A defense lawyer for Carlos Ghosn says his legal team has asked a Tokyo court to separate the former Nissan Motor chairman's trial from the carmaker's. (NHK)

Japan's Hayabusa2 space probe is set to start descending toward an asteroid in about two days on a new mission to create an artificial crater on its surface. (NHK)

The Japanese government on Tuesday approved sending two Self-Defense Forces officers to a multinational peacekeeping force in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula later this month, in what would be the first dispatch of SDF personnel to an overseas mission not under the command of the United Nations. (Kyodo)

An 18-year-old Japanese woman, once recognized for having the world's longest teenage hair, had her first-ever haircut Tuesday before starting life at university. (Kyodo)

Japan’s Rakuten said on Monday it will book a 110 billion yen ($989.74 million) gain in the quarter through March on its investment in Lyft following the U.S. ride-hailing firm’s listing last week. (Japan Today)

Police in Thailand say a group of Japanese men who ran a call center scam defrauded people in Japan of more than 900,000 dollars. (NHK)

Japan is relaxing work visa requirements in the food service industry to deal with a chronic labor shortage, but the number of workers who can take the first qualification exams will be limited because industry bodies responsible for developing the tests have not had enough time to prepare for the event. (Nikkei)

Many Japanese companies rushed Monday to secure business opportunities with the unveiling of the new imperial era name that will be used from May 1, preparing or releasing products inscribed with the two Chinese characters "Reiwa." (Kyodo)

New recruits marked their first day of work at companies and public offices across Japan on Monday, the start of the country's fiscal 2019 that coincided with the implementation of stricter overtime restrictions. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former video game world champion over a burglary in Nerima Ward earlier this year. During questioning, he admitted to dozens of other similar break-ins, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

An Akita dog, a Japanese breed popularized in the U.S. film "Hachiko" starring Richard Gere and adored by Russian figure skating sensation Alina Zagitova, will be honored for distinguished service after coming to the rescue of an elderly woman in Semboku, Akita Prefecture. (Japan Today)

"Reiwa" is a name that will be on the lips of most Japanese today and it will be for years to come. It's the name the Japanese government has selected for the new era which is set to start when Crown Prince Naruhito becomes the new Emperor on May 1. (NHK)

A nursery worker has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a colleague to death in her apartment in Tokyo last week, police said. (Japan Times)

Two Japanese teenagers have been found dead in Australia's Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island after being reported missing from a school tour. (Japan Today)

Controversial former sumo grand champion Futahaguro, who retired in the late 1980s after a rift with his manager, died last month at age 55, Japanese media said Saturday. (Japan Today)

Japanese trains are famous around the world for their style, comfort and speed. In the countryside of Kyoto though, you may not have speed, but you do comfort and style. (ONLY in JAPAN)

A panel of doctors in Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority says iodine tablets should be distributed in advance to residents under 40 to mitigate the effects of radiation exposure due to a nuclear accident. (NHK)

Kenichi Hagiwara, a Japanese actor and vocalist in a pop band in the 1960s, died from gastrointestinal stromal tumors at a hospital in Tokyo, his office said Thursday. He was 68. (Japan Today)

Japanese people now have a time for the unveiling of the name of the country's new era, which will start when the new Emperor takes the throne on May 1. The Chief Cabinet Secretary says the long-awaited announcement will be made at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Monday. (NHK)

A Japanese government survey has found that more than 600,000 middle-aged people have withdrawn from society. (NHK)

In a retrial held decades after his conviction, a court on Thursday acquitted an 85-year-old man of a 1985 murder in Kumamoto Prefecture. (Japan Times)

The number of people recognized as gangsters by police in Japan dropped to a record-low 30,500 in 2018 amid an intensified crackdown on organized crime, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Japan's oldest penitentiary will reopen as an upscale hotel run by Hoshino Resorts in 2021. (Nikkei)

Police took action against a record 3,578 people in cannabis cases in 2018, up 570 from the previous year, data released by the National Police Agency showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Yokozuna Hakuho was summoned to explain himself on Thursday after leading an impromptu cheer following his victory at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament. (Kyodo)