Even with its convenience stores, souvenir outlets, tour buses and boutique coffee shops, Mount Koya might be modestly alluded to as a Japanese Lhasa. There is no living being, of course, who embodies the doctrines of a religious order such as the Dalai Lama, but in the person of the saintly priest Kukai, who founded the temple complex in 816 as the center of the Tantric Buddhist sect known as Shingon Mikkyo, the mountain top finds an ecclesiastical figure of compelling and charismatic force. (Japan Times)

The number of foreign visitors to Japan this year hit a new record, exceeding the previous high of over 24 million logged last year, Japan’s tourism minister said Friday. (Japan Times)

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi says he's excited about his third mission to the International Space Station. (NHK)

Multilingual robot concierges have been unveiled in Tokyo prior to trials that will gauge their ability to welcome visitors to the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. (NHK)

A reporter for one of Japan's leading newspapers, Asahi Shimbun, was arrested for allegedly recording video up women's skirts while riding a train on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo. According to police, the suspect, 35-year-old Keisuke Masuda, confessed, "I've been doing it for months, and I couldn't stop." (rocketnews24.com)

A major Tokyo aquarium suffered a massive die-off inside its largest fish tank late Tuesday and early Wednesday, likely due to lack of oxygen. (Japan Times)

Anti-drug authorities in Japan have arrested 6 people on suspicion of possessing a large supply of so-called "dangerous drugs." The drugs are mixtures of herbs and chemicals, similar to illegal narcotics. (NHK)

Japanese actress Ryoko Yonekura, 42, has had a big week. On Monday, she was a guest at the dinner for U.S. Presidfent Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Then on Wednesday, she was a winner of the annual “Best Smile of the Year 2017” award, along with actor Masao Kusakari, 65. (Japan Today)

Japan's prime minister said his round of golf with visiting President Donald Trump was a good chance to relax and discuss difficult issues. (Japan Today)

The US Agriculture Department says US pork exporters to Japan will face tariff disadvantages if 11 countries reach a broad agreement on the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade deal, or TPP. (NHK)

US online retail giant Amazon has launched a line of voice-controlled AI speakers capable of understanding Japanese. (NHK)

The Japanese economy expanded for a 58th consecutive month in September to mark the second-longest recovery in postwar history, government data shows, but sluggish wage growth and consumption belie the statistical milestone's significance for most people. (Nikkei)

The government will seek to lower the age of adulthood from 20 to 18 during the ordinary Diet session to be convened in January. (Japan Times)

A 65-year-old man is believed to have killed himself with a hunting rifle Wednesday after first shooting his pet dog dead at his home in southwestern Japan, in a case in which police initially feared he had holed himself up and was a potential danger to other people. (Japan Today)

This is how my first-ever day in Japan went. Arrive at Tokyo’s Narita airport, sushi for lunch in the city, bullet train (shinkansen) to Kyoto, train to Yamazaki. (thedailybeast.com)

The growing number of foreign visitors to Japan has lifted the country's first-half travel balance surplus to a record high, recent data shows. (Nikkei)

The IMF on Wednesday urged Japan to maintain its massive monetary stimulus to boost consumer prices, a view echoed by a central bank board member, reinforcing expectations policy will remain accommodative. (Reuters)

Japan will spend roughly 800 billion yen ($7.01 billion) to expand its free preschool program, part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to increase human resources investment. (Nikkei)

Troubled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba said Thursday it logged a net loss of $436 million for the fiscal first half, as it moves to complete the multi-billion-dollar sale of its chip business to restore its balance sheet. (nationmultimedia.com)

A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel in Geneva, Switzerland has ruled in Japan's favor in a dispute over South Korean restrictions on imports of Japanese seafood imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The panel notified the two sides of the result on 18 October. (seafoodsource.com)

Police on Wednesday arrested the president and a former employee of failed travel agency Tellmeclub, which offered budget overseas tours, on suspicion of defrauding a bank of about ¥200 million ($1.76 million) in loans by window-dressing earnings data. (Japan Times)

The remaining 11 countries in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal will discuss a proposal for an agreement in principle to proceed after the withdrawal of the United States, Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Thursday. (Reuters)

While visiting Japan, President Trump ate a hamburger, setting off a Twitter firestorm of those both praising and criticizing the choice. (foxnews.com)

The men's road cycling race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is expected to cover a 270-km route starting in the Tokyo suburbs of Chofu, going past Lake Yamanaka and the foot of Mounbt Fuji, and finishing at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, a source said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Small amounts of radioactive cesium were detected on a glove of a worker at an nuclear facility in Aomori Prefecture last month, Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. said Thursday. (Japan Times)