Japan's government says North Korea has fired a missile from its western coast toward the northeastern Japanese region of Tohoku. (NHK)

Sea Shepherd has pulled the plug on its decade-long mission to stop Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, saying it can't match the economic and technological power of the government in Tokyo. (9news.com.au)

At the opening of the trial of a male Chinese national accused of killing his wife and dumping her body inside a suitcase last year, the defendant denied an "intent to kill," reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has pledged to forge on with very accommodative monetary policy as he warned that his inflation target remains distant and the current pace of growth in the world's third-largest economy looks unsustainable. (afr.com)

Japan overpowered Texas in the Little League World Series championship game, 12-2, on Sunday. The victory marks the fifth time that a Japanese team has won the title since 2010. (mlb.com)

Police in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, said Sunday that a 67-year-old man, arrested on a hit-and-run charge, hasn't had a valid driver's license in over 25 years. (Japan Today)

A 35-year-old police officer, stationed at a koban (police box) in front of Tokyo Station, has been arrested on suspicion of theft after he stole a wallet that had been handed in as a lost-and-found item. (Japan Today)

If you're the kind of person who prioritizes volunteer work, enjoys playing badminton and has an interest in studying, Shiga Prefecture might be your ideal home in Kansai. (Japan Times)

Japan's Kimiko Date called time on her tennis career at the age of 46 on Monday, saying she was no longer able to perform at the best of her abilities due to physical issues and had decided to listen to the "inner voice" telling her it was time to quit. (eurosport.com)

People in northeastern Japan have enjoyed an annual firework show that lit up skies over Omagari in Daisen City. This year, they had to make extra efforts to prepare for the event as the site was flooded due to heavy rain the previous day. (NHK)

Google Inc on Saturday accepted responsibility for widespread internet disruptions experienced across Japan the previous day. (Japan Today)

A Japanese boy has come third in a competition to pretend playing the guitar to rock numbers. (NHK)

Police in Tokyo have arrested an unemployed 39-year-old man on suspicion of extortion after he threatened to beat up a smartphone user unless he paid money for "bumping" into him. (Japan Today)

Officials with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force say one of their helicopters went out of contact during a training mission on Saturday night. They say it may have crashed into the sea. (NHK)

Police in Japan are on alert for conflicts between two rival gang groups as Sunday marks two years since they split up. (NHK)

A 4-year-old girl died Friday a day after she was found unconscious in a nursery school pool in the city of Saitama, the police said. (Japan Times)

A Tokyo high school student is in critical condition after suffering heatstroke during a basketball club practice, the metropolitan education board said Friday. (Japan Today)

After a hiatus of nearly a month that was lauded by the U.S., North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles early Saturday, with two flying roughly 250 km and the other exploding almost immediately, the U.S. military’s Pacific Command said. (Japan Times)

A fossilized tooth of an extinct mammal thought to be a close relative of marsupials has been unearthed in central Kyushu, a find that dates back about 90 million years and may provide clues to how mammals evolved in Asia, the Mifune Dinosaur Museum said Thursday. (Japan Times)

FamilyMart Uny Holdings Co. and discount chain Don Quijote Holdings Co. said Thursday they reached a basic agreement to forge a capital and business alliance. (Japan Times)

A Japanese research team, in cooperation with NHK, has succeeded in filming a fish swimming at a depth of 8,178 meters in the Pacific Ocean -- the deepest ever recorded. (NHK)

People in Japan and China will celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between their countries next month in Beijing. (NHK)

Babymetal rocked the crowd at the Summer Sonic music festival Sunday (Aug. 20) in Chiba, Japan, with an exhilarating concert experience that blends J-pop idol entertainment with excellently orchestrated metal. (billboard.com)

Sticking to Japanese barbecue mainstays like sausages and yakisoba noodles would've been the smarter move. (rocketnews24.com)

Japan is the largest consumer of uni, or sea urchin, a popular and expensive ingredient in sushi and kaisen-don seafood rice bowls. Japanese are fond of the sea fruit's rich, sweet taste that comes with a faint scent of the sea. (Nikkei)