A well-known Japanese professor was seriously wounded Tuesday in a suspected knife attack on a Tokyo university campus, and the attacker is still at large, police said. (Kyodo)

Three death row prisoners in Japan are taking the government to court as they fight to end the practice of execution by hanging. (BBC)

Lawson Inc. opened Monday its first futuristic convenience store in Tokyo staffed by "avatars" remotely controlled by employees, making it possible for even those with mobility issues to enter the workforce. (Kyodo)

The Tokyo metropolitan government has, for the first time, administered an English speaking test as part of its public high school entry exam amid doubts that the tests will be graded fairly. (Kyodo)

Official data issued by the Japanese government revealed on Friday that the prices of basic commodities of interest to consumers in the capital, Tokyo, rose by 3.6% in November compared to the same period in the previous year, recording the largest increase since 1982 amid the rise in energy and food prices, which have increasingly put pressure on household budgets. (see.news)

Police in Joyo, Kyoto Prefecture, have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of abducting a seven-year-old girl and keeping her confined in his car. (Japan Today)

About 2,000 people took part in a bicycle event in Tokyo on Wednesday, with cyclists allowed to cross the iconic Rainbow Bridge for the first time since it opened in 1993. (Kyodo)

A man was arrested Sunday for allegedly punching his mother in the head the previous day on her 100th birthday, leaving her in critical condition, police said. (Kyodo)

Four men have been arrested over the death of a man in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi after his body was discovered in August in a concrete-filled drum in Aomori Prefecture in the northeast, police said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Police in Okayama City have arrested three men on suspicion of causing a 27-year-old man’s death after they pushed into a river where he drowned. (Japan Today)

Princess Hisako, the widow of former Emperor Akihito's cousin, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday, making her the fifth COVID-19 case within the Japanese imperial family. (Kyodo)

Shigeru Nakamura, a 111-year-old recognized as Japan's oldest man, died Tuesday at a nursing home in Hiroshima Prefecture where he resided, the facility said. (Kyodo)

Princess Nobuko, widow of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and is scheduled to undergo surgery this weekend, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

A private-sector English-speaking test will be introduced at the Tokyo metropolitan high school entrance exam for the first time in Japan this month, but the initiative to nurture "speaking skills" faces stiff opposition from some parents and education experts questioning its fairness. (Kyodo)

Miyuu Yamashita won the Ito En Ladies golf tournament Sunday, securing her place as the season points leader and making her the youngest "queen" in Japan LPGA Tour history at 21 years, 103 days. (Kyodo)

Japanese Emperor Naruhito has been found to have an enlarged prostate but there is no cause for concern, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Prosecutors on Wednesday brought a fourth indictment against a former Tokyo Olympic executive on charges of receiving bribes totaling around 54 million yen ($370,000) from a major advertisement company and a firm that sold stuffed dolls of the games' mascots. (Kyodo)

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 38-year-old employee of Sagawa Express Co Ltd on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law after he made harassing phone calls to a woman. (Japan Today)

Local authorities in the central Japanese city of Gifu were on maximum alert Sunday as 460,000 people, more than the city's population, flocked to a festival to catch a glimpse of a superstar dressed as a warlord astride a horse. (Kyodo)

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has held an international fleet review for the first time in 20 years, to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding. (NHK)

Shohei Ohtani missed out on consecutive Players Choice Awards on Friday, with New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge claiming the pair of accolades won last year by the Los Angeles Angels two-way star. (Kyodo)

Police in Sapporo have arrested a 29-year-old man over the death of a 23-year-old woman who fell or was pushed out of his car onto the street. The woman was hit by an oncoming vehicle and died later of her injuries. (Japan Today)

The departure of the first ferry from the Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, to Busan, South Korea, marked the resumption of Japan’s international maritime passenger transportation, suspended in 2020 as a preventive measure against Covid-19, local sources reported. (plenglish.com)

A two-year-old boy fell to his death from the 25th floor of an apartment building in Chiba city on Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Hideaki Takizawa, a former member of J-pop idol duo Tackey & Tsubasa who starred in NHK's yearlong historical drama series in 2005, has resigned from Johnny & Associates Inc., one of Japan's most powerful talent agencies, an agency official said Tuesday. (Kyodo)