Experts have found plastic in the stomach of a dead blue whale washed ashore in eastern Japan earlier this month. They say it is an example of how marine plastic contamination is spreading. (NHK)

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in sight, the Japanese government aims to simplify tax-free shopping by digitizing the paperwork. (Nikkei)

Where, and how, will you spend New Year's Eve? There is one place where the party goes on throughout the night and the new year is rung in to the sound of fireworks, the Tokyo resort in Chiba that makes up two of Japan's top three theme parks, and the New Year's Eve Passport as the special ticket is known, will go on sale next month. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has officially announced he will run in the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in September. (NHK)

Air guitar enthusiasts gathered in the Finnish city of Oulu on Friday to shred and strum their imaginary instruments in pursuit of the world championship of the bizarre dance form (Japan Times)

It's getting ever more crowded in the ancient capital of Nara as record numbers of two-legged visitors encounter record numbers of four-legged residents, creating concerns about the health and safety of both groups. (Japan Times)

Japan's space agency has picked 3 locations on the Ryugu asteroid for its Hayabusa-2 probe to make its first landing. It sees the asteroid's equator as the most likely point. (NHK)

Typhoon Cimaron has been downgraded to a severe tropical storm. Weather officials in Japan say it is heading north after making landfall for the second time near the western city of Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture. (NHK)

Japanese sporting goods maker ASICS Corporation and telecom giant NTT have unveiled a prototype of a new shirt with a sensor to help wearers avoid heatstroke. (NHK)

Every midsummer, much of Japan is treated to the sights and piercing sounds of cicadas. (soranews24.com)

The northward migration of fugu, or blowfish, as well as new types created through mixed breeding, are causing confusion in Tokyo's Tsukiji food market. (NHK)

20 million foreigners have visited Japan so far this year. It's the earliest in any year this milestone has been reached. (NHK)

A 14-year-old boy was arrested Sunday for allegedly stabbing a newspaper delivery woman in Osaka Prefecture in July, in what he claimed to be a random attack, police said. (Japan Today)

Japan's newest rugby stadium has been officially opened, as the country prepares to host next year's Rugby World Cup. (NHK)

About 2,000 people including children are testing their skills at scooping up goldfish in an annual event in Nara prefecture, western Japan. (NHK)

Japan's education ministry is planning to place English-speaking artificial intelligence robots in schools to help children improve their English oral communication skills. (NHK)

Police in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, are deploying 3,000 officers to find a suspect who has been on the run for a week. (NHK)

A bottle of rare Japanese whisky sold at a world-record price on Friday, the third record shattered this year for a single malt from the country. (Nikkei)

Corruption has been revealed in the Japanese sport of kendo, as the All Japan Kendo Federation said Friday that people taking promotional exams had often been paying money to their examiners in order to win their approval. (Japan Today)

The national health insurance program underwent a major reform at the start of fiscal 2018 that saw prefectures, rather than municipalities, begin managing the deficit-ridden system to improve its financial base. (Japan Times)

The first of 2 new government planes has been delivered to Japan ahead of their debut next year. (NHK)

Education in Japan is specific and works on the principle of "quality study is a guarantee of a successful career." Every Japanese usually deserves only one attempt to take a worthy place in society. However, this system has its dark side as well. (newsonjapan.com)

A rape suspect who escaped from an Osaka Prefecture police station earlier this week may have snatched purses from several people since going on the run, investigative sources said Thursday. (Japan Times)

China is expected to surpass Japan as the second-largest contributor to the general United Nations budget starting in 2019, according to the latest U.N. report on contributions. (Japan Today)

In his last official appearance at the annual ceremony commemorating the end of World War II, Emperor Akihito on Wednesday repeated his “deep remorse” over the conflict that led to the deaths of tens of millions of people in Asia and elsewhere. (Japan Times)