The annual unified college entrance examinations began Saturday as many parts of the country saw their coldest winter day so far cause traffic jams and force several schools to postpone the pivotal tests. (Japan Times)

Grab your towel because it's time for an epic Japanese onsen bath adventure! We will explore 12 Onsen Towns, hopping from one to another as a "bath tourist" around Fukushima. Naked outside in the snow? It's part of the fun! (ONLY in JAPAN)

The Paul Logan fiasco has raised Japanese netizens’ awareness of YouTubers who seem to take joy in causing havoc in Japan. Some of them have begun searching for more of such videos, and have unearthed one taken last September by American YouTuber duo, Dan Rue and Nick Joseph. (rocketnews24.com)

Sumo's top-ranked referee will resign over a sexual harassment scandal, the sport's governing body said Saturday following an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors. (Kyodo)

The US Navy has deployed to southwestern Japan a new amphibious assault ship that can carry advanced F-35B stealth fighter jets. (NHK)

Students and graduates of high schools across Japan are sitting the annual unified college and university entrance examinations. (NHK)

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono visited Myanmar's Rakhine state on Saturday after meeting with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the capital of Naypyitaw a day earlier. (Nikkei)

Toshiba Corp. said Friday it has completed the payments of Westinghouse Electric Co.’s debts it guaranteed for the failed U.S. nuclear business subsidiary. (the-japan-news.com)

A newly appointed female judge on Japan's Supreme Court has said she will use her maiden name when handing down rulings, a legal first in a country criticised for its attitudes to gender equality. (Japan Today)

Japanese's foreign minister on Friday urged Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to guarantee the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in troubled Rakhine state. (Japan Today)

Japanese investors became less enthusiastic about buying foreign bonds last year on growing concern about rising U.S. Treasury yields. (Nikkei)

In the modern era, almost all Japanese homes have private bath/shower facilities. However, in some neighborhoods you can still find public baths. (rocketnews24.com)

YouTube says it was upset by the video posted by a US vlogger that showed the body of an apparent suicide victim in Japan. (NHK)

a canoeist who has been banned after admitting that he doped a fellow competitor’s drink, contrived a variety of schemes to rattle his rival, an official source said thursday. (Japan Times)

A venerable cabaret in the ritzy Ginza district of Chuo Ward closed its doors for the final time on Wednesday in what indeed is the end of an era. (tokyoreporter.com)

Around 430 passengers were forced to stay a night aboard a local train stranded since Thursday evening due to heavy snowfall in Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast. (Kyodo)

Japan received a record number of overseas visitors in 2017 for the fifth straight year, with the greatest growth coming from Asian countries, where low-cost air carriers are expanding service. (Nikkei)

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force, or ASDF, suspects that a metal panel may have fallen from a Japanese government aircraft during flight. (NHK)

Snow is falling heavily on the coast, along the Sea of Japan. Storms have also plastered parts of Shikoku and Kyushu in the southwest, where snow is rarely seen. (NHK)

Professional soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura has broken his own record for oldest player to sign a contract in the J-League. Miura will celebrate his 51st birthday on February 26th. (NHK)

The Kosho Hajime new year lecture event, in which leading experts from the academic community deliver lectures to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, was held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The number of households in the nation receiving welfare increased by 634 in October last year from the previous month to hit a record high of 1,642,907, up for the sixth straight month, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Wednesday. (the-japan-news.com)

Details emerged Wednesday about significant debts faced by a kimono rental firm that went bust just before Coming-of-Age Day ceremonies, leaving scores of women celebrating adulthood without their formal attire. (Japan Times)

Police arrested a 36-year-old man Wednesday on suspicion of trying to kill an acquaintance with heat-not-burn tobacco laced with mercury. (Japan Today)

Officials in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, say dead birds found at a local poultry farm have tested positive for bird flu in a preliminary check. (NHK)