Multiple rare earth elements essential for high-tech products have been confirmed in mud extracted from the deep seabed off Minamitorishima, Japan's easternmost island.

Average life expectancy in Japan rose for both men and women last year for the first time in two years, with Japanese women retaining the world's top ranking for the 41st consecutive year.

A 37-year-old Chinese woman has been arrested and referred to prosecutors on suspicion of operating an unlicensed taxi service that transported travelers from Kansai International Airport to a hotel in Kyoto.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency conducted a ground firing test of the second-stage engine for its Epsilon S small solid-fuel rocket at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 23.

Kuwana in Mie Prefecture recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature anywhere in Japan this year, as a powerful high-pressure system and hot downslope winds combined to produce dangerous heat across a wide area.