Oily objects that may have come from a tanker that sank off a southwestern island in Japan has reached the Japanese coast. (NHK)

Australian rugby legend George Smith will no longer play for Suntory Sungoliath after the club said Thursday it had canceled the player's contract for his alleged assault of a taxi driver late last year. (Japan Today)

Japanese authorities have warned international gold smuggling rings are becoming more sophisticated after cracking a scheme to conceal gold bars in aircraft toilets. (scmp.com)

Eleven people died in a fire at a support facility for people on welfare in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido on Wednesday night. (NHK)

Japanese messaging service Line Corp is expanding its reach into financial technology, or fintech, with a new company that offers a cryptocurrency exchange, loans and insurance. (cnbc.com)

A group of geisha and their apprentices in Japan's ancient city of Kyoto have copied Buddhist scriptures to learn more about traditional culture. (NHK)

Japan's plans to acquire cruise missiles for its combat aircraft are a step forward in its ability to provide for its own defence. But these weapons won't give the country the capacity to pre-emptively destroy North Korea's ballistic missiles because of the major weaknesses in Japan's ability to locate mobile targets. (The Strategist)

People across Japan enjoyed the first total lunar eclipse in nearly 3 years on Wednesday night. (NHK)

The Tokyo High Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a 29-year-man to 26 years in prison for killing a 2-year-old boy he baby-sat in 2014. (Japan Today)

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of abusing his two sons, aged 5 and 6, at their residence in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture. (Japan Today)

The nation’s first drone museum opened in the city of Osaka in December featuring a wide variety of drones on display and for sale, with visitors able to try them out. (Japan Times)

A 5-year-old boy suffocated to death after apparently getting locked in a washer dryer at his family's apartment in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, police said Sunday. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent newfound openness to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade and investment pact Monday, but stopped short of promising a new deal. (Nikkei)

As many as 4,000 homeless people may be finding shelter at 24-hour internet and manga cafes in Tokyo on any given weekday, the first survey on the issue by the metropolitan government showed Monday. (Japan Today)

Massive ice columns artificially created in Onouchi Ravine in Ogano, Saitama Prefecture, are dazzling visitors to the area. (the-japan-news.com)

Researchers say they have found a new seabird species indigenous to the Ogasawara Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site some 1,000 kilometers south of Japan's main island. (NHK)

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Two trade groups in Japan's booming cryptocurrency sector have decided to merge into a self-regulatory body in the wake of the biggest virtual currency disappearance to date, taking a step they had hesitated to before. (Nikkei)

Japan's agriculture ministry has decided to import up to 13,000 tons of butter in the next fiscal year to cover domestic supply shortages and ensure stable supplies. (NHK)

Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, agreed Sunday that the two countries should steadily promote reciprocal visits by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping in order to improve bilateral relations. (the-japan-news.com)

A flu epidemic is raging in Japan with the number of patients in one week estimated to have reached a record-high of 2.83 million, the health ministry said Friday. (Japan Today)

A sumo wrestler from Georgia has clinched his first ever title in the sport's grand tournament. (NHK)

The defense chiefs of Japan and France have agreed to boost defense cooperation. (NHK)

A railway operator in Hokkaido, northern Japan, has launched a winter steam locomotive service through wetlands in the eastern part of the prefecture. (NHK)

A 32-year-old Peruvian man indicted in the killings of six people in Saitama Prefecture in 2015 has declined to enter a plea at the opening session of his trial at the Saitama District Court. (Japan Today)