Former Japanese baseball star Hideki Matsui has become the youngest inductee into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. (NHK)

Police and consumer centers across Japan have received more than 1,500 inquiries from people affected by a scandal involving a gala dress kimono retail and rental firm. The total value of contracts drawn up between the firm and the consumers who have consulted with the centers has topped 270 million yen, or nearly 2.5 million dollars. (NHK)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Monday it will postpone the Wednesday launch of its third Epsilon solid-fuel rocket due to expected bad weather. (Japan Times)

Eight corpses possibly belonging to North Korean nationals have been discovered aboard and near a wooden ship that washed ashore in Kanazawa City earlier this month, reports NHK (Jan. 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

A man was arrested Monday on suspicion of stabbing two men the previous night, one fatally, in what appeared to be random attacks, the police said. (Japan Times)

Japanese confectionery maker Meiji will ramp up its production capacity of health-oriented chocolate. (NHK)

About 2,000 women who are or will turn 20 years old as of April 1 took part in an annual New Year archery event for new adults at Sanjusangendo, a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, on Sunday. (Japan Today)

It was said of the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century that the ones who made the money were those who sold the shovels. Today’s shovel sellers in Tokyo are the service providers, agents and brokers eager to entice clients with tales of gold in the hills. (Japan Times)

The heir of a store specializing in a confectionery style with more than 300 years of tradition in Japan’s ancient capital is hoping her youthful reimagining of yatsuhashi sweets will help attract a new generation of Kyoto locals and carry on its legend. (Japan Times)

The annual unified college entrance examinations began Saturday as many parts of the country saw their coldest winter day so far cause traffic jams and force several schools to postpone the pivotal tests. (Japan Times)

Grab your towel because it's time for an epic Japanese onsen bath adventure! We will explore 12 Onsen Towns, hopping from one to another as a "bath tourist" around Fukushima. Naked outside in the snow? It's part of the fun! (ONLY in JAPAN)

The Paul Logan fiasco has raised Japanese netizens’ awareness of YouTubers who seem to take joy in causing havoc in Japan. Some of them have begun searching for more of such videos, and have unearthed one taken last September by American YouTuber duo, Dan Rue and Nick Joseph. (rocketnews24.com)

Sumo's top-ranked referee will resign over a sexual harassment scandal, the sport's governing body said Saturday following an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors. (Kyodo)

The US Navy has deployed to southwestern Japan a new amphibious assault ship that can carry advanced F-35B stealth fighter jets. (NHK)

Students and graduates of high schools across Japan are sitting the annual unified college and university entrance examinations. (NHK)

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono visited Myanmar's Rakhine state on Saturday after meeting with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the capital of Naypyitaw a day earlier. (Nikkei)

Toshiba Corp. said Friday it has completed the payments of Westinghouse Electric Co.’s debts it guaranteed for the failed U.S. nuclear business subsidiary. (the-japan-news.com)

A newly appointed female judge on Japan's Supreme Court has said she will use her maiden name when handing down rulings, a legal first in a country criticised for its attitudes to gender equality. (Japan Today)

Japanese's foreign minister on Friday urged Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to guarantee the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in troubled Rakhine state. (Japan Today)

Japanese investors became less enthusiastic about buying foreign bonds last year on growing concern about rising U.S. Treasury yields. (Nikkei)

In the modern era, almost all Japanese homes have private bath/shower facilities. However, in some neighborhoods you can still find public baths. (rocketnews24.com)

YouTube says it was upset by the video posted by a US vlogger that showed the body of an apparent suicide victim in Japan. (NHK)

a canoeist who has been banned after admitting that he doped a fellow competitor’s drink, contrived a variety of schemes to rattle his rival, an official source said thursday. (Japan Times)

A venerable cabaret in the ritzy Ginza district of Chuo Ward closed its doors for the final time on Wednesday in what indeed is the end of an era. (tokyoreporter.com)

Around 430 passengers were forced to stay a night aboard a local train stranded since Thursday evening due to heavy snowfall in Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast. (Kyodo)