Following Mercari's blockbuster stock market debut Tuesday, Japan's lineup of unlisted startups valued above $1 billion has shrunk to basically two, underscoring the domestic tech industry's persistent failure to cultivate unicorns. (Nikkei)

Monday morning’s deadly earthquake in Osaka has affected tourism in the region, with travelers at home and overseas canceling bookings in the affected areas. (Japan Times)

Yuya Osako exacted sweet revenge for Japan on Tuesday as the Blue Samurai beat Colombia 2-1, becoming the first Asian side ever to beat a South American team at the World Cup. (jacarandafm.com)

An emerging number of Japanese schools are introducing genderless uniforms or flexible uniform codes in an effort to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. (Kyodo)

The head of a veterinary school operator at the center of a political scandal in Japan denies he ever had a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss a school project. (NHK)

The Japanese operator of a popular app that matches buyers and sellers of used goods has gone public. (NHK)

Honda will become Red Bull’s engine supplier from next season after the Formula One team confirmed its anticipated split with Renault on Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japanese soccer fans have been celebrating their national squad's 2-1 win over Colombia in its first group match in the World Cup finals. (NHK)

Police in Kitakyushu said Monday they have arrested a 27-year-old man on suspicion of fatally abusing his 4-year-son after he locked the boy inside a storage cabinet beneath a TV stand at their house. (Japan Today)

The earthquake that struck western Japan on Monday morning battered the region's infrastructure, revealing the fragility of utility lifelines and transportation networks in one of the country's most densely populated areas. (Nikkei)

More than 20 tremors believed to be aftershocks of Monday's major earthquake have rattled the western Japanese prefecture of Osaka. (NHK)

Monday's major earthquake in western Japan left 4 people dead and more than 370 injured. (NHK)

A basketball referee was punched in the face by a high school player during a game in the western Japanese prefecture of Nagasaki on Sunday. (NHK)

Shinkansen bullet train services in western Japan have resumed following disruption caused by an M6.1 earthquake in the Osaka region. (NHK)

For a Filipino man visiting Tokyo in May last year, the tour of the capital was supposed to be a fun sightseeing trip. (Japan Times)

An estimated 1.3 million Japanese people aged 15 to 64 have used marijuana, surpassing for the first time the number of those who have abused inhalants such as paint thinner, a survey by a national institute showed Sunday. (Japan Today)

More than 2,000 venomous fire ants have been discovered in a shipping container from China that arrived at a port in Osaka Prefecture earlier this month, leaving two people hurt, government officials said. (Japan Today)

Jurina Matsui of SKE48, one of the AKB48 family of all-female idol groups, has taken the No. 1 spot in the franchise’s annual popularity contest, which was the first to let its Thai and Taiwanese members join the 10-year-old event. (Japan Times)

Japanese car maker Toyota won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time on Sunday. (NHK)

With Japan now planning to open its doors to more foreign workers, academics and other observers are beginning to wonder exactly what kind of turn the country is in for -- one that lifts the economy or one that delivers discord. (Nikkei)

An earthquake shook Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Sunday afternoon. No major damage has been reported. (NHK)

A nuclear reactor at a trouble-hit complex in southwestern Japan restarted operations Saturday for the first time in more than six and a half years amid lingering safety concerns. (Japan Today)

The U.S. naval hospital ship Mercy arrived Saturday in Japan, which is considering building such floating hospitals to provide medical care after disasters like the 2011 catastrophe. (Kyodo)

A 78-year-old man died after he was shot by a hunter who thought he was shooting at a wild monkey on a mountain slope in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, police said Friday. (Japan Today)

Japan's Cabinet has approved basic economic and fiscal policies that include measures to reconstruct state finances and address labor shortages. (NHK)