The father of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl allegedly killed by a male neighbor near Tokyo in 2017 demanded capital punishment at a court hearing on Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan’s new law on minpaku (private lodging) businesses took effect Friday, but stringent rules may dampen the entry of homeowners into the market, despite hopes that it could help counter a shortage of accommodation amid a growing number of foreign tourists. (Japan Times)

Princess Kako, a granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, has returned to Japan after studying in Britain for about 9 months. (NHK)

The government has instructed West Japan Railway Co. to investigate why a driver of one of its bullet trains that hit and killed a man did not report any abnormal sound at the time, the transport minister said Friday. (Kyodo)

A day before a new law on minpaku (private lodging services) takes effect, Airbnb Inc. on Thursday welcomed the change and reinforced its commitment to the Japanese market with fresh initiatives. (Japan Times)

A railway company in western Japan has partially suspended operations on a Shinkansen bullet train line, after finding evidence that one of its trains hit a person. (NHK)

The Japanese government said Thursday foreign travelers with unpaid medical bills will be denied entry to the country in the future, with the number of foreign visitors set to surge in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. (Kyodo)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, has released new images of the Ryugu asteroid taken by its probe Hayabusa-2. (NHK)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly said he was open to dialogue with Japan during Tuesday's summit in Singapore with US President Donald Trump. (NHK)

Japanese government votes to amend laws, bringing down age of legal adulthood but raising marrying age for women and gender reassignment surgery. (soranews24.com)

To help prevent home accidents, Amazon Japan K.K. and a public entity that evaluates product safety signed an agreement Wednesday under which the online retail giant will share complaint information on consumer goods and home electronics. (Japan Times)

One of the famed deer roaming in the western Japan city of Nara has been found with a paper dart lodged in its neck, local authorities said Wednesday, prompting police to launch an investigation. (Kyodo)

Japan's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday approved a plan to scrap a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant northeast of Tokyo over a 70-year period with the cost projected at 1 trillion yen ($9 billion). (Kyodo)

A man in his 40s, who was reported missing last year, and later "found," then confirmed dead by police and his family who had him cremated, has shocked his family by returning home alive and well. (Japan Today)

Japan's Toyota Motor is stepping up its alliance with Southeast Asia's leading ride-hailing firm amid growing interest in such services worldwide. (NHK)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games plans to cap ticket prices at 300,000 yen ($2,720) while setting a minimum ticket price of 2,000 yen, sources familiar with the matter said late Monday evening. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday pledged zero tolerance on sexual harassment, ordering senior officials to undergo training to prevent abuse after a scandal involving a top government bureaucrat. (Japan Today)

The head of an Osaka game arcade operator was found guilty Tuesday of making claw machines unwinnable and defrauding customers of money by encouraging them to play the rigged machines last year. (Japan Today)

Princess Kako, granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, has completed a study program at the University of Leeds in England. (Japan Times)

A car rammed into a group of pedestrians in central Tokyo on Tuesday, injuring seven people, with the driver arrested on the spot, police and rescue workers said. (Japan Times)

Opiria is gaining more and more exposure as of late, which is unsurprising given their creative and original idea. (newsonjapan.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the first step toward resolving various issues concerning the North. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says US President Donald Trump has reassured him that he will raise the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea at his summit with Kim Jong Un. (NHK)

The Cool Japan Fund is pulling out of a department store joint venture in Kuala Lumpur. The public-private institution invests in projects that promote Japanese goods and services overseas. (NHK)

Police in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 45-year-old deliveryman for sexually molesting a woman at her apartment. (Japan Today)