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)

Toshiba Corp. will remove its corporate logo from its prominent position atop the One Times Square Building overlooking New York's iconic tourist hub as part of cost-cutting efforts, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday the wedding ceremony of Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, and her classmate from university days Kei Komuro will be held on Nov 4 next year. (Japan Today)

A group of Japanese researchers has developed the country's first quantum computer and is offering others free trials as a way to spur further innovation. (NHK)

Japan may be known as the world leader when it comes to high-tech toilets, but only 35.8 percent of those in prefectural high schools are Western-style. (Japan Times)

Police are set to refer sumo grand champion Harumafuji to prosecutors by the end of the year on suspicion of assaulting lower-ranked wrestler Takanoiwa in a drunken brawl, investigative sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A man on a motorbike came behind women and snatched their handbags on three occasions within 15 minutes on Saturday night in an area near JR Omiya Station in Saitama city, police said Sunday. The man got away with around 80,000 yen, police said. (Japan Today)

Japan's exports grew 14 percent over a year earlier in October on strong demand for vehicles, electronics and machinery. However, customs data released Monday showed even faster growth in imports of oil, gas and coal that caused the trade surplus to fall more than 40 percent from the year before. (Japan Today)

Prison inmates who don't speak Japanese now have access to better interpretation services, thanks to a new system introduced earlier this month. (NHK)

Japanese railway companies plan to use data from seabed seismometers to quickly stop Shinkansen bullet trains when a major earthquake hits. (NHK)

Police on Monday served a fresh arrest warrant on a 27-year-old man who has admitted to killing nine people before dismembering their bodies at his apartment near Tokyo. (Japan Today)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics sent out information to elementary schools nationwide about the games' official mascot on Monday, ahead of a vote for the final selection. (Japan Today)

Police in Okinawa, southwestern Japan, have arrested a US Marine in connection with a fatal traffic accident. (NHK)

The US military in Japan has banned all its service members from drinking both on and off base following a fatal car accident in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. (NHK)

The Phoenix Hall of Byodoin temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, glows at night during a trial illumination on Friday. (the-japan-news.com)

Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly selling cash above face value using marketplace app Mercari and collecting interest exceeding the legal interest rate, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Police in Tokyo on Saturday arrested an unemployed 42-year-old man of no fixed address on suspicion of killing a 61-year-old homeless man on a riverbank in Katsushika Ward. (Japan Today)

A man died Saturday after falling off a cliff while competing in a trail running race in Saitama Prefecture, police said. (Japan Times)

Despite their magical reputation, shooting stars are just pieces of space debris from millimeters to a few centimeters thick that fly into Earth’s atmosphere and brightly burn up into nothing. (rocketnews24.com)

After beginning service in Japan in 2011, Naver Corporation’s Line messaging app quickly become one of the most popular ways to stay connected to personal acquaintances. (Japan Today)

Japan’s national broadcaster NHK has unveiled this year’s lineup for its annual New Year’s Eve music show "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and White Song Battle), featuring 10 new groups and singers. (Japan Today)

Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa and other executives of the Japanese automaker are returning a part of their salaries to show remorse over illegal vehicle inspections at the automaker's plants in Japan. (Japan Today)

An apology by a Japanese railroad operator for a train's early departure has attracted the attention of foreign media. (NHK)