Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged his commitment to ensuring the rule of law at sea. (NHK)

Osaka prefectural police on Sunday appealed to the public for any information that might help them find out what happened to a nine-year-old girl who went missing on May 20, 2003 in the town of Kumatori near Osaka Bay. (Japan Today)

Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, is latitudinally different enough from the rest of the country that its seasons change later. So while the Tokyo area is getting ready for the early-summer rainy season to start, spring is finally getting into full swing in Hokkaido. (Japan Today)

Japanese Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Shoplifters" has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. (NHK)

Crowds of people have gathered in Tokyo's Asakusa district to watch a traditional Shinto festival that heralds the arrival of early summer. (NHK)

It was a sad day when the Evangelion Shinkansen made its last journey on the rails on 13 May. But where one door closes, another one opens, and that’s exactly what happened this week, as West Japan Railway finally let us all peek inside their new Hello Kitty Shinkansen, which is set to make its debut next month. (soranews24.com)

The Japanese government has notified the World Trade Organization that it is prepared to take countermeasures against US tariffs on steel and aluminum. (NHK)

Japan's lower house on Friday passed a bill to ratify the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, paving the way for its enactment before the current Diet session ends in June. (Japan Today)

Police in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, have arrested a 28-year-old painter on suspicion of sexually molesting a woman in her home last September. (Japan Today)

A sake produced by a brewery in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi won the top prize in its category Friday for the second year in a row at an international sake contest held in northeastern Japan. (Kyodo)

Japanese teenage shogi chess sensation Sota Fujii has set a new record. The 15-year-old high school freshman has become the youngest player to achieve the rank of 7th-dan. (NHK)

Torrential rain has hit northeastern Japan. The Meteorological Agency is warning of landslides, overflowing rivers and flooding in the region. (NHK)

Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, who has appeared in a number of American films including the 2003 period drama "The Last Samurai," has split with his actress wife Kaho Minami, their agencies said Thursday. (Japan Today)

Hideki Saijo, a singer popular in Asia and best known for his cover song of the megahit “Y.M.C.A.,” died of acute heart failure Wednesday, his office said. He was 63. (Japan Times)

More than 90 percent of child abuse and sexual crime victims and their families didn’t receive compensation from their assailants, nor public financial assistance, largely due to the lack of awareness on the consultation services available, police data showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Kyoto City officials have discovered about 100 bamboo plants in the city's Arashiyama district vandalized. (NHK)

We’re no strangers to the power of a good camera. Last year’s 4K introductory video to the San’in region, with its gorgeous foliage and eerily perfect beaches, set an incredibly high standard. Now, Akita-based cinematics company Armadas is here to push that standard doubly high, with eye-searing, gorgeous shots from a number of locales around Japan – in 8K resolution. (Japan Today)

A Japanese court gave three Taiwanese women suspended sentences Wednesday after finding them guilty of attempting to smuggle gold worth 50 million yen into the country by hiding it in their bras. (Japan Today)

An online video of more than 30 wild deer running through a residential area in Nara city, western Japan, has gone viral. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a female professional wrestler over the alleged used of stimulant drugs, reports TBS News (tokyoreporter.com)

A monk working for a temple at the World Heritage Site of Mt Koya in western Japan has filed a damages suit, claiming he developed depression and was forced to take a leave of absence because of his heavy workload, a lawyer representing him said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Police arrested a couple in their 20s on Wednesday for allegedly starving to death their 1-year-old son who was found weighing just 3.8 kilograms, less than half the average weight for a child of his age. (Japan Today)

A Suntory Holdings Ltd. subsidiary will suspend selling two leading whisky brands due to a shortage of unblended whisky amid the growing popularity of the spirit at home and abroad. (Kyodo)

A 22-year-old woman has been arrested in Adachi Ward in Tokyo on suspicion of fatally stabbing her boyfriend. (Japan Today)

The world’s first cloned cow died of old age Monday, according to the prefectural government of Ishikawa. (Japan Times)