Japanese experts have estimated for the first time the long-term economic damage caused by a possible mega-quake along the Nankai Trough, off the Pacific coast of central and western Japan, or in the Tokyo metropolitan area. (NHK)

The International Tokyo Toy Show 2018 opened to buyers and the media on Thursday with "global" being a keyword for Japan's largest toy industry showcase as it began a four-day residency at Tokyo Big Sight. (Kyodo)

The president of a ryokan (traditional inn), in business for more than 500 years at a hot spring resort in Gunma Prefecture, apologized Wednesday over a fire that occurred the previous day at his home, which is connected to the inn. (Japan Times)

With days to go until an unprecedented US-North Korea summit in Singapore, the leaders of Japan and the United States have discussed North Korea. (NHK)

Just over a week before a new law for minpaku (private lodging services) goes into effect, the popular rental website Airbnb has dropped nearly 80 percent of its listings for the services over the past three months. (Japan Times)

The Aichi Prefectural Police said Tuesday they will remove all the anti-groping posters recently put up in train stations after an online outcry by people angered at the assumption of guilt of the alleged perpetrators. (Japan Times)

Japan's Honda Motor says it will start selling its small business jet in the country. (NHK)

It's the hands-free experience you never knew you needed - a Japanese company has developed a drone-powered parasol it says can hover over users, protecting them from the sun. (Japan Times)

Police have arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of reckless driving after he drove through a pedestrian throng at Shibuya's famous scramble crossing in Tokyo while the traffic lights were red. (Japan Today)

An internal probe by Nissan Motor Co. has discovered misconduct at its plants regarding the employment of foreign trainees, including forcing them to perform jobs not sanctioned under a government program, a company official said Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Workers in Japan are continuing to take home bigger paychecks. A government survey says monthly wages rose year-on-year for the 9th-straight month in April. (NHK)

The suspicious death of a wealthy but troubled Japanese man dubbed "Don Juan" has brought into focus the personal life of the 77-year-old self-proclaimed womanizer who married a 21-year-old earlier this year. (Kyodo)

Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, arrived in Hawaii on Monday for a six-day official visit to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Japanese immigration there - part of yearlong celebrations. (Japan Times)

Subaru Corp. said Tuesday it has found new cases of product data fabrication, bringing the total number of affected vehicles to 1,551, up from the previously reported 903, and prompting a revamp of its top management. (Japan Times)

Central Japan Railway Co. showed a new shinkansen bullet train model to the media during a test run on Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A senior official of the Kobe Board of Education instructed a junior high school principal to cover up interview-based memos that proved a student who committed suicide in 2016 was bullied. (Japan Times)

Police are investigating the sudden death in May of a wealthy man in western Japan, dubbed a Japanese "Don Juan" for being a womanizer, as possible murder after stimulants were detected in his body, investigative sources said Monday. (Kyodo)

Just like when the anime heroine came back from the dead, Sailor Moon the Miracle 4-D isn't going down so easily. (soranews24.com)

Toshiba Memory Corp., the world's second-largest maker of NAND flash memory chips, is considering changing its name in 2019 as it seeks to introduce a new brand and raise its profile in the intensely competitive market. (Japan Times)

Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso says he will forfeit one year's ministerial salary and take responsibility for his ministry's role in document tampering. (NHK)

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai and 2 crewmembers have returned to Earth after completing their mission at the International Space Station. (NHK)

In the vast ecosystem of costumed mascots in Japan, the Kumamoto Prefectural character Kumamon probably stands at the top of the food chain. His empire has been estimated well into the billions of yen annually and he has even gained a following in China. (Japan Today)

Police in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward said Sunday they have arrested a 60-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 36-year-old son at their home on Saturday night. (Japan Today)

Railway service has been stopped for almost 3 hours as a man climbed a transmission pole at a station in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. Around 30,000 passengers were affected. (NHK)

Hundreds of runners have carried small bells to scare away bears during a marathon on a small island in northern Japan. (NHK)