The artistic commercial secured a Grand Prix win as well as a gold award for the film category. (soranews24.com)

Cases of syphilis infections this year totaled 6,096 as of Nov. 18, exceeding an annual amount of 6,000 for the first time since 1970, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Ten traditional rituals of Japan featuring people in masks and costumes are expected to be added to the list of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage. (NHK)

Japan's gross domestic product could fall by over 25% in the next 40 years as its population declines, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday, urging the government to boost productivity through structural reform to mitigate the damage. (Nikkei)

Huge maglev shinkansen emergency exit shaft unveiled in Tokyo (Japan Times)

Officials at major beverage maker Kirin are dropping their biggest domestic whisky brand. They say it's too difficult to maintain supply amid a recent spike in sales. (NHK)

A patrol robot equipped with artificial intelligence is being tested at a Tokyo railway station. (NHK)

Japan is revamping its automotive tax system to impose levies based on mileage, as revolution in green and sharing technologies squeeze revenue under the current framework. (Nikkei)

Japanese messaging app provider LINE is teaming up with Mizuho Financial Group to launch a bank. It will not have any outlets and specialize only in providing services for smartphone users. (NHK)

Koji Hanada, who was a sumo grand champion and stablemaster under the name Takanohana, has divorced former TV announcer Keiko, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Japan Today)

Japan's government is considering tweaking its method for calculating defense spending, amid calls by the United States for allies to shoulder more of the burden. (NHK)

Japan will make companies responsible for explaining decisions made by artificial intelligence software they use, according to a government draft of legal guidelines shared with Nikkei. (Nikkei)

The Lower House of the Diet has passed a bill to accept more foreign workers to help address Japan's serious labor shortages. (NHK)

The board of Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors, which is allied with Renault and Nissan, voted unanimously Monday to dismiss Carlos Ghosn as its chairman following his arrest last week. (Japan Today)

Six people were found dead on Monday at a home in Takachiho Town in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. (NHK)

A snow crab caught in the western Japan prefecture of Tottori earlier this month has been recognized by Guinness World Records as receiving the most expensive-ever bid for a crab at auction, the prefectural government said. (Japan Today)

The hotel industry will be listed as lying within the scope of the type two trainee status under the government's technical intern training program for foreign nationals, officials have said. (Japan Times)

A surprising career turn for the legendary rocker as he reviews a new brand of cream. (soranews24.com)

The removal of Carlos Ghosn as chairman of Nissan Motor reveals deep tensions inside the Japanese automaker's alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors, as the partners struggle to chart a future without the charismatic leader who held them all together. (Nikkei)

The Japanese city of Osaka will host the 2025 World Expo. The city won a 3-way race over 2 rounds of voting at the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris on Friday. (NHK)

The character for katsu (activity) is generating a host of neologisms. Konkatsu means "marriage activity" – spouse-hunting. Papa-katsu is something some teenage girls do – offering themselves as companions, sexual or not, to older men in return for pocket money. (Japan Today)

While the human interaction that's the primary focus of the Japanese Association for Sex Education is right there in the organization's name, its researchers realize that intercourse usually isn't something that occurs without some sort of buildup of attraction and affection. (soranews24.com)

Japan plans to give a 5 percent reward-point rebate to consumers on some payments made through credit cards and other cashless means as a way of underpinning domestic demand after a planned tax increase next October, government officials said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Officials at Japan Airlines apparently started asking passengers on an overbooked flight if they were willing to take other planes only about 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time. (NHK)

A man who suffered severe burns after having his head shoved into a pot of boiling liquid at a year-end party in 2015 said Thursday that he plans to sue his former boss over the incident. (Japan Times)