Police in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, have arrested a 26-year-old woman, her 24-year-old common-law husband and his 20-year-old male friend on suspicion of killing the woman's four-year-old son. (Japan Today)

Five bicycles were torched one after the other during a one-hour period early Sunday in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture. (Japan Today)

Japan's Emperor Akihito turned 84 on Saturday. (NHK)

Japanese births are expected to total 941,000 in 2017, the lowest tally in statistics going back to 1899, likely resulting in a natural decline in population by more than 400,000 as deaths mark a postwar peak. (Nikkei)

People in a town in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan, that got up early enough on Friday were treated to the sight of the sun rising over the peak of Mount Fuji. (NHK)

A 17-year-old boy died after being hit by a hammer thrown by another student practising the hammer throw on school grounds in Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, on Wednesday night. (Japan Today)

A western Japan prefecture which has been promoting its starry nights to tourists has enacted an ordinance to preserve the views and pass them onto the next generation. (Kyodo)

An 8-year-old girl suffered major facial injuries after a man stopped her on the street and sprayed her face with a liquid in Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, police said. (Japan Today)

Airbnb and Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance are teaming up to provide services meant to defuse trouble with home sharing in Japan, where many residents worry about problems with guests. (Nikkei)

A Japanese court has sentenced a Chinese man to 20 years in prison for killing his former girlfriend's female roommate. (NHK)

Japan Airlines says it has been defrauded of a total of 3.4 million dollars by sending money in response to emails calling for the payment of lease fees and other charges. (NHK)

Nagoya University Hospital said Wednesday its medical team left gauze inside a woman's body in a 1970 operation and that it stayed there for around 44 years, with the patient complaining of stomach pain for many years. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set up an Instagram account, promising to start posting in earnest in the new year on the photo-sharing social media platform, which is especially popular among young people. (Japan Today)

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday he needs a better way to travel overseas to compete with China's diplomatic clout, including potentially the purchase of a dedicated airplane (Japan Today)

atsuya Hashimoto, the 63-year-old mayor of Awara city in Fukui Prefecture, who has been accused of sexually harassing a married woman, including kissing, hugging and licking her toes, said Monday that he plans on suing the woman and her husband over attempted extortion, local media reported. (Japan Today)

The number of nonresident foreign visitors to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka reached 2 million on Tuesday, according to operator USJ Co. (Japan Times)

A Japanese government panel says a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 or more could occur off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. (NHK)

Subaru's Japanese auto orders are on track to fall 30% on the year in December after uncertified workers were found in October to be conducting final vehicle inspections. (Nikkei)

Japanese authorities have found 2 more bodies beneath one of the 2 wooden boats that washed ashore on the Sea of Japan coast. The vessels are believed to have come from North Korea. (NHK)

Even in a Japan that has clung to cash for 80% of payments, innovations like electronic money are making headway, changing both consumer habits and work patterns. (Nikkei)

Researchers, lawmakers and businesses are hoping to use rare earths in deep waters near the coast of Japan to produce LEDs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. (the-japan-news.com)

The Emperor and Empress of Japan will switch residences with the Crown Prince's family after the Emperor's abdication. (NHK)

Finance Minister Taro Aso agreed on Monday to cut total medical fees covered by the country’s public health insurance system by 0.90 percent from the current level. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government intends to deploy a new ground-based missile defense system. This is in response to the acceleration of North Korea's missile development program. (NHK)

Finance Minister Taro Aso and education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed on Monday to increase the number of English teachers at public elementary schools by 1,000 in fiscal 2018, which starts next April. (Japan Times)