Japan Airlines says it has been defrauded of a total of 3.4 million dollars by sending money in response to emails calling for the payment of lease fees and other charges. (NHK)

Nagoya University Hospital said Wednesday its medical team left gauze inside a woman's body in a 1970 operation and that it stayed there for around 44 years, with the patient complaining of stomach pain for many years. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set up an Instagram account, promising to start posting in earnest in the new year on the photo-sharing social media platform, which is especially popular among young people. (Japan Today)

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday he needs a better way to travel overseas to compete with China's diplomatic clout, including potentially the purchase of a dedicated airplane (Japan Today)

atsuya Hashimoto, the 63-year-old mayor of Awara city in Fukui Prefecture, who has been accused of sexually harassing a married woman, including kissing, hugging and licking her toes, said Monday that he plans on suing the woman and her husband over attempted extortion, local media reported. (Japan Today)

The number of nonresident foreign visitors to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka reached 2 million on Tuesday, according to operator USJ Co. (Japan Times)

A Japanese government panel says a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 or more could occur off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. (NHK)

Subaru's Japanese auto orders are on track to fall 30% on the year in December after uncertified workers were found in October to be conducting final vehicle inspections. (Nikkei)

Japanese authorities have found 2 more bodies beneath one of the 2 wooden boats that washed ashore on the Sea of Japan coast. The vessels are believed to have come from North Korea. (NHK)

Even in a Japan that has clung to cash for 80% of payments, innovations like electronic money are making headway, changing both consumer habits and work patterns. (Nikkei)

Researchers, lawmakers and businesses are hoping to use rare earths in deep waters near the coast of Japan to produce LEDs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. (the-japan-news.com)

The Emperor and Empress of Japan will switch residences with the Crown Prince's family after the Emperor's abdication. (NHK)

Finance Minister Taro Aso agreed on Monday to cut total medical fees covered by the country’s public health insurance system by 0.90 percent from the current level. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government intends to deploy a new ground-based missile defense system. This is in response to the acceleration of North Korea's missile development program. (NHK)

Finance Minister Taro Aso and education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed on Monday to increase the number of English teachers at public elementary schools by 1,000 in fiscal 2018, which starts next April. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government has reaffirmed its policy of enhancing its coast guard by obtaining new patrol vessels and aircraft. (NHK)

Japan's Supreme Court has ruled against more than 380 people seeking official recognition as survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. (NHK)

Japan's Toyota Motor has unveiled bold new plans to cope with the global shift toward electric cars. (NHK)

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:21 PM, local time, on Sunday. (NHK)

Police in Abashiri, Hokkaido, have arrested a 78-year-old man on suspicion of assault after he choked a 62-year-old taxi driver. (Japan Today)

A 27-year-old man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl in Fukui Prefecture and taking her to his home in Aichi Prefecture, police said. (Japan Today)

A ski resort opened in western Japan's Hyogo Prefecture on Saturday, with its operator and the local government saying it is the country's first new facility to be opened to skiers and snowboarders in 14 years. (Japan Today)

The operator of Japan’s only “baby hatch” said Saturday that the nation should allow women to give birth anonymously at hospitals in cases of unwanted pregnancy, while ensuring the children’s right to learn their mother’s identity after they grow up. (Japan Times)

Japan's Coast Guard has released video footage of North Korean boats illegally fishing in Japan's exclusive economic zone. (NHK)

Police said Friday that two glass windows and a glass door on train cars on the JR Musashino Line were shattered by stones thrown through them on Wednesday and Thursday nights. (Japan Today)