Land prices in Japan's three biggest cities and their surrounding urban areas have increased for a fifth straight year. Prices are also starting to rise in the rest of the country, for the first time in 26 years. (NHK)

The government will give a financial break to members of low income households when they take English tests to be introduced under a new university entrance system in fiscal 2020, education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Residents of Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan have brought lanterns to a nighttime gathering to welcome Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. (NHK)

Shikoku Electric Power Co. will not seek to extend the operation of an aging nuclear reactor in western Japan, judging that the required safety investments will not pay off due to declining electricity demand in the region, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

Seven private-sector providers of English tests have been chosen to assess the language proficiencies of university entrance exam takers in Japan, starting in 2021. (NHK)

On 20 March, Kumamoto Police announced the punishment of a sergeant in his fifties for incidents of "power harassment" against several lower ranking officers. As a result his pay will be docked 10 percent for three months. (soranews24.com)

The Tokyo High Court on Monday overturned a lower court ruling and said the owner of a cellphone with a mobile TV function is obliged to pay the NHK subscription fee. (Japan Times)

Mild panic broke out at approximately 1:20 p.m. on 23 March at the Arakawa Amusement Park in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo. (soranews24.com)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited former US President Barack Obama to a sushi restaurant in Tokyo on Sunday. (NHK)

A series of explosive eruptions has been observed at a volcano in southwestern Japan, after a lull of 10 days. The Meteorological Agency is warning people to stay away from Mount Shinmoe, and is maintaining an alert level of 3, on a scale of 1 to 5. (NHK)

Police in Saitama city said Sunday they have arrested a 25-year-old police officer on suspicion of abusing his three-month-old daughter. (Japan Today)

Two tires of a plane operated by low-cost carrier Peach Aviation Ltd went flat after landing at a southwestern Japanese airport Saturday morning, stranding the aircraft and causing the runway to be closed for over two hours. (Japan Today)

An 88-year-old woman working as a visiting researcher at a university in Kyoto was conferred a doctorate on Saturday, making her the oldest person to earn such a degree, according to the institution. (Japan Today)

Local residents and tourists are visiting Kumamoto Castle in southwestern Japan to view cherry blossoms in a picturesque setting. (NHK)

The US military has shown to the media for the first time F-35B fighter jets deployed in Japan. (NHK)

A host of tourists and work trainees in Japan sought refugee status in Japan last year, fueling a jump in applications. (Nikkei)

Police in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, have arrested an unemployed 39-year-old man on suspicion of corpse abandonment after his wife was found dead inside a car. (Japan Today)

Japanese precision equipment firm Ricoh says it will report a record loss for the fiscal year ending in March. This is due to a slump in its business in the United States. (NHK)

Tokyo Customs and the conservation group WWF Japan launched a campaign Friday to warn foreign visitors about traveling with souvenirs made from ivory, notifying them that it is illegal to depart with such products. (Japan Today)

In a move that may touch off a realignment in the cryptocurrency exchange business, Yahoo Japan next month will acquire 40% of operator BitARG Exchange Tokyo, then launch a full-blown exchange in April 2019 or later. (Nikkei)

ANA Holdings Inc, Japan's biggest airline by revenue, said on Thursday it would merge its units Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air by March 2020, to sharpen the competitive edge of its budget carrier business and tap growing travel demand in Asia. (Japan Today)

A court in Japan has sentenced a former care worker to death for killing 3 elderly residents at a nursing home in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. (NHK)

Across the country delicate pink and white cherry blossoms are emerging, but the famed blooms are facing a potentially mortal enemy, experts say: an invasive foreign beetle. (Japan Times)

The Legoland Japan Hotel and Sea Life Nagoya aquarium built next to the Legoland theme park in Nagoya. (Japan Today)

Police on Thursday served another arrest warrant on a 27-year-old man over the murder of a high school girl last year - the 10th arrest warrant to be served on the suspect, who has admitted to killing and dismembering nine people at his apartment near Tokyo. (Japan Times)