The government will introduce an electronic system for tourist visa applications in April 2020 in an effort to help achieve its goal of 60 million foreign visitors a year by 2030, government sources said Sunday. (Japan Times)

The fine balance between lush greenery and vibrant city makes Kushiro a nature lover’s paradise. (soranews24.com)

Police in Sakai, Osaka, plan to charge a 44-year-old woman, already under arrest for killing her 40-year-old brother by making it look like he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, with the murder of her father by withholding his insulin. (Japan Today)

The family of a pop group member promoting agriculture in western Japan who hanged herself in March sued officials of her talent agency for damages on Friday, claiming their harassment and overwork caused her death. (Japan Today)

The head of NHK said Friday the Japanese public broadcaster aims to lower its subscription fees, possibly from fiscal 2019, after a government panel made it a condition for the company to start simultaneous online streaming of its television programs. (Japan Today)

Major Japanese retailer FamilyMart Uny Holdings Co. said Thursday it will make discount store operator Don Quijote Holdings Co. its affiliate in a deeper capital tie-up amid intensifying competition in the shrinking domestic retail market. (Kyodo)

Japan's space agency says it will postpone landing its Hayabusa2 probe on the asteroid Ryugu until at least next January. The landing was planned for late October. (NHK)

In one of the most shocking scandals to hit Tokyo’s 149-year-old war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, the shrine’s top priest has been forced to resign after admitting his reported remarks harshly criticizing Emperor Akihito were genuine. (Japan Times)

Accommodation service provider Airbnb says it will review its contract terms with private lodging operators in Japan. (NHK)

Japan now has the most powerful passport on the planet, a key to visa-free travel to more destinations than Singapore and Germany, according to the 2018 Henley Passport Index. (usatoday.com)

A study group at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications held its first meeting Wednesday, where it discussed ways to spur industry competition with the aim of lowering mobile phone fees in the nation. (Japan Times)

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Games announced the routes for the Olympic individual time trial and Paralympic road race on Wednesday, finalizing the courses for all cycling events taking place in two years’ time. (Japan Times)

Taiwan will hold a referendum during local elections next month on whether to maintain a ban on food products from five Japanese prefectures imposed in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Central Election Commission said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The operator of the Tokyo Stock Exchange says trading was partially disrupted due to system trouble on Tuesday but was expected to return to normal on Wednesday. (NHK)

A zookeeper died after a white tiger mauled him Monday afternoon at a zoological park in Kagoshima, rescue workers said. (Japan Today)

American DJ David Morales was arrested Sunday at Fukuoka Airport on suspicion of smuggling drugs from Hong Kong, local police said. (Japan Times)

More tourists in Kyoto and Tokyo are sightseeing early in the morning, although many venues are not yet ready to handle the new trend. (Japan Times)

The number of foreign nationals who were deported in the January-June period for immigration violations rose 16.5 percent from a year before to 7,892, the Justice Ministry has announced. (Japan Times)

Typhoon Kong-rey has been downgraded to a low pressure system. But weather officials are still urging people in northern Japan to watch out for strong winds, high waves, mudslides, and floods. (NHK)

In a bid to curtail hate speech ahead of the 2020 Games, Tokyo on Friday adopted a non-discrimination ordinance protecting the LGBT community. (Japan Times)

Kyoto has topped a ranking of major Japanese cities as measured by criteria such as livability and economy, according to a survey by a think tank affiliated with major real estate developer Mori Building Co. (Japan Times)

Japanese telecom firm Softbank is partnering with Toyota for a venture that could help to usher in a new era of mobility. They want to use automated driving to transform the way people move around and the services they enjoy. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo are looking for two men who injured three people with pepper spray in Ueno on Sept 29. (Japan Today)

Part of a theme park based on the Moomin series of children's books is to open near Tokyo next month. (NHK)

A 30-year-old man, who was at large for nearly seven weeks after escaping from a police station in Osaka Prefecture in mid-August, masqueraded as a cycle tourist, spun a web of lies and stole basic goods including clothes and a bicycle, investigative sources said Wednesday. (Japan Times)