If you’ve watched any of the films from Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, you’ll know just how integral the world of nature is to many of their plots and characters. (Japan Today)

The Defense Ministry will crank into high gear its research to develop a high-output military laser that can intercept mortar rounds and enemy drones flying at low altitudes. (Japan Times)

With such a revered, sacred background, Ise Jingu is a popular destination during Japan’s most holy of holidays, the New Year period. And as people come to pray and worship here, the famous and well-preserved Okage Yokocho traditional shopping street that leads up to the shrine becomes filled with people, creating a bustling atmosphere. (soranews24.com)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday he was able to "tee off to a good start" as he played his first round of golf in 2019. (Japan Today)

An earthquake shook southwestern Japan on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of damage and a tsunami watch was lifted within an hour. (Japan Today)

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have given their last New Year greetings to members of the public before his scheduled abdication in April. (NHK)

Japan will start collecting from next Monday a departure tax of ¥1,000 for each person leaving the country by aircraft or ship regardless of nationality. (Japan Times)

Over half of the total tickets for this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan have been sold, a source said Monday. (Japan Times)

A duck with a metal arrow protruding from its back has been seen twice over the last few days in a pond in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward. (Japan Today)

People in Japan have rung in the New Year with celebrations across the country. In Japan, 2019 is a special year, as Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the throne in May. That will mark the start of a new era and the end of the current one, which is called "Heisei." (NHK)

Japan's new era name will be announced on April 1, one month before the current crown prince ascends to the throne, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided. (Nikkei)

People wearing demonic masks and straw garments visited homes in Japan's northern prefecture of Akita on New Year's Eve to ward off evil spirits and invite good luck in 2019. (NHK)

The number of Japanese aged 20, the legal age of adulthood, on New Year’s Day will be 1.25 million, up 20,000 from a year earlier, according to a government estimate released Monday. (Japan Times)

Thousands stranded for hours during Japan’s peak holiday travel period. (soranews24.com)

A Tokyo court on Monday approved prosecutors' request to extend the detention of former Nissan Motor Co Chairman Carlos Ghosn until Jan. 11 due to the latest allegation of financial misconduct. (Japan Today)

If partying all night is your idea of fun, then one of the most exciting ways to welcome the new year in Japan is to join the massive countdown event held at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo. (soranews24.com)

Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he stretched a rope across a narrow road, knocking a man off his motorcycle. (Japan Today)

About 40 dogs were burned to death in a fire Friday night at a dog breeding facility in Katsuragi in the western Japan prefecture of Nara, police said. (Japan Today)

The 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact entered into force on Sunday, creating a free trade area covering more than a tenth of the global economy. (Japan Times)

Japan's roads, railways and airports are packed on Saturday as people return to their hometowns or head elsewhere for the holidays. (NHK)

Japan's Defense Ministry has released a video to back up its claim that a South Korean naval ship directed its fire-control radar at a Japanese patrol plane last week. (NHK)

The benchmark Nikkei average snapped a six-year winning streak Friday to end 2018 down more than 12 percent after being pressured by selling following a spike the previous day. (Japan Times)

Heavy snow fell on mountainous areas in Japan on Friday night. Snowfall also continued mostly along the Japan Sea coast from northern to western Japan. (NHK)

About 40 percent of those aged between 17 and 19 think sex education at school is useless, an online survey by the Nippon Foundation think tank showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Having disregarded a state instruction to kill cattle left behind in areas near the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, some local farmers have been struggling to keep about 430 cows within a 20-kilometers radius of the complex exposed to radiation. (Japan Today)