Bic Camera will allow payments in bitcoin at all locations throughout Japan as early as this month, looking to provide more options for foreign and domestic shoppers. (Nikkei)

In many ways, Japan is a drinker’s paradise. Japanese society is extremely accepting of alcohol consumption, to the point where you can enjoy adult beverages not just at bars and cafes, but even many fast food restaurants. Then there are the all-you-can-drink deals, some of which are amazingly cheap. (Japan Today)

Biologists are calling for urgent nationwide action to prevent venomous fire ants from infesting Japan after the highly invasive species was spotted at several major ports, including Tokyo. (Japan Times)

Japan's potato supply is rebounding -- with wholesale and retail prices falling -- thanks to solid shipments from secondary producing regions starting in the spring. (Nikkei)

Residents of a Japanese city devastated by torrential rains last week have begun the process of applying for financial aid. (NHK)

A strong earthquake has struck Kagoshima prefecture in southwestern Japan. (NHK)

A venomous fire ant was recently found in a warehouse in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. It is the first time to find the poisonous insect other than at shipping ports. (NHK)

Police in Shizuoka have arrested an unemployed 43-year-old woman for committing an indecent act after she stripped down to her underwear outside JR Shizuoka Station on Saturday. (Japan Today)

Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has fallen to the lowest level of his premiership, opinion polls showed Monday, after scandals and a historic defeat of his ruling party in Tokyo elections. (Japan Today)

The 32-year-old chief executive of defunct MtGox pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges relating to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bitcoins and cash from what was once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange. (Japan Today)

Japanese companies have never been in better financial shape. Their sky-high ratio of capital to assets testifies to that fact, with the average figure topping 40% for the first time last fiscal year. There's a catch, however: They are inveterate hoarders, which critics say points to a corporate governance problem. (Nikkei)

A 70-year-old woman dubbed the “black widow” admitted Monday to fatally poisoning her husband. (Japan Times)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Monday kicked off a campaign to encourage residents to replace their incandescent lightbulbs with energy-efficient LED lighting for free. (Japan Times)

A man in his 50s, who was detained at a koban (police box) in Ota Ward, Tokyo, suddenly collapsed and died, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

A UNESCO committee has decided to register a group of monuments in western Japan as a World Cultural Heritage Site. (NHK)

A UNESCO committee has decided to register a group of ancient monuments in Japan as a World Heritage Site. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to strengthen their dialogue to improve bilateral ties. (NHK)

The South Korean government has released rare video footage of Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II, the first time moving images have been shown of the "comfort women." (Japan Times)

Japanese actor Shu Nakajima, 69, has died after falling off the stage during a live performance in Tokyo, media reported Friday. (Japan Today)

The death toll from torrential rain in the southwestern Japanese region of Kyushu has risen to 15. At least 10 are still missing. (NHK)

YouTube star Piko Taro has partnered with the Japanese Foreign Ministry to promote little-known U.N. development goals in Japan, singing and dancing to the catchy melody of his hit song "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen" in a video. (Japan Today)

E-commerce company Rakuten Inc. has banned the sale of ivory items at its shopping site amid criticism from environmental activists that illegal trade in ivory is rampant on the internet, a company official said Thursday. (Japan Times)

he Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum released online Wednesday digitally processed 16 millimeter film footage showing the central area of Hiroshima about 10 years before its devastation by the U.S. atomic bombing. (the-japan-news.com)

Japanese companies have never been in better financial shape. Their sky-high ratio of capital to assets testifies to that fact, with the average figure topping 40% for the first time last fiscal year. There's a catch, however: They are inveterate hoarders, which critics say points to a corporate governance problem. (Nikkei)

The U.S. government's confirmation that the missile North Korea fired Tuesday was an intercontinental ballistic missile has suddenly made the prospect of a North Korean ICBM flying through the sky over Japan and toward the United States a more realistic possibility. (the-japan-news.com)