Twenty-four-hour gyms are proving popular not only in the cities but also in the suburbs, giving busy workers a cheaper option to exercise. (Japan Times)

Google Inc has issued an apology for the large-scale communication failure that occurred around noon on Aug 25 in Japan, saying that its incorrect settings caused the failure. (Japan Today)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his British counterpart Theresa May held unofficial talks in Kyoto on Wednesday. She arrived in Japan earlier in the day. May is visiting the country for the first time as prime minister. (NHK)

Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso has retracted a controversial remark that could be seen as defending Adolf Hitler. (NHK)

The parents of a 27-year-old former part-time city worker who committed suicide in 2015 filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding ¥13 million in compensation from the Kitakyushu Municipal Government, claiming their daughter was overworked and harassed by a supervisor. (Japan Times)

A Japanese probe orbiting Venus has observed especially strong winds over the planet's equator. (NHK)

Young adults under 20 are expected to remain unable to smoke or drink despite legal changes to lower the age of adulthood to 18, National Police Agency officials said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Struggling Japanese electronics maker Toshiba has received a new offer on the sale of its flash memory unit. (NHK)

Toyota Motor is speeding up its strategy of reaching across industry lines for help in a landscape transformed by high-tech competition by partnering with ride-hailing company Grab as well as five Japanese startups. (Nikkei)

Police divisions from Tokyo and Ibaraki Prefecture on Wednesday announced the arrest of five persons, including an organized crime member, and seizure of more than 30 billion yen in stimulant drugs in the bust of a suspected trafficking ring. The seizure is the largest confiscation nationwide this year, police said, reports Jiji Press (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's Defense Ministry is investigating whether North Korea deliberately shortened the flight of the missile that it launched on Tuesday. (NHK)

Travel agencies and transport service companies in Japan are increasingly concerned over the impact from a series of missile launches by North Korea. (Japan Times)

The UN Security Council is holding a closed-door emergency meeting to discuss its response to North Korea's latest missile launch. The Security Council convened on Tuesday at the request of Japan, the United States and South Korea. (NHK)

The Japanese government is likely to stipulate for the first time in law that the Ainu are an "indigenous people" of the nation, sources familiar with the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

Japan's household spending unexpectedly fell in July from a year earlier after last month's spike, data showed Tuesday, casting some doubt on the sustainability of a domestic demand-driven economic recovery seen as vital to boosting tepid inflation. (Japan Today)

Japan's government says North Korea has fired a missile from its western coast toward the northeastern Japanese region of Tohoku. (NHK)

Sea Shepherd has pulled the plug on its decade-long mission to stop Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, saying it can't match the economic and technological power of the government in Tokyo. (9news.com.au)

At the opening of the trial of a male Chinese national accused of killing his wife and dumping her body inside a suitcase last year, the defendant denied an "intent to kill," reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has pledged to forge on with very accommodative monetary policy as he warned that his inflation target remains distant and the current pace of growth in the world's third-largest economy looks unsustainable. (afr.com)

Japan overpowered Texas in the Little League World Series championship game, 12-2, on Sunday. The victory marks the fifth time that a Japanese team has won the title since 2010. (mlb.com)

Police in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, said Sunday that a 67-year-old man, arrested on a hit-and-run charge, hasn't had a valid driver's license in over 25 years. (Japan Today)

A 35-year-old police officer, stationed at a koban (police box) in front of Tokyo Station, has been arrested on suspicion of theft after he stole a wallet that had been handed in as a lost-and-found item. (Japan Today)

If you're the kind of person who prioritizes volunteer work, enjoys playing badminton and has an interest in studying, Shiga Prefecture might be your ideal home in Kansai. (Japan Times)

Japan's Kimiko Date called time on her tennis career at the age of 46 on Monday, saying she was no longer able to perform at the best of her abilities due to physical issues and had decided to listen to the "inner voice" telling her it was time to quit. (eurosport.com)

People in northeastern Japan have enjoyed an annual firework show that lit up skies over Omagari in Daisen City. This year, they had to make extra efforts to prepare for the event as the site was flooded due to heavy rain the previous day. (NHK)