A passenger took the steering wheel of an expressway bus and brought it to a halt after the driver lost consciousness on the Tohoku Expressway in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Friday night. The 46-year-old driver was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. (Japan Today)

Facing less-than-stellar poll numbers, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taking a huge gamble with plans to dissolve the lower house for a snap election in October. (Nikkei)

An English seminar for geisha has been held in Tokyo to help them communicate with foreign tourists and explain traditional Japanese entertainment culture. (NHK)

Japan will open more service sector jobs to foreigners as early as the first half of next year amid a surge in tourism, thanks to the revised strategic special zone law that took effect Friday. (Nikkei)

The first winning bids for this season’s Japanese pufferfish reached as much as ¥19,000 per kilogram at the Haedomari Market in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, early Friday. Buyers and auctioneers agreed on prices with hand signals inside black cloths around the auctioneers’ arms. (the-japan-news.com)

Police in Shizuoka City said Friday they have arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of stabbing his 51-year-old father to death at their home. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling for strict implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea, which has conducted a series of nuclear tests and missile launches. (the-japan-news.com)

Japan's prime minister wants to use revenue from the increased consumption tax to provide tuition-free preschool and higher education. Shinzo Abe says the move would be part of his drive to invest more in human resource development. (NHK)

A 31-year-old Filipino on an international wanted list for suspected involvement in a 2004 rape and murder in baraki Prefecture on Thursday admitted his guilt to Kyodo News. (Japan Today)

Japanese high school baseball standout Kotaro Kiyomiya said on Friday he had decided to turn pro rather than attend university. (Japan Today)

Japan's three major mobile carriers on Friday began selling the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus -- minus the usual enthusiasm of previous iPhone launches. (Nikkei)

The number of foreign visitors to Japan continues to grow. The total so far this year has already topped 20 million. (NHK)

Japanese police reported a record-high 30,262 children as suspected abuse victims to welfare authorities in the first half of 2017, on the back of increased public awareness of the issue, the National Police Agency said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Chairman Hiroto Saikawa has called on the public to visit the Tokyo Motor Show, scheduled to be held from late October, to see the world’s latest technologies. (Japan Times)

A 40-year-old Japanese adventurer will embark on an unassisted solo trek in mid-November journeying approximately 1,130 km across Antarctica to the South Pole. (Japan Times)

Emperor Akihito on Wednesday visited a shrine dedicated to ancient Korean settlers in Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture. (Japan Today)

Popular Japanese singer Namie Amuro has announced that she will retire next September. (NHK)

More than 40 countries have signed a global treaty at UN Headquarters to legally ban nuclear weapons. (NHK)

Japan celebrated two years to the start of Rugby World Cup 2019 on Wednesday with the Webb Ellis Cup on display in Tokyo's Shibuya district ahead of a 46-day tour that will see it visit all 12 host cities from Sapporo in the north to Kumamoto in the south. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly and to hold talks with other world leaders. (NHK)

The surf breaks of Okuragahama Beach in Miyazaki, Kyushu are set to welcome the world's top junior surfers Saturday at the 2017 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championships. (Kyodo)

Delta Air Lines has announced it will end flights between Japan and Guam because of low demand just days after another airline delayed Japan-Guam flights because of North Korea's threat to attack the U.S. island territory. (Japan Today)

It was at the end of 2015 when an all-girl junior high school affiliated with Japan Women's University received an inquiry from a mother of an elementary school student, asking if her daughter would be eligible to apply for enrollment. (Japan Times)

A work by 15th-century ink wash painter Sesshu that had been missing for 84 years has been found. (NHK)

The estranged wife of a former violin maker broke into his house and destroyed 54 violins and 70 bows after they fought over payments for child support, prosecutors said Tuesday. (Japan Times)