Japan will start issuing passports featuring art by ukiyoe master Katsushika Hokusai for people applying as early as February.
(NHK)
The agriculture ministry will propose a new law aimed at preventing the smuggling of genetic materials, such as fertilized eggs and semen, related to wagyu cattle to other countries. (Japan Times)
Fears are mounting that a new coronavirus identified in China may spread, not only infecting humans but also hurting the world’s second-biggest economy, which already is beset by a trade war with the United States. (Japan Times)
Five major Tokyo-based private television networks will take turns airing daily coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, sources close to the matter said Saturday. (Kyodo)
Three employees were slashed by four men in a bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo, early Saturday morning.
(Japan Today)
Three employees were slashed by four men in a bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo, early Saturday morning.
(Japan Today) 
Fans of Kyoto Animation Co artworks on Saturday visited the site of its studio where an arson attack killed 36 people and injured 33 others exactly six months ago to commemorate the victims.
(Japan Today) 
Events were held on Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Hyogo Prefecture. (Japan Today) 
Tokyo Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after a dump truck rammed an office of a criminal syndicate in Adachi Ward early Friday, reports Jiji Press (Jan. 17). (tokyoreporter.com) 
Emperor Naruhito expressed his hope for a bright future for children in his poem recited Thursday at the first New Year’s Poetry Reading Ceremony held since he ascended to the chrysanthemum throne last year. (Japan Times) [more society news…] [society blogs…]
The founder of retail giant Lotte Holdings has died. (NHK) 
Netflix, the streaming service that has shaken up Hollywood, has unleashed its brand of big-budget disruption in Japan's TV industry. (Nikkei) Toshiba Corporation says it has confirmed that there were irregularities involving fictitious transactions at a subsidiary. The manufacturer is in the process of reconstructing its business.
(NHK) 
Japan's SoftBank Group Corp. has offered to invest between $30 billion and $40 billion in the development of the new Indonesian capital on Borneo Island, a close aide of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Friday. (Kyodo) 
Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor chairman-turned-fugitive, strongly implied to French media that Japanese people aided his epic escape. (Nikkei) [more business news…] [business blogs…]
Japan kept unchanged its timing for balancing the primary budget on Friday, but expects to see a much smaller excess than previously thought when it hits a budget surplus, underlining the government’s struggle to rein in massive public debt. (Japan Times) 
Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a potential future prime minister according to some opinion polls, said he became the father of a baby boy on Friday. (Kyodo) 
Japan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will take childcare leave after the upcoming birth of his first baby.
(NHK) 
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz that Japan will make every diplomatic effort it can to stabilize the situation in the Middle East.
(NHK) 
Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono will order the dispatch of a Self-Defense Force mission to the Middle East on Friday amid heightened tensions in the region.
(NHK) 
An international group of geologists on Friday formally adopted “Chibanian” as the name of a geologic age spanning 770,000 to 126,000 years ago, researchers said, marking the first time a Japanese name has been chosen. (Japan Times) 
With Japanese society often placing intense pressure on teens and adults alike, as well as traditional values that can frame self-sacrifice as an admirable way of taking responsibility, a high suicide rate has long been a dark mark on the nation’s culture. (soranews24.com) 
The communications ministry on Tuesday authorized Japanese public broadcaster NHK to start simultaneous online streaming of its television programs from April. (Japan Today) 
Aichi Prefectural Police last week arrested a student at Meijo University in Nagoya over the alleged stabbing of a teacher, reports NHK (Jan. 10). (tokyoreporter.com) 
Young men and women in northeastern Japan have talked about their hopes for rebuilding towns that were devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
(NHK) [more education news…] [education blogs…]
The agriculture ministry will propose a new law aimed at preventing the smuggling of genetic materials, such as fertilized eggs and semen, related to wagyu cattle to other countries. (Japan Times) 
The Hiroshima High Court on Friday revoked a lower court decision and ordered Shikoku Electric Power Co. to suspend a reactor in western Japan, dealing a blow to the government's bid to bring more reactors back online after the 2011 nuclear crisis. (Kyodo) 
The report Thursday of Japan's first case of the new coronavirus that emerged in China last month has underscored issues with Tokyo's defenses against cross-border outbreaks as the region's busiest travel season of the year begins. (Nikkei) 
Wide areas along the Sea of Japan coast are experiencing a winter with record-low amounts of snow.
(NHK) 
Scientists from Japan say they have succeeded in cultivating microbes that have the characteristics of eukaryotic cells. The finding may shed light on one of the major mysteries about the evolution of life.
(NHK) [more sci-tech news…] [sci-tech blogs…]
Five major Tokyo-based private television networks will take turns airing daily coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, sources close to the matter said Saturday. (Kyodo) 
Japanese world number one badminton player Kento Momota has been injured in a vehicle crash near Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
(NHK) 
Details of the waterfront athletes’ village for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were revealed Thursday, with organizers emphasizing its accessibility and ease of use for para-athletes. (Japan Times) 
With snowfall at a fraction of its usual levels, this northern Japanese city may be forced to suspend an international women's ski jumping competition this month, Mayor Takahiro Sato told reporters Tuesday. (Nikkei) 
There is a card game which among all the others brings with it the fashion and the charm of magic, which encloses luck and strategy more than any other one. We are talking about Blackjack (newsonjapan.com) Japan will start issuing passports featuring art by ukiyoe master Katsushika Hokusai for people applying as early as February.
(NHK) 
An amazingly affordable way to see Japan and live like a local. (soranews24.com) 
Tokyo has no shortage of theme parks to entertain visitors and residents. Tokyo Disneyland is the
biggest and most well known but on the other side of the city, a 39 minute train ride from Shinjuku
is Sanrio Puroland – the Tokyo home to Hello Kitty and her universe of friends. (ONLY in JAPAN) 
Nagasaki priest says over-tourism, vandalism and theft of amulets led to his controversial decision. (soranews24.com) 
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a record high of 31.88 million in 2019, but the growth was limited by a sharp fall in tourists from South Korea amid deteriorating bilateral ties, the tourism minister said Friday.
(Japan Today) [more travel news…] [travel blogs…]
One simply does not buy stuff online without the risk of payment fraud. But even if you take all the care in the world, a split second is still enough to fall into a scam artist's net.
Mercari x Paidy = Beware!Japan's largest community marketpl...
“Tell me anything. I won't listen, though.”
In this world, we meet all kinds of people who love to converse about all kinds of things. While important, there are those who are unfortunate that don't have their voices heard as the louder and mor...
Not as famous as the tea districts but just as fascinating, the Samurai District of Kanazawa shows a different side to the city's past. Once at the foot of Kanazawa Castle, the moat-lined Nagamachi neighborhood was the hub of city security. The ea...
(Tourists only need apply)
Sacred Mount Fujisan — photo by Aaron Paulson
(Just to say, I have no connection to the airline involved and am not promoting their product or getting compensated by them in any way — I don't even have their mi...
McDonald's Japan is raising eyebrows again with its newest dessert called the Otona no Kuriimu Pai (adult cream pie). In this case, otona, which translates to “adult” in English, is meant to suggest the taste is sophisticated or made specifica...
Though the “new year, new me” mantra is inspiring, the truth is if all that's really inspiring us to do better is a different number on the calendar, maybe there's a better way to fully embrace everything life has in store for us.
Enter ikigai...
Seijin no Hi, or Coming of Age Day, is one of the most important national holidays in Japan, not only due to the scale of preparation and publicity but also because it's one of the most colorful and picturesque events throughout the year.
The hol...
TOKYO–Mickey Mouse, the Chairman of Tokyo Disneyland Resorts Worldwide (TDRW), and his number two, Donald Duck, were arrested today by Tokyo Special Prosecutors on charges of accounting fraud, as they arrived on a private magic carpet at the Tok...
Japan takes a very different approach to resume writing than what we might be used to back home. There are two major hiring seasons in Japan in the early spring and the late summer, but it is never too early to start working on your resume.
When c...
Once again, another skyscraper has been added to the ever-expanding Shibuya skyline (not that we're complaining). Meet Shibuya Fukuras.
Still considered as relatively new (it opened in November 2019), Shibuya Fukuras is an impressive 18-story bui...