A private research institute estimates that about 30 percent of Japanese houses will be vacant in 16 years unless they are reoccupied or demolished. (NHK)

A 70-year-old woman dubbed the "black widow" for allegedly murdering her husband and common-law partners with cyanide, pleaded innocent Monday at the first hearing of her trial at the Kyoto District Court. (Japan Times)

Gaffe-prone Finance Minister Taro Aso made a comment Saturday about a junior lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who indicated her intent to leave the party due to allegations that she abused one of her secretaries, stressing her gender. (Japan Times)

Playing at the main softball venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, world No. 1 Japan beat the United States 5-3 on Sunday to clinch their three-game series. (Japan Times)

Japanese production of disposable diapers declined for the first time in 15 years in 2016, mainly due to weaker purchases from visiting Chinese tourists. (Nikkei)

Foreign direct investment to Japan for fiscal 2016 topped 3 trillion yen ($26.9 billion) for the first time ever, thanks mainly to an increasing number of takeovers of domestic businesses by overseas investment funds. Japanese operations of foreign establishments have also become keen to reinvest what they earn into Japan. (Nikkei)

Sightseers are flocking to Japan's highest dam to watch the spectacle of water gushing from it. (NHK)

The head of Japanese airbag maker Takata says he will step down to take responsibility for the company's failure. (NHK)

Struggling Japanese airbag maker Takata has filed for bankruptcy protection in a Tokyo court, following massive recalls of its products around the world. (NHK)

Reward programs and discounts are an attraction for consumers, but they are not exactly a motivator to do better. In a twist on such services, some Japanese companies are introducing point systems that encourage users to be more diligent in various personal tasks and then compensate them for their efforts. (Nikkei)

Athletes from around the world took part in a triathlon with a difference on Sunday. They began with a 750 meter swim along the moat of Osaka Castle. (NHK)

Despite all the talk of Japan being a homogeneous society, there is certainly a lot of distinct personalities from the secluded hikkikomori to the obsessive otaku to the punchy yet occasionally glamorous yankee. (rocketnews24.com)

Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested the prefecture’s youngest city councilor in its history for allegedly allegedly engaging in illicit acts with an underage girl last year, reports the Asahi Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

Confusion is spreading after teaching materials on the Japanese language brought in by four lecturers sent from Japan to one of four Russian-controlled islands as part of visa-free exchange activities were seized by Russian customs authorities. (the-japan-news.com)

Kanagawa prefectural police said Saturday they have arrested an unemployed 26-year-old woman and her 29-year-old former common-law husband on suspicion of fatally abusing her 21-month-old son at their apartment in Sagamihara last September. (Japan Today)

Officials at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said Friday that the giant panda born there last week is a female. (Japan Times)

The European Union and Japan are close to sealing one of the largest trade agreements ever, a deal that could further isolate the United States as President Trump forges a protectionist path. (nytimes.com)

A female Japanese politician has resigned after an audio tape emerged of her violently attacking a male secretary, and reportedly threatening to crush his head with a lead pipe. (AFP)

Hanawa Hokiichi, Japan's revered blind scholar and Buddhist monk of the Edo-era, was born on this date a full 271 years ago. A Google Doodle appearing in the country Friday shows the savant seated next to a kneeling student, with dreams of books floating above his head - alluding to his reputation as a font of wisdom. (Time)

The government began broadcasting a public service announcement Friday suggesting how civilians should protect themselves in the event of a missile attack. (Japan Times)

A US appeals court has ruled that hundreds of American navy personnel can pursue a compensation suit against the government of Japan and Tokyo Electric Power Co. for illnesses allegedly caused by exposure to radioactivity in the aftermath of the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. (telegraph.co.uk)

Police in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 17-year-old youth for impersonating a police office by using a fake badge and ID in order to obtain the phone number and address of a woman. (Japan Today)

Close to 95 percent of tourists from Asia who have visited western Japan would like to travel to areas off the beaten track, a survey showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

The US Missile Defense Agency says its new interceptor missile failed to hit its target in its 2nd test, off the coast of Hawaii. The missile is being developed in cooperation with Japan's Defense Ministry. (NHK)

Okinawa on Friday marked 72 years since the end of a fierce World War II ground battle that killed a quarter of its civilian population, as resentment continues to run deep over the heavy concentration of U.S. military bases there. (Japan Times)