The president of Mitsubishi Materials has apologized for falsification of inspection data at 2 of its subsidiaries. (NHK)

A Newsweek story that apparently misinterpreted the results of an opinion poll carried out by a Japanese news agency last week is creating a public stir. (Japan Times)

Japanese scientists plan an experiment to gauge the effect of gravity on time. (NHK)

Japan appeals to different people for different reasons. Some visit for the history or the food. Many stay for the martial arts, while others keep coming back for a dose of manga, anime and video-game culture. Still others come to enjoy the land — the huge span of scenery from the north of Hokkaido to Okinawa in the southwest, and the sharp changes such places undergo with the revolutions of season. (Japan Times)

Police in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Akita say they have found 8 men of undetermined nationality and a wooden boat washed ashore. Police say the men claim to have come from North Korea. (NHK)

At the opening of the documentary "Boys For Sale," a look at the underside of the trade in young boys in the 2-chome gay quarter of Shinjuku Ward, a former male prostitute, says, "I guess if you'd never experienced this, it would be hard to understand." (tokyoreporter.com)

Mobile carrier KDDI Corp. will wholly acquire Aeon Corp., the nation’s second-largest English conversation school operator, in January in a step to expand its business into the education field. (Japan Times)

Osaka City, western Japan, is to cut its sister city ties with San Francisco, following the US city's decision to accept the donation of a statue symbolizing those referred to as comfort women. (NHK)

The government sold land in Osaka to school operator Moritomo Gakuen for a highly discounted price based on faulty data estimating the cost of removing industrial waste left in the plot, a government watchdog on spending concluded in a much-awaited report released Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The Yokohama family court granted a request by a daughter of Aum Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara to nullify her parents' right to inherit her property in the event of her death. (Japan Times)

A team of Japanese researchers has found a new drug combination that reduces amyloid beta protein, believed to play a key role in causing Alzheimer’s disease, by using stem cells derived from patients, Kyoto University announced Tuesday. (Japan Times)

The Japanese Olympic Committee and city of Sapporo announced Wednesday they will enter a dialogue process over a potential bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Japan Today)

The author of the smash hit comic series "Rurouni Kenshin" was referred to prosecutors Tuesday for alleged possession of pornographic images of underage girls, investigative sources said. (Japan Times)

In the latest incident involving the American military in Okinawa, a U.S. Navy C-2 transport aircraft carrying 11 crew members and passengers crashed into the ocean 150 km northwest of Okinotorishima on Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The government will draw up a fiscal 2017 supplementary budget for additional spending of some ¥2 trillion, including for setting up nursery facilities to accept 320,000 children on waiting lists ahead of schedule as pledged by the ruling coalition in the Oct. 22 general election. (Japan Times)

NHK has learned Japan is getting closer to finding out a date for the Emperor's abdication. (NHK)

Subaru Corp. will introduce a series of all-electric cars in Japan as early as 2021, sources said, as competition intensifies between automakers looking to develop eco-friendly cars in response to stricter global emissions regulations. (Japan Times)

Toshiba Corp. will remove its corporate logo from its prominent position atop the One Times Square Building overlooking New York's iconic tourist hub as part of cost-cutting efforts, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday the wedding ceremony of Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, and her classmate from university days Kei Komuro will be held on Nov 4 next year. (Japan Today)

A group of Japanese researchers has developed the country's first quantum computer and is offering others free trials as a way to spur further innovation. (NHK)

Japan may be known as the world leader when it comes to high-tech toilets, but only 35.8 percent of those in prefectural high schools are Western-style. (Japan Times)

Police are set to refer sumo grand champion Harumafuji to prosecutors by the end of the year on suspicion of assaulting lower-ranked wrestler Takanoiwa in a drunken brawl, investigative sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A man on a motorbike came behind women and snatched their handbags on three occasions within 15 minutes on Saturday night in an area near JR Omiya Station in Saitama city, police said Sunday. The man got away with around 80,000 yen, police said. (Japan Today)

Japan's exports grew 14 percent over a year earlier in October on strong demand for vehicles, electronics and machinery. However, customs data released Monday showed even faster growth in imports of oil, gas and coal that caused the trade surplus to fall more than 40 percent from the year before. (Japan Today)

Prison inmates who don't speak Japanese now have access to better interpretation services, thanks to a new system introduced earlier this month. (NHK)