Confusion is spreading after teaching materials on the Japanese language brought in by four lecturers sent from Japan to one of four Russian-controlled islands as part of visa-free exchange activities were seized by Russian customs authorities. (the-japan-news.com)

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan Sunday morning but there was no tsunami warning, Japanese and US authorities said. (inquirer.net)

Japanese newscaster Mao Kobayashi's blog on her battle against breast cancer was "groundbreaking," British broadcaster BBC reported Friday. (Jiji)

Kanagawa prefectural police said Saturday they have arrested an unemployed 26-year-old woman and her 29-year-old former common-law husband on suspicion of fatally abusing her 21-month-old son at their apartment in Sagamihara last September. (Japan Today)

A female Japanese politician has resigned after an audio tape emerged of her violently attacking a male secretary, and reportedly threatening to crush his head with a lead pipe. (AFP)

Hanawa Hokiichi, Japan's revered blind scholar and Buddhist monk of the Edo-era, was born on this date a full 271 years ago. A Google Doodle appearing in the country Friday shows the savant seated next to a kneeling student, with dreams of books floating above his head - alluding to his reputation as a font of wisdom. (Time)

The European Union and Japan are close to sealing one of the largest trade agreements ever, a deal that could further isolate the United States as President Trump forges a protectionist path. (nytimes.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Friday re-arrested actor Ryo Hashizume for the use stimulant drugs. The actor was already in custody for possession of the banned substances, reports TBS News. (tokyoreporter.com)

Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 67-year-old man for allegedly drugging and raping a woman earlier this year after falsely claiming to be an entertainment talent scout, reports NHK. (tokyoreporter.com)

Officials at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said Friday that the giant panda born there last week is a female. (Japan Times)

The government began broadcasting a public service announcement Friday suggesting how civilians should protect themselves in the event of a missile attack. (Japan Times)

The Kazuraki branch of the Nara District Court on Thursday handed prison sentences to organized crime members over a marijuana cultivation operation that involved thousands of plants inside a growing factory in the town of Katsuragi, Wakayama Prefecture, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (tokyoreporter.com)

TV personality Mao Kobayashi has died after battling cancer for about 2½ years, kabuki theater operator Shochiku Co. said Friday. She was 34. (Japan Times)

The US Missile Defense Agency says its new interceptor missile failed to hit its target in its 2nd test, off the coast of Hawaii. The missile is being developed in cooperation with Japan's Defense Ministry. (NHK)

Police in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 17-year-old youth for impersonating a police office by using a fake badge and ID in order to obtain the phone number and address of a woman. (Japan Today)

A weekly magazine says a lawmaker of Japan's main governing party repeatedly abused her secretary verbally and physically. (NHK)

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry on Wednesday released a manual for the country's new curriculum guidelines, asking junior high school teachers for the first time to have students understand procedures for constitutional revisions. (the-japan-news.com)

A Japanese chemical firm shipped unauthorized Chinese-made acetaminophen, a painkiller used as an ingredient for cold medicines, to drug makers by mixing it with its own acetaminophen, health ministry officials said Thursday. (Jiji)

Japan's population is projected to drop to 85 million in 2100 from 127 million at present, falling to 29th place from the current 11th in the list of countries by population size, a U.N. report showed Wednesday. (Jiji)

Chinese bicycle-sharing startup Mobike has set up a subsidiary in Fukuoka city in southern Japan and plans to begin service later this year, it said on Thursday. (Reuters)