The inflation outlook is looking dismal for the Bank of Japan as cheaper oil and falling mobile phone charges threaten to push price growth toward zero by mid-summer. (Japan Times)

Of the 10,956 town and village assembly members in Japan, 8,442, or 77.1 percent, were aged 60 or over as of July 1 last year, a survey showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe “fully” supports the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to walk away from talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam, a move that resulted in the summit meeting ending abruptly Thursday without a deal. (the-japan-news.com)

Japan’s state-run kyushoku system combines flavour with fresh ingredients and high nutritional value at low cost (theguardian.com)

Fishing season for firefly squids began on Friday in the Toyama Bay on the Sea of Japan coast. (NHK)

Japanese employees and companies are expected to continue shouldering a relatively high ratio of taxes to income. Officials say that on average, 42.8 percent of income will go to taxes and social welfare premiums in fiscal 2019. (NHK)

Companies started Friday to offer employment seminars for third-year university students due to graduate in spring 2020, marking the opening of the last job-hunting season under the rules set by Japan’s biggest business lobby. (Japan Times)

The operator of Narita International Airport near Tokyo said Thursday it will introduce in spring 2020 a facial recognition technology-based system that enables passengers to board planes, after check-in, without showing their passports or boarding passes. (Japan Times)

A Self-Defense Forces recruitment office in Shiga Prefecture has caused a stir by releasing a poster that features female anime characters wearing super-short skirts, which expose what appear to be underwear. Some people have described the image as a form of sexual harassment. (Japan Times)

While some people don't like wasabi on their sushi, it turns out that potentially deadly fire ants don't have an appetite for it either. (Asahi)

The estimated number of foreign guests at hotels and other types of accommodations in the country hit a record 88.59 million in 2018, the Japan Tourism Agency said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Despite tougher laws enacted last year, smokers can light up in some restaurants and bars. Tobacco advertising is allowed on television, cigarette packages don't contain graphic health warnings, and tobacco is cheap compared to other major cities. (Japan Today)

Starbucks opened a sprawling, high-end roastery cafe in Tokyo on Thursday. (NHK)

Netflix's popular reality series "Queer Eye" recently wrapped up filming for a number of special Japan-based episodes. (Japan Times)

Police arrested two doctors in their 20s Wednesday on suspicion of raping a woman after giving her a drug-laced alcoholic drink during a party in Tokyo in January. (Japan Today)

Japan's labor shortage looks anything but convenient for operators of 7-Eleven and other 24-hour outlets. The union of convenience-store owners has asked 7-Eleven Japan to allow them to open for shorter hours. Many operators say they can't find the staff to keep their stores running around-the-clock. (NHK)

The international terminal at Haneda airport in Tokyo will be renamed Terminal 3 in March 2020 as part of large-scale renovations to cope with an increase in international flights ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics, sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Hokkaido in the winter is cold and if you go to the very north coast along the Sea of Okhotsk, you'll find Abashiri (網走市) 260km / 165mi north of Sapporo. (ONLY in JAPAN)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 22-year-old male university student over the alleged import of the gas nitrous oxide, a designated medicine commonly known as "laughing gas," reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

A Japanese government panel says the maximum probability of a magnitude-seven earthquake occurring along the Japan Trench in the next 30 years is more than 90 percent. (NHK)

Japan's industry minister Hiroshige Seko has urged the country's antitrust watchdog to investigate whether Amazon Japan's new loyalty program will force vendors to shoulder a heavy financial burden. (NHK)

Sumo's governing body told wrestlers Tuesday they are no longer allowed to grow beards, which some competitors in Japan's ancient sport believe will bring them good luck. (Japan Times)

Two leading Japanese firms plan to launch an on-demand ride-sharing service. Toyota and Softbank see a promising market in the growing number of people who think of cars as something to use, but not to own. (NHK)

The Bank of Japan can abandon its 2 percent inflation target or suspend efforts to achieve it once the job market is tight enough because the public is better off having prices fall, not rise, an economic adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. (Japan Today)

Japan's Imperial Household Agency announced on Monday that Emperor Akihito will hold the English title of "His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus" after he abdicates on April 30. (NHK)