The oldest written copy of part of the 11th-century Japanese epic The Tale of Genji, has been found in the home of a Tokyo family with ancestral ties to a feudal lord. (theguardian.com)

About 3.85 million people studied Japanese at a record 18,604 institutions overseas in fiscal 2018, with the number of institutions soaring in Asia, according to a survey released this week. (Kyodo)

Japanese investors celebrated Akira Yoshino's Nobel Prize win by purchasing stocks associated with the lithium-ion battery the researcher helped develop. (Nikkei)

Tennis star Naomi Osaka says she aims to play for the host country of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by choosing Japanese nationality. (NHK)

Tick, tock. We’re at Takamatsu’s dock with one eye on the clock. For it’s a daunting mission, squeezing the best of some 200 artworks scattered over a dozen islands and two ports in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea into two days. (afr.com)

Rugby World Cup organizers announced Thursday that two crucial pool games scheduled to take place on Saturday have been canceled to avoid the impact of a massive super typhoon set to hit the country. (Japan Times)

Japanese retailer Seven and i Holdings announced on Thursday a major restructuring plan. (NHK)

The world's first cloned cow has died of old age at a research center in central Japan at the age of 21 years and three months, local officials said Thursday. (Kyodo)

An art exhibition that sparked controversy for featuring a statue symbolizing “comfort women” reopened Tuesday in Nagoya, with organizers placing tighter security and limiting the number of visitors after it was abruptly closed two months ago following threats. (Japan Times)

Masayoshi Son’s startups have had a rough few months, from a botched initial public offering by WeWork to a sharp decline in shares of Uber Technologies Inc. (Japan Times)

Japanese weather forecasters warn that a large and violent typhoon may approach wide areas from western to northern Japan over the weekend. (NHK)

A new food delivery service will be available to passengers traveling by Shinkansen bullet train to the Sea of Japan coast areas of Niigata and Yamagata prefectures. (NHK)

Japanese authorities said they rescued "dozens" of North Korean fishermen after their boat collided with a Japanese patrol vessel and sank Monday in areas crowded with poachers. (Japan Today)

The extremely large typhoon Hagibis is gaining force over the Pacific south of Japan and is forecast to approach Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu during the upcoming three-day weekend, the Meteorological Agency said. (Japan Times)

Japan's corporate culture traditionally demands long hours, commitment to the company, and frequent drinking sessions. Peer-pressure is still there, but a younger generation of workers is beginning to abstain. (dw.com)

Hardly a day goes by without news of SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son. The global technology investor is convinced that the future belongs to artificial intelligence, but he is also dissatisfied with his performance today and what he sees as a lack of drive in the Japanese business world. (Nikkei)

The number of babies born in Japan is declining even faster than expected, highlighting the need to support families in order to avert even greater strain on the nation's social safety net and economy. (Nikkei)

Japan’s Naomi Osaka came from a set down to beat French Open champion and world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty on Sunday and win the China Open. (Japan Times)

Airbnb's chief executive is optimistic about the company's prospects in the year ahead, saying he expects next summer's Tokyo Games to provide a much-needed boost in Japan while the home-sharing service heads into its planned stock market flotation with a "very healthy balance sheet." (Nikkei)

The European Union has informed the Japanese government that it will likely ease import restrictions on Japanese food products before the end of the year. (NHK)

Kotaro Matsushima scored a bonus-point try deep into injury time as Japan moved to the brink of their first Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with a 38-19 Pool A victory over Samoa at the City of Toyota Stadium on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Japan will require technology companies to seek approval for mergers and acquisitions worth 40 billion yen ($374 million) or more, Nikkei has learned, under proposals put together by a digital antitrust committee convened for the first time Friday. (Nikkei)

Japan’s space agency says its Hayabusa2 spacecraft has released a small rover that will land on the surface of an asteroid as part its final mission before heading back to Earth. (Japan Today)

With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars. (Japan Times)

The Rugby World Cup is bringing waves of foreign visitors to venues throughout Japan, along with their spending to areas often overlooked in favor of big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. (Nikkei)