Saudi Arabia and Japan set the stage for strong trade ties by exchanging 26 pre-signed economic agreements between the two nations on Sunday at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah. (arabnews.com)

The Kishida administration last month announced its new hydrogen strategy, a key thrust in efforts to achieve decarbonization, a stable energy supply and economic growth. (The Diplomat)

Sprawling heaps of golden grains of sand rise in peaks toward the hot sun. From the base of the desert’s tallest dune, a bright blue sky peeks out from beyond the vast expanse. (CNN)

The Japanese government on Wednesday eased its travel warning over the coronavirus pandemic for 54 countries and a region, including Indonesia and the Philippines, and is no longer requesting that residents in Japan refrain from nonessential trips to those nations. (Kyodo)

For months, Kazumi Sato, a nutritionist at a middle school in eastern Tokyo, has received notices about hikes in ingredient prices. (todayonline.com)

Scientifically named Stylobates calcifer, the new sea anemone species lives in a symbiotic relationship with a species of hermit crab called Pagurodofleinia doederleini. (sci-news.com)

Fusako Shigenobu, the founder of the now-disbanded Japanese Red Army militant organization that committed a string of terrorist attacks around the world in the 1970s and 1980s, was released from prison on Saturday after serving a 20-year sentence. (Nikkei)

The United States is poised to remove five extremist groups, all believed to be defunct, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations, including several that once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. (13newsnow.com)

The Japanese government eased travel advisories for 106 nations and territories on Friday, with the vast majority happening for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. (Nikkei)

Japan Post is set to raise its rates for international shipping to some areas. The company cites soaring transportation costs amid the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

Despite Shell exiting a landmark LNG plant that has served as a symbol of cooperation between Tokyo and Moscow, Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. are sticking with the Sakhalin-2 project, the source of nearly 10% of Japan's liquefied natural gas imports. (Nikkei)

In the middle of this month, crossbows, as well as pistol-type bow guns, will become illegal to possess. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed on Thursday to do his utmost to push for meaningful progress at a January meeting to review the Non-Proliferation Treaty and encourage action to rid the world of nuclear weapons. (kfgo.com)

The disproportionate weight of rural voters in Japan gives sparsely populated parts of the country more representation — and more government largess — than urban areas, perpetuating what critics call an unfair system. (nytimes.com)

Amazon Prime Video has commissioned a Japanese adaptation of Australian comedy No Activity as an Amazon Original. (tbivision.com)

A team of researchers affiliated with several entities in Japan has found evidence that the Japanese wolf is the closest known relative of domestic dogs. (phys.org)

In support of the 'big nose, big hose' theory, a scientific study has found that men with larger noses do indeed have longer penises. (nation.lk)

One afternoon at an elementary school on the outskirts of Cairo, first-grade Egyptian students were busy wiping their desks clean and sweeping the floor with brooms under the supervision of teaching staff. (Japan Times)

She’s worried about side effects and has faith in the precautions already underway. The 32-year-old elite athlete isn’t alone. (washingtonpost.com)

A 35-year-old man on trial over the alleged sexual abuse, including rape, of several young girls in Nara Prefecture has admitted to the allegations, reports NHK (Dec. 1) (tokyoreporter.com)

A significant pair of retirement announcements came in the middle of the ongoing November Grand Sumo Tournament. (Japan Times)

Over the coming decade, Japan will get economic tailwinds from a force never before experienced in economic history anywhere on this scale: the country's gigantic stock of record household savings will become unstuck. (Japan Times)

Law enforcement divisions in three prefectures have located three girls after they were allegedly abducted in separate incidents. (tokyoreporter.com)

McDonald's Holdings (Japan) has staged a dramatic comeback in the five years since a crisis triggered by food-safety scandals, breaking sales records and thriving on takeout demand in the middle of a pandemic. (Nikkei)

It was around the middle of February when the first scintilla of doubt began to form in Yu Okada’s mind that his April 4 wedding might not proceed as planned. (Japan Times)