Top rhythmic gymnasts from Ukraine and members of Japan's national team have taken part in a joint training session in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
The Ukrainian athletes have been unable to train in their country because of the Russian invasion. They have been staying in Takasaki City since October 5. The Japan Gymnastics Association and city officials arranged for them to visit and train in Takasaki.
A Japanese prosecution inquest panel says it was unjust for prosecutors not to indict two former aides of the late former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo over political fund reports.
A group of lawyers from across Japan and other people accused Abe and others, including a state-paid secretary to the late prime minister, of having made false financial statements to make ends meet on paper.
The Tokyo High Court has reversed a lower court ruling and ordered a Diet lawmaker to pay damages for "liking" Twitter posts considered defamatory.
The court on Thursday ordered Sugita Mio of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to pay 550,000 yen, or about 3,670 dollars, to journalist Ito Shiori.
Japan's health ministry confirmed 3,489 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Thursday, down 849 from a week ago.
The number of severely ill COVID patients on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines in the capital stands at 11, an increase of two from the day before.
Japan's Empress Emerita Michiko celebrated her 88th birthday on Thursday with her family.
In the morning, a car carrying Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako was seen entering a compound in the Akasaka Estate where the Empress Emerita lives with her husband, Emperor Emeritus Akihito.
NHK has learned that an arrested former executive of the Tokyo Games organizing committee may have instructed an official merchandise seller to pay him a proportion of the sales proceeds.
Takahashi Haruyuki was served a fourth arrest warrant on Wednesday in alleged bribery cases over sponsorship deals for the Olympics and Paralympics.
Apples have been harvested from a Wish Tree---one of a series of art installations by artist Yoko Ono---planted at a museum in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan.
Under Ono's direction, trees native to their respective sites have been planted around the globe as part of her peace campaign. People can write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on the trees.
Tokyo kicked off the Japanese government's travel discount campaign on Thursday, nine days after the rest of the country. The aim of the campaign is to boost domestic travel.
Under the program, travelers can get a discount of up to 8,000 yen, or about 55 dollars, per night, including public transportation. Travelers will also get a shopping coupon worth up to about 20 dollars per person per night.
NHK has learned that Kagoshima Prefecture plans to hold evacuation drills simulating the evacuation of its remote islands in preparation for a possible armed attack. The practice, set for January, will be the first of its kind in the southwestern prefecture.
The move is in response to China's growing assertiveness in the East and South China Seas.
A senior government official has indicated that Japan is considering installing nuclear shelters in its ongoing review of the country's defense capabilities. The move comes as North Korea is accelerating its nuclear and missile development.
The government has been designating structures across Japan that can serve as emergency shelters in the event of a ballistic missiles attack.
A man in western Japan says he has lodged a complaint against the religious group previously known as the Unification Church after a senior official visited his home without his consent and asked him not to speak to the media. He says his ex-wife -- a follower of the group -- gave about 670,000 dollars to it, ruining his family.
The man, Hashida Tatsuo, held a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday about the complaint and the unwelcome visit by the official.
Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 4,213 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The daily tally is up 2,709 from a week ago.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he will instruct the government to submit bills aimed at providing relief to the victims of the shady practices of the former Unification Church, possibly during the current session of the Diet.
The religious group is under close scrutiny for alleged shady marketing practices and the solicitation of large donations from followers.
The head of Japan's largest business lobby says the Japanese yen may further lose value, after the currency slid to the 148 level against the dollar.
Chairman Tokura Masakazu of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, told reporters on Monday that the United States is doing everything it can to cool off its red-hot economy. Against that backdrop, he said, speculators are betting on the interest-rate gap between Japan and the US to widen.