Chinese bicycle-sharing startup Mobike has set up a subsidiary in Fukuoka city in southern Japan and plans to begin service later this year, it said on Thursday. (Reuters)

Sayako Kuroda, the daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, assumed the post of supreme priestess at Ise Jingu this week, the ancient Shinto shrine in central Japan said. (Japan Today)

The Japanese government on Thursday upgraded its assessment of the economy in its monthly report for the first time since December. (marketwatch.com)

Japanese authorities have created a new map of a remote island whose area has expanded through volcanic activity. (NHK)

Japanese virtual mall operator Rakuten said on Thursday it will open an online room-sharing marketplace now that the country is poised to lift a ban on room-sharing for travelers. (Nikkei)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male executive at Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) for allegedly pouring an illegal sex enhancement drug on the face of the woman earlier this month, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)

On 19 June it was announced that three teens were arrested for the robbery and assault of a 20-year-old man. The victim was on his moped when a cigarette was put out on his face and his bike and helmet were stolen from him. (rocketnews24.com)

The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan is continuing to increase. It hit a new record for the month of May. (NHK)

Heavy rain hit a wide area on the Pacific side of the Japanese archipelago Wednesday, disrupting traffic and prompting local authorities to issue evacuation advisories for around 250,000 people in central regions due to possible flooding. (Japan Times)

Two men working at a waste disposal plant in Tamura City, Fukushima Prefecture, face theft charges for keeping approximately 10 million yen which they and a third worker found mixed in with collected garbage. (Japan Today)

The frenzied drummer who is the force behind rockers X Japan declared headbanging to be "no good" on Tuesday as he sported a neck brace at his first press conference since emergency surgery. (9news)

Japan Airlines (JAL) is now providing free inflight connectivity throughout the entire flight to customers flying on domestic routes. (getconnected.aero)

Two Japanese dancers have won first prize in different categories in the Moscow International Ballet Competition. (NHK)

Major Japanese tour agency JTB aims to introduce Alibaba Group Holding's Alipay mobile payment service at around 2,000 partner businesses across Japan within three years to help grease the wheels of spending by foreign tourists. (Nikkei)

Around half of junior high school students have called the English skills they acquired in elementary schools "useless," according to recent findings by education services provider Benesse Holdings Inc. (Japan Times)

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force invited the public to view a drill for deploying ground-based PAC3 interceptor missiles. (NHK)

A strong earthquake hit southwestern Japan late Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Japan Times)

Struggling Japanese electronics maker Toshiba says that it picked a government-led multinational consortium as the preferred bidder for the sale of its memory chip unit. (NHK)

The nation's youngest professional shogi player, 14-year-old Sota Fujii, won his 28th straight match on Wednesday to equal the all-time winning streak in official matches of the traditional chess-like game. (Japan Times)

The Imperial Household Agency said Monday it will officially announce the engagement of Princess Mako, the first granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, to a university classmate of hers on July 8. (Japan Today)

The population of once extinct storks living in the wild in Japan has reached 100, an official at a specialist conservation facility said Monday. (Japan Today)

The nation's hotel operators and real estate firms are ramping up their hiring of foreign workers to capitalize on booming in-bound tourism and increasing property investment from wealthy overseas buyers. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Tuesday that the metropolitan government will relocate the famous Tsukiji fish market as planned but redevelop the original site in the future. (Japan Times)

Prosecutors in western Japan have begun raiding the premises of school operator Moritomo Gakuen on suspicion it unlawfully claimed subsidies from the state and the Osaka prefectural government. (NHK)

Japan has become world-famous for its incredibly polished customer service, which isn’t something you’ll find only at premium-priced hotels and leisure resorts. Just about any shop or restaurant you go to in Japan, right down to convenience stores and fast food joints, will be staffed by courteous clerks and servers. (rocketnews24.com)