The suspect in last week’s deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio may have walked for hours scouting the company headquarters and the nearby area the day before the fire, even bringing gas containers to the site, investigative sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Organizers and official partners of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games ramped up decorations in parts of the city and held events at Haneda airport on Tuesday, one day before Japan starts the one-year countdown to the opening of the games. (Kyodo)

Coca-Cola in October will take an alcoholic drink nationwide in Japan as the global soft drink giant attempts to diversify its way out of the mature and crowded soda pop market with an "alcopop" offering. (Nikkei)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito won a majority of seats in the country's upper house election on Sunday, paving the way for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned consumption tax hike in October. (Nikkei)

Despite a record number of women winning seats in Sunday's House of Councillors election, some female voters have cast doubt over the government's pledge to help empower women. (Japan Today)

Muneo Suzuki, a veteran politician with close ties to Russia, won a seat in Sunday’s House of Councilors election, returning to the Diet for the first time since being forced out by a conviction in 2010. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and International Surfing Association got a hint of what to expect when surfing makes its Olympic debut next year following a successful test at the competition's venue on Tsurigasaki Beach. (Kyodo)

Police on Monday detained six South Koreans for allegedly illegally entering a Japanese diplomatic facility in South Korea and staging an anti-Tokyo demonstration there. (Japan Today)

Bowing and at times teary, the president of Japanese entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co said Monday he wants to withdraw punishment of two popular comedians over their paid appearance at a party for a group of swindlers and apologized to them for mishandling the aftermath. (Japan Today)

After Sunday’s election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party — along with its coalition partner Komeito — remains firmly in the saddle with a strong majority in both the Upper and Lower Houses of the Diet. (Japan Times)

After reporting more than 5,000 cases in 2017, the first time that happened in more than 4 decades and nearly 7,000 cases in 2018, the first time since 1970, Japan continues to see the sexually transmitted infection, syphilis at high levels in the first half of 2019. (outbreaknewstoday.com)

Japan's ruling coalition is set to maintain control of the Upper House following Sunday's election. But it fell short of maintaining a key threshold. The coalition and lawmakers in favor of amending the Constitution will not hold a two-thirds majority of the chamber. (NHK)

Two wheelchair-bound candidates won seats in Japan’s upper house vote on Sunday, media projections showed, a sign of changing attitudes towards disabled people in a country where they have long been encouraged to stay in the shadow. (Reuters)

Unstable atmospheric conditions caused by moist air flowing into a tropical storm are dumping heavy rain in some parts of western Japan, especially the northern Kyushu region. (NHK)

The tragedy that struck Kyoto Animation has sent shock waves across the world, as the Japanese studio's works are highly regarded both at home and abroad. (Nikkei)

Asahi Group Holdings, Japan's biggest brewer, has struck a deal to acquire leading Australian player Carlton and United Breweries. (Nikkei)

The internal affairs ministry will test online voting for Japanese citizens living abroad in an effort to raise voter turnout among such people in elections. (Japan Times)

East Japan Railway Co. and 25 other railway operators in the Kanto area said Thursday they will sell a three-day train pass for foreign visitors during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. (Japan Times)

A man who attempted to drive a car filled with flammable fuels into the Japanese Embassy here early Friday died in the hospital after suffering burns when the vehicle ignited. (Nikkei)

Japan, China and six other economies of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission agreed for the first time Thursday to set annual catch quotas for saury, aimed at addressing fishery resource depletion. (Japan Times)

A top Japanese comedian, suspended by his talent agency for conducting an “underground business” operation, has decided to retire from the entertainment industry, sources close to the matter said Friday. (Japan Times)

Police say 33 people were killed and 35 others were wounded by fire after a suspected arson attack at an animation studio in Japan's western city of Kyoto. (NHK)

It may not be as famous as Japanese anime legend Studio Ghibli, but Kyoto Animation has many core fans and is known as a team of skilled animators that provides top-quality work for others and can produce its own hits, such as "Lucky Star," ''K-On!" and the "Haruhi Suzumiya" series. (Japan Today)

Parts of western Japan have been pummeled by heavy rain due to Tropical Storm Danas. (NHK)

Ornately decorated floats paraded through Japan's ancient capital Kyoto on Wednesday at the climax of the annual Gion Festival. (NHK)