The grand champion who won the just-concluded autumn sumo tournament said Sunday he will "tell the truth" about a high-profile assault case involving wrestlers to rid the sumo world of "the pus." (Japan Times)

About 10,000 runners competed in long-distance races at the foot of Japan's highest peak, Mount Fuji, on Sunday. (NHK)

Police are investigating a wooden boat that has washed ashore in northeastern Japan. This comes as several boats believed to be from the Korean Peninsula have been found in Akita Prefecture this month. (NHK)

Railway fans have gathered in western Japan to see a steam locomotive get chugging again for the first time in 44 years. (NHK)

The Japanese government has come up with measures to support domestic farmers and food makers who are facing increased competition from European rivals. (NHK)

Two Japanese snowboarders banned last year after being found guilty of puffing marijuana could be cleared to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics, ski officials said Friday. (Japan Today)

Japanese aviation authorities say a faulty air traffic control system temporarily prevented aircraft from entering airspace around Hokkaido, northern Japan on Friday night. (NHK)

Senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are in disagreement over whether same-sex partners of state guests should be invited to banquets hosted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. (Japan Times)

The president of Mitsubishi Materials has apologized for falsification of inspection data at 2 of its subsidiaries. (NHK)

A Newsweek story that apparently misinterpreted the results of an opinion poll carried out by a Japanese news agency last week is creating a public stir. (Japan Times)

Japanese scientists plan an experiment to gauge the effect of gravity on time. (NHK)

Japan appeals to different people for different reasons. Some visit for the history or the food. Many stay for the martial arts, while others keep coming back for a dose of manga, anime and video-game culture. Still others come to enjoy the land — the huge span of scenery from the north of Hokkaido to Okinawa in the southwest, and the sharp changes such places undergo with the revolutions of season. (Japan Times)

Police in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Akita say they have found 8 men of undetermined nationality and a wooden boat washed ashore. Police say the men claim to have come from North Korea. (NHK)

At the opening of the documentary "Boys For Sale," a look at the underside of the trade in young boys in the 2-chome gay quarter of Shinjuku Ward, a former male prostitute, says, "I guess if you'd never experienced this, it would be hard to understand." (tokyoreporter.com)

Mobile carrier KDDI Corp. will wholly acquire Aeon Corp., the nation’s second-largest English conversation school operator, in January in a step to expand its business into the education field. (Japan Times)

Osaka City, western Japan, is to cut its sister city ties with San Francisco, following the US city's decision to accept the donation of a statue symbolizing those referred to as comfort women. (NHK)

The government sold land in Osaka to school operator Moritomo Gakuen for a highly discounted price based on faulty data estimating the cost of removing industrial waste left in the plot, a government watchdog on spending concluded in a much-awaited report released Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The Yokohama family court granted a request by a daughter of Aum Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara to nullify her parents' right to inherit her property in the event of her death. (Japan Times)

A team of Japanese researchers has found a new drug combination that reduces amyloid beta protein, believed to play a key role in causing Alzheimer’s disease, by using stem cells derived from patients, Kyoto University announced Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The Japanese Olympic Committee and city of Sapporo announced Wednesday they will enter a dialogue process over a potential bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Japan Today)

The author of the smash hit comic series "Rurouni Kenshin" was referred to prosecutors Tuesday for alleged possession of pornographic images of underage girls, investigative sources said. (Japan Times)

In the latest incident involving the American military in Okinawa, a U.S. Navy C-2 transport aircraft carrying 11 crew members and passengers crashed into the ocean 150 km northwest of Okinotorishima on Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The government will draw up a fiscal 2017 supplementary budget for additional spending of some ¥2 trillion, including for setting up nursery facilities to accept 320,000 children on waiting lists ahead of schedule as pledged by the ruling coalition in the Oct. 22 general election. (Japan Times)

NHK has learned Japan is getting closer to finding out a date for the Emperor's abdication. (NHK)

Subaru Corp. will introduce a series of all-electric cars in Japan as early as 2021, sources said, as competition intensifies between automakers looking to develop eco-friendly cars in response to stricter global emissions regulations. (Japan Times)