Famed wild deer in the city of Nara appear to be growing increasingly frustrated with tourists who make them wait to munch on crackers while trying to frame the perfect photo. (Japan Times)

In response to successive scandals involving physical violence, the Japan Sumo Association announced Thursday that a third-party committee has convened and will question every member of the JSA. (Japan Times)

Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, met with her longtime calligraphy teacher at an exhibition in Tokyo on Friday in her first official duty since the Imperial Household Agency announced she will postpone her marriage until 2020. (Kyodo)

AKB48 is a massively successful “idol group” made up of more than 100 girls and young women. (rocketnews24.com)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will invest ¥7.5 billion in the developer of a taxi-hailing app to jointly create services that help cab drivers pick up customers more efficiently using artificial intelligence. (Japan Times)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Vice President Mike Pence have reaffirmed the need to maximize pressure on North Korea, even as they welcomed inter-Korean dialogue ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics. (NHK)

Japan Tobacco Inc plans to launch a new "heat-not-burn" (HNB) product in Japan as early as the end of this year, as it tries to catch Philip Morris International (PM.N) in a growing cigarette-alternative category. (Japan Today)

The latest official business readings show that Japan's economy is on track for its sixth year of sustained growth in 2018, though the boom cycle has yet to be fully reflected in household incomes. (Nikkei)

Many ruling Liberal Democratic Party members called Wednesday for a relatively moderate amendment of the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution during a plenary meeting to discuss the issue. (Japan Today)

Japanese internet and energy company SoftBank Group Corp reported Wednesday a more than 11-fold surge in profit for the fiscal third quarter thanks to strong sales and to improved results from U.S. carrier Sprint. (Japan Today)

Japan's Imperial Household Agency has announced the postponement of the wedding of Princess Mako, daughter of Prince Akishino, and Kei Komuro. The event was scheduled for November. (NHK)

Japan's defense ministry says one of its Ground Self-Defense Force helicopters has crashed on a house in Saga Prefecture, western Japan. The house went up in flames. (NHK)

A man in his 60s is in a critical condition in hospital after he fatally stabbed a 56-year-old man and then himself outside an apartment building in Yokohama on Sunday. (Japan Today)

Police on Sunday made a seventh arrest in the bust of a large operation that trafficked so-called “dangerous drugs,” reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

While in Japan, you absolutely should visit Hiroshima's Miyajima island, but while there, you definitely shouldn't do this. (rocketnews24.com)

Former American professional wrestler The Destroyer, who garnered tremendous popularity in Japan decades ago, received the esteemed Order of the Rising Sun at a ceremony in Buffalo on Saturday, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)

The annual snow festival has opened in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo. (NHK)

Japan's space agency has successfully test-launched a mini-rocket carrying a microsatellite. (NHK)

Police in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, are searching for a man who is believed to be behind three air gun shootings in the city, which have so far injured two elderly men. (Japan Today)

Snow blanketed Tokyo and surrounding areas for the second time this winter on Friday, disrupting transport and forcing delays in entrance exams at educational institutions. (Japan Today)

Japanese police have arrested a murder suspect whose life as a fugitive in Thailand ended when a photo of his prominent tattoo was posted on Facebook. (NHK)

The first Japan Sumo Association director to be dismissed before the end of his term, popular sumo elder and former yokozuna Takanohana, failed to regain his spot on the board of directors on Friday. (Japan Today)

Around 1,200 people lined up on Thursday morning at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo to see giant panda cub Xiang Xiang and mother Shin Shin, as a first-come, first-served system for viewing the animals kicked off. (Japan Times)

An excavator rammed into pupils and teachers of a school for children with impaired hearing in Osaka on Thursday, killing an 11-year-old girl and injuring four others, police and rescuers said. (Japan Today)

A bottle of limited-edition Yamazaki brand whiskey released by Suntory Spirits Ltd. about six years ago has fetched $298,879 at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. (the-japan-news.com)