A rollercoaster at an amusement park in Osaka suddenly stopped in midair on Friday, leaving more than 30 passengers stuck face-down for half an hour before being rescued. No one was injured. (NHK)

The new giant panda cub born at a Tokyo zoo has been named Shan Shan, or Xiang Xiang in Chinese, a source familiar with the case said Monday ahead of the metropolitan government's announcement on the naming later in the day. (Kyodo)

Over 60 percent of Japanese voters do not support Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's reported plan to dissolve the House of Representatives later this month to call an election, a Kyodo News poll showed Sunday. (Japan Today)

A 31-year-old Filipino on an international wanted list for suspected involvement in a 2004 rape and murder in baraki Prefecture on Thursday admitted his guilt to Kyodo News. (Japan Today)

The surf breaks of Okuragahama Beach in Miyazaki, Kyushu are set to welcome the world's top junior surfers Saturday at the 2017 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championships. (Kyodo)

Princess Kako, a granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, departed Tuesday for Britain where she will study at the University of Leeds as an exchange student until June next year. (Kyodo)

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has released a video of auroras that are believed to have appeared due to a solar flare - an explosion on the sun's surface - that occurred on Wednesday. (the-japan-news.com)

Russia-bound Japan were condemned to a 1-0 defeat away to Saudi Arabia in their final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night, a result that saw the Gulf state pip Australia for an automatic place at next year's finals. (Kyodo)

The world's fastest man Usain Bolt delighted local children and "maiko" in Kyoto on Tuesday, with his trademark "lightning bolt" pose as he attended a promotional event for Swiss watchmaker Hublot. (Kyodok)

Police in Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, said Wednesday they have arrested a 35-year-old male of Peruvian nationality on suspicion of abandoning the body of the six-year-old daughter of his common-law wife. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government is likely to stipulate for the first time in law that the Ainu are an "indigenous people" of the nation, sources familiar with the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

A police dog on Monday received an award from the Metropolitan Police Department for locating a gun that led to the arrest of a crime syndicate member. (Kyodo)

A temporary police box opened Monday in the Japanese whaling town that was the focus of the Academy Award-winning documentary "The Cove," to monitor activities by antiwhalers ahead of the start in September of the dolphin hunting season. (Kyodo)

Some 10,000 fireworks were set off Thursday evening at a beach within the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage-listed Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. (Kyodo)

A tour bus fell off a road on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Friday, leaving dozens of passengers injured, local police said. (Kyodo)

A high-level Japanese government official denounced a Korean bus company Tuesday for putting "comfort woman" statues on its five buses running in Seoul, urging the Korean government to take "appropriate measures." (koreatimes.co.kr)

A giant panda cub at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo is growing steadily 2 months after her birth. (NHK)

Nine people died and around 30 sustained injuries while engaging in leisure activities at sea, on mountains or at other spots Sunday, when people were taking advantage of the Bon holiday season, according to a tally compiled by Kyodo News. (Japan Times)

Over a million performers and spectators will flock to a western Japanese city this weekend for one of the country's largest dance festivals, after organizers stepped up efforts to accommodate foreign visitors. (Japan Today)

A Tokyo personnel dispatch company unveiled a new farm on the 13th floor of its Tokyo headquarters on Wednesday. (Kyodo)

While allowing female employees to take maternity leave is becoming increasingly the norm in Japan's private sector, women in politics can still face a storm of criticism even for getting pregnant. (Kyodo)

YouTube star Piko Taro, best known for his viral hit song "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen," announced Friday he has tied the knot with model girlfriend Hitomi Yasueda. (Kyodo)

A Japanese hospital has set up a project team to consider womb transplants for women born without a uterus or whose uterus has been surgically removed for cancer or other conditions, the hospital told Kyodo News on Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Former world number four Kimiko Date has been invited to play in next month's Japan Women's Open barely a fortnight before she turns 47, the Japan Tennis Association said on Wednesday. (Japan Today)

The rainy season appears to be over in the Hokuriku and Tohoku regions in central and northeastern Japan, the weather agency said Wednesday, declaring an end to the early summer wet season throughout the Japanese archipelago. (Kyodo)