Welcome to Harumi Island, a virtually unknown new neighborhood not too far away from Ginza! (ONLY in JAPAN)

Tokyo’s Toyosu Neighborhood in Koto award is home to the first 7-Eleven in Japan and a history going back to the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Yokota Shigeru, the father of a woman who was abducted by North Korea, died on Friday. He was 87 years old. He spent more than four decades trying to get his daughter back, but was unable to meet her again. (NHK)

Japan's household spending suffered a record drop in April, as families spent more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Across Japan, public officials and private companies are working on ways to prepare for - and try to prevent - a second wave of coronavirus infections. (NHK)

A new matrix barcode system will soon be introduced across Japan for cashless payments using smartphones. The JPQR code will be compatible with more than a dozen independent systems now operating in Japan. (NHK)

As Japan is considering ways to safely ease travel restrictions over the new coronavirus, travelers to and from the country will be required to undergo testing for COVID-19 and submit a trip itinerary, government sources said Friday. (Japan Today)

Japan's coronavirus-hit tourism sector expects a rebound to take between one to two years after being hit by huge customer losses, a Nikkei survey shows. (Nikkei)

The number of babies born in Japan totaled 865,234 in 2019, down 53,166 from the previous year and marking the lowest level on record, government data showed Friday. (Japan Today)

Smash Japan announced today that the 2020 edition of Fuji Rock Festival will be postponed due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19. (Japan Times)

A Japanese district court on Thursday rejected a request by a man to overturn a prefectural commission's decision deeming him ineligible for victims' compensation as a surviving family member after his same-sex partner was murdered. (Kyodo)

A western Japan city initially excluded people with no bank account from the blanket cash handout program as part of the central government's coronavirus response on the assumption that most such citizens belong to organized crime groups. (Kyodo)

As Japan returns to work from coronavirus restrictions, its notoriously crowded trains - almost a symbol of its celebrated work ethic - are raising fears about a resurgence of infections. (Japan Today)

Finance Minister Taro Aso said Thursday that Japan's relatively low mortality rate from the new coronavirus reflects the country's higher "level of social manners." (Kyodo)

A 23-year-old university student was arrested Thursday in connection with the killing of three members of his family with arrows fired from a crossbow at his home in Hyogo, western Japan, police said. (Kyodo)

A pair of Japanese companies have developed a novel way to be stylish and antiseptic at the same time: a clothing fabric that kills microbes with tiny electric shocks generated by the wearer's movements. (Nikkei)

Tokyo confirmed 28 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, two days after Gov. Yuriko Koike issued a Tokyo Alert in a sign of a possible resurgence of infections in the capital. (Japan Times)

The Universal Studios Japan movie theme park will prohibit visitors from giving high-fives or hugs to staff members in character costumes when it reopens Monday, the operator said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Two Yomiuri Giants players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Central League team announced Wednesday, casting a shadow over Nippon Professional Baseball's plan to start the 2020 season on June 19. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he maintains the goal of raising the country's minimum wage, while taking into account the situations of small- and medium-sized companies reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The Chinese government has stepped up the number of visas being issued to Japanese citizens after limiting it for months following the coronavirus pandemic, a diplomatic source familiar with bilateral ties said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japan has reported 31 new confirmed COVID-19 cases with the total reaching 17,031, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities on Wednesday. (china.org.cn)

Police in Aomori City have arrested a 35-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of killing his 61-year-old mother at their home last week. (Japan Today)

Tokyo has a spike yesterday of 34 infections and Gov. Koike put Tokyo on Alert. Basically Rainbow Bridge and the Metropolitan Government Building turned bright red. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Japanese casual clothing chain Uniqlo will open a new outlet Friday in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood, marking a homecoming eight years in the making to the city's vibrant hub for youth fashion. (Nikkei)