Walk into any Japanese convenience store, and you'll find a row of magazine racks, usually just inside the windows that run along the front of the store. (Japan Today)

Hakuho on Friday pulled out of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament getting underway Sunday due to pain in his left knee, becoming the third yokozuna to withdraw from the meet after Kisenosato and Kakuryu. (Japan Times)

Scientists say the disruptions in the Earth's magnetic field caused by charged particles from the sun have passed their peak. But they are calling for continued caution for few more days as there could be more explosions on the surface of the sun. (NHK)

strong earthquake has struck Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. Japan's Meteorological Agency says a quake with an estimated magnitude of 5.2 occurred around 10:23 PM Japan Time on Friday. It says there is no risk of a tsunami. (NHK)

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan left Yokosuka naval base on Friday for a surveillance mission amid growing tensions over North Korea. (the-japan-news.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed that North Korea's nuclear tests pose a grave threat to peace and stability in the region. (NHK)

On the night of June 26, 2016, a 23-year-old Japanese woman was sitting on a train travelling from Aichi Prefecture's Chitahanda Station to Kanayama Station, in the prefectural capital of Nagoya. At some point, the 44-year-old man sitting next to her, a Brazilian national living in Nagoya, introduced himself. (rocketnews24.com)

Democratic Party lawmaker Shiori Yamao, a prominent adversary of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Diet debates, tendered her resignation from the party Thursday evening amid allegations of an extramarital affair, dealing a heavy blow to the nascent leadership of the struggling opposition. (Japan Times)

North Korea has issued a fresh statement threatening Japan and the United States for seeking a new UN Security Council sanctions resolution against Pyongyang for its latest nuclear test. (NHK)

A survey by a French institute shows that up to 70 percent of coral reefs in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa are dead due to warm temperatures. (NHK)

With North Korea making progress in its nuclear and ballistic missile development, the government is considering developing a new system for ballistic missile defense, it has been learned. (the-japan-news.com)

McDonald's Japan is turning to stay-at-home wives as the restaurant industry struggles with a severe labor crunch. (NHK)

Engineers at Nissan Motor have redesigned their electric car. It's the first update of the Leaf in 7 years. The revamp comes as markets around the world move increasingly toward electric vehicles. (NHK)

Three Asian universities made the top 30 for the first time in an influential ranking of the world's top 1,000 institutions released Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's first private-sector effort to build rocket-launching facilities is underway as new aerospace legislation paves the way for meeting growth in demand for small observation satellites. (Nikkei)

Russia-bound Japan were condemned to a 1-0 defeat away to Saudi Arabia in their final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night, a result that saw the Gulf state pip Australia for an automatic place at next year's finals. (Kyodo)

Stab wounds have been found on the burned bodies of an elderly Japanese couple found dead Monday at their rental house in southern Bali, an Indonesian doctor said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he plans one-on-one meetings with world leaders to seek cooperation in pressuring North Korea, which went ahead with its 6th nuclear test on Sunday. (NHK)

The world's fastest man Usain Bolt delighted local children and "maiko" in Kyoto on Tuesday, with his trademark "lightning bolt" pose as he attended a promotional event for Swiss watchmaker Hublot. (Kyodok)

A team of Kyoto University researchers announced Tuesday that they have discovered a chemical compound that may help nerve cells grow in the brains of people with Down syndrome and improve their learning ability. (Japan Times)

The education ministry will update its database of teacher’s licenses starting in the next fiscal year so that disciplinary records of those who have committed sex offenses and other obscene acts against children can be shared nationwide, it was learned Tuesday. (Japan Times)

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, a record 24.04 million foreign tourists visited the country in 2016. Of that figure, nearly 40 percent (or about 9.4 million) went to Osaka. (tokyoreporter.com)

An increasing number of local governments are planning to introduce a lodging tax to finance tourism promotion and ease the load on infrastructure amid record-breaking arrivals of travelers from abroad. (Japan Times)

A Japan Airlines plane bound for New York made an emergency landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport Tuesday due to engine trouble apparently stemming from a bird strike, the transport ministry and airline operator said. (Japan Times)

Five months after a potato shortages cause a halt in the sales of some potato chip products, competition is now intensifying between two major snack makers as they return to normal operations. (Japan Times)