Surging food and energy prices in Japan are hitting child-rearing families especially hard. Many say they are already surviving on a minimal budget and they do not know how to cut spending further.
A woman in her thirties lives with her husband and their 2-year old daughter. Her husband's wages have not risen despite price hikes and the family has to make do on his monthly salary of about 200,000 yen, just a little over 1,300 dollars.
A group of researchers in Japan is taking a novel approach to producing beer by aging it under the sea.
Two hundred bottles were kept at a depth of 3 to 4 meters for three and a half months. The experiment was conducted off Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan and the aim is to produce a local specialty.
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to revise its governance code to ensure its members refrain from having ties with socially problematic organizations.
The revision comes in response to growing criticism against party members suspected of having connections with a religious group previously known as the Unification Church.
Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 2,840 new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo on Friday.
The daily tally is down 655 from a week ago.
Japan's defense minister has elaborated on ongoing studies on whether his country should acquire the ability to carry out counterstrikes as part of efforts to fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities.
The timing of launching counterstrikes is one of the focal issues, along with the question of whether a possible enemy's command and control functions should be among the targets.
Japan's education and culture minister says she is working to increase her staff to prepare for an investigation into the religious organization previously known as the Unification Church.
Nagaoka Keiko has been instructed by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to launch the probe, based on the "right to ask questions" under the Religious Corporations Act.
A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.1 hit Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, at 3:19 p.m. on Friday.
The Meteorological Agency says there is no threat of a tsunami.
Japan's latest consumer price index released on Friday shows a rise of 3 percent, an increase not seen in 31 years, excluding the effect of consumption tax hikes.
The finance ministry says the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, climbed 3 percent in September from a year earlier.
The day after breaching the 150-to-the-dollar level for the first time in 32 years, the Japanese yen was hovering around the same range on Friday in Tokyo.
Investors continue to feel jittery, as there could be another currency intervention on the horizon.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he will continue to follow developments in the UK after British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation.
Kishida told reporters on Friday that he views Britain as a global strategic partner that shares basic values with Japan.
Japanese consumers are feeling the pinch as prices continue to rise. The internal affairs ministry said on Friday that the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, climbed 3 percent in September from a year earlier.
Japan has not seen that level of increase since August 1991, except for when the consumption tax was increased.
Consumer prices in Japan rose 3 percent in September. That is the biggest increase in more than three decades, excluding the effects of the consumption tax hikes.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will leave for Australia's western coastal city of Perth on Friday to meet with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
The leaders are scheduled to meet on Saturday. They will likely issue a joint declaration on security cooperation for the next decade. It is expected to take a stance that reflects developments in the Indo-Pacific region, such as China's maritime activities and North Korea's nuclear and missile development.
New details are emerging about a controversial religious group's connections to Japanese politicians. Lawmakers of the main ruling party signed documents saying they approve of policy proposals by an affiliate of the former Unification Church. This happened during national elections.
The religious group is under scrutiny for allegedly shady marketing practices and the solicitation of large donations from followers. Its members have supported many lawmakers of the Liberal Democratic Party during elections.