Ireland scored seven tries on the way to a convincing 50-22 victory over 2019 World Cup hosts Japan at the Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, in the first match of a two-test series on Saturday. (the-japan-news.com)

The Defense Ministry announced Friday that the Maritime Self-Defense Force's largest warship, the Izumo helicopter carrier, wrapped up three days of joint drills with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the disputed South China Sea. (Japan Times)

Takata Corp , the Japanese company facing billions in liabilities stemming from its defective air bag inflators, is preparing to file for bankruptcy as early as next week as it works toward a deal for financial backing from U.S. auto parts maker Key Safety Systems Inc., sources said on Thursday. (Japan Times)

Japan, eclipsed by China in startup activity, is boosting efforts to get foreign venture capital firms more involved with its entrepreneurs. (the-japan-news.com)

Japanese farmers have urged lawmakers to stop officials from making too many concessions in an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. (NHK)

Japan's future sovereign, Crown Prince Naruhito, has started a five-day visit to Denmark after the Japanese parliament last week passed a law allowing his father, Emperor Akihito, to become the first monarch to abdicate in 200 years. (timescolonist.com)

The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee says he hopes the northern city of Sapporo will bid to host the 2026 Winter Games if procedures are revised in its favor. (NHK)

A Japanese man accused of taking pictures up a woman's skirt stabbed two court officers Friday as the verdict in his sex pest case was being delivered, a court spokesman and media said. (dailymail.co.uk)

Japan's Diet has enacted a bill criminalizing the act of plotting terror attacks and other organized crimes. (NHK)

Fire ants with a painful bite have been found in Japan for the first time. They came from a container that was unloaded last month in Kobe city, western Japan. (NHK)

Sometimes the perpetrators are gangsters. Sometimes they are rather less accustomed to the criminal life. In one case, the ringleader of a middle-aged, female crime ring was said to be a 66-year-old woman. (nytimes.com)

If and when the Bank of Japan should reveal its plans to exit its ultra-loose monetary policy has split economists polled by Reuters, with the economy showing signs of recovery even though inflation remains far below the central bank's target. (Japan Today)

Japan on Wednesday kicked off a whaling campaign in the northwestern Pacific, in a move sure to anger animal rights activists and others calling for an end to the hunts. (phys.org)

Japanese electronics maker Toshiba has decided to quit another market. Company executives say they will stop manufacturing and selling residential fuel cells at the end of July. (NHK)

Toshiba Corp. unveiled on Thursday a submersible robot to take live video of reactor 3 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant to confirm whether fuel debris is sitting at the bottom of a pool of radioactive water inside. (Japan Times)

Labor authorities on Wednesday referred H.I.S. Co. and two of the travel agency's senior officials to prosecutors for allegedly forcing employees to work overtime beyond legal limits. (Japan Times)

Two children who attended the same preschool in Kawasaki died within a week earlier this month, possibly due to an infectious disease, city officials said. (Japan Times)

A German senior executive of the Japanese arm of Volkswagen AG was arrested Wednesday for the alleged use of a stimulant drug, police said. (Japan Today)

Police in Sapporo on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of killing a man with whom she was having a relationship. (Japan Today)

The Saga District Court on Tuesday rejected a request from local residents for an injunction to block the planned restart of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture. (the-japan-news.com)

Major retailer FamilyMart Uny Holdings Co. and discount store operator Don Quijote Holdings Co. have announced the launch of talks on forging a business alliance. (Japan Times)

The operator of Ivanka Trump's fashion brand has halted business negotiations with major Japanese apparel company Sanei-International Co due to concerns over potential conflicts of interest, according to a letter from the operating company made public Monday. (Japan Today)

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito said on Tuesday he will devote himself "body and soul" to his job as emperor, just days after a law was enacted allowing his father to abdicate, which would be the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in two centuries. (Reuters)

Japan's government will begin drills on Thursday for deploying ground-based PAC3 interceptors in view of North Korea's recent missile launches. (NHK)

A man pedaling a bicycle died after plunging into a harbor during a chase by Okinawa Prefectural Police in Naha City on Tuesday, reports Nippon News Network. (tokyoreporter.com)