Police in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, are searching for a man who is believed to be behind three air gun shootings in the city, which have so far injured two elderly men. (Japan Today)

Snow blanketed Tokyo and surrounding areas for the second time this winter on Friday, disrupting transport and forcing delays in entrance exams at educational institutions. (Japan Today)

Japanese police have arrested a murder suspect whose life as a fugitive in Thailand ended when a photo of his prominent tattoo was posted on Facebook. (NHK)

The first Japan Sumo Association director to be dismissed before the end of his term, popular sumo elder and former yokozuna Takanohana, failed to regain his spot on the board of directors on Friday. (Japan Today)

Around 1,200 people lined up on Thursday morning at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo to see giant panda cub Xiang Xiang and mother Shin Shin, as a first-come, first-served system for viewing the animals kicked off. (Japan Times)

An excavator rammed into pupils and teachers of a school for children with impaired hearing in Osaka on Thursday, killing an 11-year-old girl and injuring four others, police and rescuers said. (Japan Today)

A bottle of limited-edition Yamazaki brand whiskey released by Suntory Spirits Ltd. about six years ago has fetched $298,879 at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. (the-japan-news.com)

Oily objects that may have come from a tanker that sank off a southwestern island in Japan has reached the Japanese coast. (NHK)

Australian rugby legend George Smith will no longer play for Suntory Sungoliath after the club said Thursday it had canceled the player's contract for his alleged assault of a taxi driver late last year. (Japan Today)

Japanese authorities have warned international gold smuggling rings are becoming more sophisticated after cracking a scheme to conceal gold bars in aircraft toilets. (scmp.com)

Eleven people died in a fire at a support facility for people on welfare in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido on Wednesday night. (NHK)

Japanese messaging service Line Corp is expanding its reach into financial technology, or fintech, with a new company that offers a cryptocurrency exchange, loans and insurance. (cnbc.com)

A group of geisha and their apprentices in Japan's ancient city of Kyoto have copied Buddhist scriptures to learn more about traditional culture. (NHK)

Japan's plans to acquire cruise missiles for its combat aircraft are a step forward in its ability to provide for its own defence. But these weapons won't give the country the capacity to pre-emptively destroy North Korea's ballistic missiles because of the major weaknesses in Japan's ability to locate mobile targets. (The Strategist)

People across Japan enjoyed the first total lunar eclipse in nearly 3 years on Wednesday night. (NHK)

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a 29-year-man to 26 years in prison for killing a 2-year-old boy he baby-sat in 2014. (Japan Today)

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of abusing his two sons, aged 5 and 6, at their residence in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture. (Japan Today)

The nation’s first drone museum opened in the city of Osaka in December featuring a wide variety of drones on display and for sale, with visitors able to try them out. (Japan Times)

A 5-year-old boy suffocated to death after apparently getting locked in a washer dryer at his family's apartment in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent newfound openness to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade and investment pact Monday, but stopped short of promising a new deal. (Nikkei)

As many as 4,000 homeless people may be finding shelter at 24-hour internet and manga cafes in Tokyo on any given weekday, the first survey on the issue by the metropolitan government showed Monday. (Japan Today)

Massive ice columns artificially created in Onouchi Ravine in Ogano, Saitama Prefecture, are dazzling visitors to the area. (the-japan-news.com)

Researchers say they have found a new seabird species indigenous to the Ogasawara Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site some 1,000 kilometers south of Japan's main island. (NHK)

Japan is quickly becoming one of the hottest destinations to visit these days. Maybe you're looking into flights to Japan and wondered where the best place to stay is? Forget Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and journey to the heart of the Japanese countryside where fantasy-like scenery and legendary Japanese cuisine is prepared. Slumber in tatami rooms with views of the rivers, mountains, lakes and forests! Open air baths with waterfalls in snow! This could be you, too! (ONLY in JAPAN)

Two trade groups in Japan's booming cryptocurrency sector have decided to merge into a self-regulatory body in the wake of the biggest virtual currency disappearance to date, taking a step they had hesitated to before. (Nikkei)