It's impossible for Ichiro Kawanabe to order up an Uber in Japan. The ride-hailing company has banned him from having an account. (Japan Times)

Japan's economy marked a seven-quarter growth run through September --- the longest in 16 years --- but the outlook appears less rosy, as surprisingly strong private consumption before this summer may prove to have been just a blip. (Japan Times)

Japan's 3 major financial groups are reporting their earnings for the April-to-September period. Two saw their operating profits fall, as prolonged low interest rates ate into their earnings. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the eldest son of Tokyo assemblyman Masatoshi Ibi, 54, over the alleged molestation of a woman in Chofu City last month, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Tokyo-based Showa Women's University (SWU) and Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) have announced a unique campus-sharing agreement that could offer a model to other Japanese schools. (Japan Times)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to work toward the return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh. (NHK)

The first public exhibition of a giant panda cub born at a Tokyo zoo in 29 years will begin next month, with large numbers of visitors expected. (Japan Today)

The winner of the Miss International 2017 Kevin Lilliana, representing Indonesia, waves during the 57th Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo on Tuesday night. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested four male Nigerian nationals as a part of a crackdown on unruly street touts who target women in the Roppongi entertainment area of Minato Ward, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has officially approved a controversial plan to open a veterinary school in April of next year. (NHK)

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says she wants to step down as president of the opposition party Hope. (NHK)

The Japan Sumo Association says it will look into allegations that Yokozuna grand champion Harumafuji assaulted a junior wrestler. (NHKã‚“)

Uber’s tie-up with SoftBank suggests the ride-hailing giant is set to come of age in the business world, but it still faces a long road ahead. (Japan Times)

A mini bus carrying mentally disabled people tumbled off a road and dropped about five meters into a wooded area Monday morning in western Japan, leaving 18 people slightly injured, police said. (Kyodo)

The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka’s French restaurant La Baie and The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto’s Japanese restaurant Tempura Mizuki have both been awarded one Michelin star in the Michelin Guide to Kyoto and Osaka 2018. (Japan Today)

A car plunged into a crowd of spectators at a drift event in Saga Prefecture on Sunday, leaving four men injured, including one in critical condition, police said. (Japan Times)

Of all the things there are to see and do in a foreign city, it's fair to say a visit to the local garbage incinerator is not usually one of them. But a garbage facility in the Japanese city of Osaka has become a major tourist attraction --- for all the wrong reasons. (cairnspost.com.au)

The icebreaker Shirase, operated by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, left Tokyo’s Harumi pier for Antarctica on Sunday. (Japan Times)

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency plans to make the installation of hydrogen filling stations easier by revising ordinances related to the fire service law in fiscal 2018, in order to help promote the use of fuel cell vehicles, Jiji Press has learned. (the-japan-news.com)

The Kawasaki Heavy Industries C-2 is making its debut outside of Japan at the air show, as the country pushes for export sales of the military transport. (flightglobal.com)

Junior high school students in Japan are generally well-behaved, though occasionally a few naughty ones may slip through the disciplinary system and wreak juvenile havoc. (rocketnews24.com)

In a powerful display of military might, Japanese and South Korean warships separately trained with three U.S. aircraft carriers on Sunday as the allies presented a united front against nuclear-armed North Korea. (Japan Times)

Police in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, said Sunday they have arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of killing the former manager of an automobile sales and insurance company that had gone out of business. (Japan Today)

On Oct 31, Takahiro Shiraishi was arrested after nine bodies were discovered in his apartment in the town of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, where the 27-year-old had been living since August. The authorities also found a saw, which Shiraishi admits to using in dismembering the bodies after killing his victims in order to make their remains easier to dispose of. (Japan Today)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to further their countries' relations. The 2 leaders met for about 50 minutes on Saturday in the southern Vietnamese city of Da Nang. This was their 6th meeting with the previous one held in Germany in July. (NHK)