Japan Post Holdings Co. is likely to drop a plan to acquire Nomura Real Estate Holdings Inc., as its price is expected to be higher than initially estimated, informed sources said Saturday. (the-japan-news.com)

Train buffs and railway officials have attended the launch of a luxury sleeper train journey from Osaka Station. (NHK)

In Yamanashi Prefecture, the top producer of wine made only from grapes grown in Japan, three cities have come together to create a plan for a wine resort. (Japan Times)

Officials at the Bank of Japan have wrapped up a 2-day policy meeting. They have decided to press on with their easing program as they pursue their 2-percent inflation target. (NHK)

A fast-growing Chinese bicycle-sharing startup looks to debut in Japan next month, with plans to operate in roughly 10 major cities by the end of the year in cooperation with local governments. (Nikkei)

Prosecutors are set to search sites this weekend linked to the nationalist school operator at the center of a scandal tied to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, for evidence of fraud related to subsidies for its preschool, investigative sources said Friday. (Japan Times)

As the LGBT community continues to fight for equal rights across the globe, here in Japan small steps are being made towards equality, with same-sex partnerships now officially recognised in six areas of the country, including Osaka, Shibuya, Setagaya, and Naha. (rocketnews24.com)

The head of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi gangster group was served a fresh arrest warrant Friday in connection with a scuffle at the office of a different yakuza group in Kyoto in January. (Japan Times)

An unemployed 20-year-old man has been arrested for injuring a woman with a stun gun as she rode her bicycle home in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, in April. (Japan Today)

Ireland scored seven tries on the way to a convincing 50-22 victory over 2019 World Cup hosts Japan at the Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, in the first match of a two-test series on Saturday. (the-japan-news.com)

The Defense Ministry announced Friday that the Maritime Self-Defense Force's largest warship, the Izumo helicopter carrier, wrapped up three days of joint drills with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the disputed South China Sea. (Japan Times)

Takata Corp , the Japanese company facing billions in liabilities stemming from its defective air bag inflators, is preparing to file for bankruptcy as early as next week as it works toward a deal for financial backing from U.S. auto parts maker Key Safety Systems Inc., sources said on Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japan, eclipsed by China in startup activity, is boosting efforts to get foreign venture capital firms more involved with its entrepreneurs. (the-japan-news.com)

Japanese farmers have urged lawmakers to stop officials from making too many concessions in an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. (NHK)

Japan's future sovereign, Crown Prince Naruhito, has started a five-day visit to Denmark after the Japanese parliament last week passed a law allowing his father, Emperor Akihito, to become the first monarch to abdicate in 200 years. (timescolonist.com)

The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee says he hopes the northern city of Sapporo will bid to host the 2026 Winter Games if procedures are revised in its favor. (NHK)

A Japanese man accused of taking pictures up a woman's skirt stabbed two court officers Friday as the verdict in his sex pest case was being delivered, a court spokesman and media said. (dailymail.co.uk)

Japan's Diet has enacted a bill criminalizing the act of plotting terror attacks and other organized crimes. (NHK)

Fire ants with a painful bite have been found in Japan for the first time. They came from a container that was unloaded last month in Kobe city, western Japan. (NHK)

Sometimes the perpetrators are gangsters. Sometimes they are rather less accustomed to the criminal life. In one case, the ringleader of a middle-aged, female crime ring was said to be a 66-year-old woman. (nytimes.com)

If and when the Bank of Japan should reveal its plans to exit its ultra-loose monetary policy has split economists polled by Reuters, with the economy showing signs of recovery even though inflation remains far below the central bank's target. (Japan Today)

Japan on Wednesday kicked off a whaling campaign in the northwestern Pacific, in a move sure to anger animal rights activists and others calling for an end to the hunts. (phys.org)

Japanese electronics maker Toshiba has decided to quit another market. Company executives say they will stop manufacturing and selling residential fuel cells at the end of July. (NHK)

Toshiba Corp. unveiled on Thursday a submersible robot to take live video of reactor 3 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant to confirm whether fuel debris is sitting at the bottom of a pool of radioactive water inside. (Japan Times)

Labor authorities on Wednesday referred H.I.S. Co. and two of the travel agency's senior officials to prosecutors for allegedly forcing employees to work overtime beyond legal limits. (Japan Times)