The International Monetary Fund raised its forecasts for Japan’s growth and price gains, projecting that inflation in the world’s third largest economy will run much hotter than the Bank of Japan’s target over the next year. (Bloomberg)

Four people were attacked by a bear on Monday in a residential area in Akita, northeastern Japan, with the whereabouts of the animal currently unknown, local authorities said. (Kyodo)

A self-employed delivery driver for the Japanese unit of Amazon.com Inc. has been deemed eligible for workers' compensation after he was injured on the job, a labor union said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The J League was founded in 1992, 31 years ago. It might look like a long time, but it pales compared to other leagues like the English Premier League, which was rebranded in the same year but has existed since 1888. (newsonjapan.com)

Construction of a new skyscraper, set to be Japan's tallest building with a height of about 390 meters, has begun near Tokyo Station, developer Mitsubishi Estate Co. said. (Kyodo)

An animal keeper died apparently after being attacked by a lion at a zoo in northeastern Japan, police and the facility's operator said Thursday. (Kyodo)

Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Princess Kiko arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday for an official visit to Vietnam to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. (Kyodo)

SoftBank Group Corp said Tuesday that it will receive $5.12 billion in proceeds from the initial public offering of Arm Holdings Plc, a British chip designer under the Japanese conglomerate, by the end of September. (Kyodo)

Japanese boxer Junto Nakatani made a successful first defense of his WBO super flyweight title Monday with a unanimous decision over Mexico's Argi Cortes. (Kyodo)

The Asakusa Samba Carnival, a late-summer Tokyo highlight, returned Sunday following a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with sounds of passionate Brazilian music and explosive percussion filling a street in downtown Asakusa, drawing 300,000 spectators. (Kyodo)

After being held out of his 11th straight game with a right oblique injury, Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani's Angel Stadium locker was cleaned out Friday, signaling he may be done playing for the season. (Kyodo)

Kansai Electric Power Co. on Friday rebooted its nearly 50-year-old No. 2 reactor at its Takahama nuclear plant in central Japan for the first time since 2011, becoming the 12th unit to be restarted in the country since the Fukushima accident. (Kyodo)

Chinese internet users have rallied behind a yakiniku restaurant in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, after it was ordered by authorities to remove a sign saying, "No Japanese Allowed."

Japan is monitoring foreign exchange moves with a sense of urgency and will consider timely action if the yen's moves become volatile, its top currency diplomat said Wednesday after the yen hit a fresh 10-month low against the U.S. dollar overnight. (Kyodo)

Japanese prosecutors formally indicted a 24-year-old man Wednesday on attempted murder and other charges in the explosives attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April, court officials said. (devdiscourse.com)

FIBA Basketball World Cup co-host Japan punched its ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics after holding on for an 80-71 victory over Cape Verde on Saturday. (Kyodo)

Shinzo Abe's long tenure as prime minister of Japan is notable for many reasons, but perhaps his most enduring achievements were made in the Diet where he led colleagues in passing several highly controversial bills sure to have an impact for many years to come. (East Asia Forum)

Japan plans to require day nurseries, kindergartens and schools to use a government system to confirm that those applying to work there are not convicted sex offenders, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

SoftBank Group Corp.-backed British chip designer Arm said Monday it has filed to list its shares on the U.S. Nasdaq stock exchange, with its market capitalization estimated to exceed $60 billion in what could be the largest initial public offering this year. (Kyodo)

Two 20-year-old men surrendered to police Monday in connection with an incident where popular South Korean artist DJ Soda was allegedly groped by attendees at a recent music event in Japan, according to investigative sources. (Kyodo)

Competition is heating up in the Japanese market for remote control claw machine games after playing the popular arcade game on smartphones quickly caught on during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kyodo)

Police in Osaka have arrested a 34-year-old woman on suspicion of murder after she gave birth to a son in the toilet of an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) and left him in the toilet bowl where he drowned. (Japan Today)

A local Japanese government said Wednesday it will work with police to restrict the number of hikers who can use a route to climb to the summit of Mt. Fuji if it becomes dangerous from overcrowding. (Kyodo)

Train services have been resumed on the Tokaido Line near Tokyo after a train hit a power pole trapping around 1500 passengers for nearly two hours, reported Kyodo News. (freshheadline.com)

Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto resigned as parliamentary vice foreign minister Friday amid allegations he received bribes amounting to tens of millions of yen from a wind power company. (Kyodo)