday it conducted the world's first transplant of corneal tissues using induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, in July. (Japan Today)

Tokyo has been ranked the world's safest city for the third year running, followed by Singapore and Osaka, according to the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit released on Thursday. (Japan Today)

Torrential rain has been pounding much of western Japan, triggering floods and landslides. The extreme weather has left two people dead and another unconscious. One person has been reported missing. (NHK)

The Defense Ministry presented a detailed plan on Wednesday for new surveys at candidate sites for deploying the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system. (Japan Times)

Kim Kardashian West’s shapewear line Kimono is no more. The new name, changed amid outcry over cultural appropriation, is SKIMS Solutionwear. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Customs on Tuesday started to make electronic customs declaration gates at Narita International Airport available to foreign nationals visiting Japan. (Japan Times)

Seoul said Wednesday it will file a World Trade Organization complaint against Japan, hours after Tokyo formally imposed additional trade restrictions on South Korea. (Nikkei)