One day after Sony announced it was charging ahead to a second consecutive year of record profits, rival Japanese electronics maker Panasonic released much gloomier results on Wednesday, with net profit sliding 4% to 113.6 billion yen ($1.01 billion) for the six months ended Sept. 30. (Nikkei)

People in western Japan are protesting against a crime syndicate for giving away Halloween treats. (NHK)

Police in Fukuoka said Tuesday that a 43-year-old Sri Lankan man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a taxi and reckless driving resulting in injury by crashing into a car as he fled from police. (Japan Today)

Job availability in Japan improved to a fresh 44-year high in September as companies sought to ramp up hiring, government data showed Tuesday. (Japan Today)

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party's decision-making body has approved a bill to revise the immigration control law to increase the number of foreign workers from next April. (NHK)

About 70 dignitaries including imperial family members and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday attended the wedding banquet of the former Princess Ayako, the youngest daughter of Emperor Akihito's late cousin, and her husband Kei Moriya in Tokyo following their marriage the previous day. (Kyodo)

Teachers and officials at elementary, junior high and high schools across Japan are working more than 11 hours per day on average, raising concern about serious health repercussions or even deaths, a government survey showed Tuesday. (Kyodo)

South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered a Japanese steelmaker on Tuesday to compensate Korean men forced to toil in its factory for Japan’s World War II efforts, a landmark ruling that threatened to intensify friction between America’s two key allies in Asia. (nytimes.com)

Sumo wrestler Takanoiwa has withdrawn a damages suit against former yokozuna Harumafuji, claiming he can no longer tolerate harassment of his family by his fellow Mongolians. (NHK)

The Imperial Household Agency said Monday that it will fully start offering Chinese guided tours around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday, in an addition to the existing Japanese and English tours. (Japan Times)

India and Japan on Monday inked a $75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement which should bring greater stability to foreign exchange and capital markets in Asia's third largest economy. (Nikkei)

A Japanese princess gave up her royal status on Monday as she tied the knot with a commoner in a traditional Shinto ceremony at a Tokyo shrine. (telegraph.co.uk)

Paul McCartney was greeted by about 500 fans upon arrival at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Monday night, ahead of his seventh concert tour in Japan. (Kyodo)

A Japanese rocket on Monday lifted the United Arab Emirates’ first locally made satellite into orbit successfully from a space centre in southern Japan. (financialpost.com)

Far out to sea from the city of Tokyo, over 1,000 kilometers away are Tokyo's hidden islands called the Ogasawaras. Few tourists have ever heard of them. It's off the tourist radar. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have held talks at Abe's holiday home in central Japan. (NHK)

A girl injured a teacher when she leaped from a school building in Okayama City last week in an apparent suicide attempt, local authorities said, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan’s rowdy, cosplay-themed Halloween celebrations have become famous around the world, with young people congregating in city hot spots and theme parks where they snap selfies in outrageous outfits and ghoulish get-ups. (Japan Times)

This year's first shipment of Beaujolais Nouveau wine arrived at Haneda airport on Saturday morning. Importer Suntory Wine International said 3,024 bottles arrived on a JAL flight at 5 a.m. (Japan Today)

The winner of Game 1 of the 2018 Japan Series was, well, nobody. (Japan Times)

A reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, has gone back online after being suspended for about one year. (NHK)

Beauty pageant contestants from across the world have visited Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, which is still reeling from the impact of a major quake last month. (NHK)

Several people were injured Friday after a man sprayed chemical compounds appearing to be tear gas near JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, police said. (Japan Times)

Thousands of candles were lit on Saturday in Australia's national capital to celebrate 25 years of sister city ties between Canberra and Japan's ancient capital of Nara. (Kyodo)

The rapprochement between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping led to some candid exchanges during the two leaders' meetings on Friday, including some strong words of discontent from Xi toward U.S. President Donald Trump's trade pressure. (Nikkei)