Takahiro Shiraishi, a 27-year-old man allegedly behind one of the nation’s most gruesome serial murders in recent years, preyed upon suicidal victims through twitter, offering them assistance of sorts. (Japan Times)

Police have arrested 7 people in connection with a cash robbery of 380 million yen, or about 3.4 million dollars, in western Japan in April. (NHK)

The Bank of Japan has downgraded its inflation forecast for the current fiscal year through March. (NHK)

China's top ride-sharing company, Didi Chuxing, will launch an app-based service in Tokyo next April, partnering with a Japanese taxi company. (NHK)

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have welcomed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Tokyo. (NHK)

The Japan Tourism Agency will start a survey to check the number of visitors from abroad who have bought travel insurance, hoping to draw up measures to encourage more foreign visitors to get coverage, according to sources. (Japan Times)

Police in Bangkok on Sunday arrested a Japanese woman for allegedly attempting to smuggle 10 otters to Japan, reports Fuji News Network (tokyoreporter.com)

Companies continued to face a severe labor shortage in September, with job availability remaining at historic highs, government data showed Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Police arrested nine people on suspicion of copyright law violations Tuesday in connection with a website containing links to other sites that give visitors access to pirated comics and books. (Japan Times)

This place is for real! A city in Japan called Obama. They must have named it after the former president, right? (ONLY in JAPAN)

Tokyo police are on increased alert as young people and foreign nationals in Halloween costumes descend on the city's busy Shibuya district. (NHK)

Police in Date, Hokkaido, have arrested a 19-year-old woman worker on suspicion of attempted murder after she stabbed her father at their home. (Japan Today)

Eating sushi in Japan is about to get even more awesome. (rocketnews24.com)

The leaders of Japan and the Philippines say they will work closely together to address North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. (NHK)

Haruhiko Kuroda should be reappointed to continue as governor after his current term expires in April, and comfortingly, as of last week, he easily leads the field of contenders. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's big election win must also be in Kuroda's favor. All to the good. (Japan Times)

Seiji Maehara, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, resigned on Monday to take responsibility for the disarray following a failed merger with the fledgling force led by Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike ahead of the Oct 22 lower house election. (Japan Today)

Sayaka Akimoto recounts similar pressures she faced herself in school. (rocketnews24.com)

Oscar-winning Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki who has come out of retirement is now working on a new animated feature film titled "Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru ka," (How do you live?), studio sources said. (KyodoK)

Japan's tallest mountain loses its icy top covering as storm blows through eastern Japan. (rocketnews24.com)

As its data-doctoring scandal continues to unfold, Kobe Steel is grappling with the consequences for a diversification plan that has returned it to the cusp of profitability. (Nikkei)

Typhoon Saola was downgraded to an extratropical low-pressure system off northeastern Japan at midnight on Sunday (3 p.m. GMT) after moving off the country's Pacific coast. (NHK)

UNESCO has decided to add historic records of visits by Korean envoys to Japan between the 17th and 19th centuries to its Memory of the World Register. (NHK)

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka will resume nighttime parades from 2018 following a year-and-half hiatus as part of efforts to draw overseas tourists as well as domestic visitors, its operator USJ Co. said Monday. (Kyodo)

Japan will roll out its No. 1 golfer and a singer known for his viral hit song "PPAP" to entertain President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hoping to keep the mood upbeat during the U.S. leader's official visit. (Kyodo)

Cold wind from the north buffeted many locations across the country, with the first kogarashi wintry blasts of the season observed in central Tokyo and the Kinki region. (the-japan-news.com)