Japan News

Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino delivered his Nobel lecture on Sunday in Sweden. Yoshino is one of the three winners of this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (NHK)

House of Councilors lawmakers will be offered far lower rents than market prices for an apartment building under construction in a prime location in Tokyo, it has been learned. (Japan Times)

Jikei Hospital in the city of Kumamoto, known for its “Konotori no Yurikago” (storks’ cradle) baby hatch, will start a program allowing women to give birth while keeping their names secret, a senior official has said. (Japan Times)

When the infamous Elon Musk of electric-car company Tesla praises your business strategy, you may be on the wrong side of an issue. (Nikkei)

Japanese soccer club, Yokohama F. Marinos, has clinched its first J-League championship in 15 years by defeating second-place FC Tokyo. (NHK)

A Buddhist temple in Kyoto is holding its annual year-end event serving cooked Japanese radish, or daikon, to pray for the good health of visitors. (NHK)

Japanese households cut their spending for the first time in almost a year in October as a sales tax hike prompted consumers to rein in expenses and natural disasters disrupted business. (Japan Today)

Nagano became the first prefecture to declare a climate emergency Friday, joining a growing coalition of nations, regions and local municipalities around the world in vowing to take action that reflects the urgency of the crisis. (Japan Times)

Typical cheerleading clubs in schools, known as ōendan, consist of men clad in black gakuran stand-up collar uniforms yelling vigorously and performing synchronized, dynamic choreographed moves to support sports teams. (Japan Times)

SoftBank Corp. and the University of Tokyo have agreed to open artificial-intelligence centers staffed with specialists from the university and around the world, to swiftly turn research into profitable business ventures so Japan can keep up with the U.S. and China. (Japan Times)

Police in Kitagata, Gifu Prefecture, have arrested a 25-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business after he pepper sprayed employees and customers at a supermarket in August. (Japan Today)

In a major privacy breach, 18 hard drives used by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government to store taxpayers’ data were auctioned online over the summer instead of being destroyed, prefectural officials disclosed Friday. (Japan Times)

Prosecutors indicted on Friday actress Erika Sawajiri on charges of possessing the illegal drugs MDMA and LSD following her arrest last month. (Japan Today)

A senior member of a splinter group from Japan's largest crime syndicate has been arrested for allegedly shooting a member of the parent group in Kobe in August amid a gang feud, police said. (Japan Today)

The Niigata District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 25-year-old man to life in prison for the sexual assault and murder of a 7-year-old schoolgirl last year. (Japan Times)

Police in Saitama City have arrested a 51-year-old Iranian man on suspicion of killing his 50-year-old Iranian ex-wife in a park. (Japan Today)

Dentsu Inc said Thursday it has again received a warning from labor authorities over its illegal overtime practices. (Japan Today)

Nissan Motor Co. is making its U.S. factory and office employees take two days off without pay amid slumping sales. (Japan Times)

The Japanese government approved 13.2 trillion yen ($121 billion) worth of public stimulus spending on Thursday, with the economy due for a total infusion of 26 trillion yen if private-sector and other outlays are factored in. (Nikkei)

As fireworks light up the winter night, scores of men, women and teenagers crying “washoi, washoi” haul the last of six towering, lantern-covered floats up a small hill and into the town center, the culminating moment of a Shinto festival that has evolved from a harvest thanksgiving into a once-a-year meeting between two local gods. (Japan Today)