Low-salt recipes are gaining public attention as the key to good health, but do any of you think that a low-sodium diet tastes flat? (FNNnewsCH)

A carnivorous plant found only in Aichi Prefecture has been confirmed as a new species, a researcher at Aichi University of Education announced Saturday. (Japan Times)

If you're ever minded to dance the night away to trance music, or even old-fashioned rock, you may have a tough time finding a venue in Japan these days. In fact, you may end up waltzing away hours inside a police station, peeing into a cup after being rounded up in a raid. Yes, indeed, a War on Dance is raging. (Japan Times)

A currency surging in value at a breathtaking rate over the past week belongs to no nation and is issued by no central bank. It can be used to buy gold in California, a hamburger in Berlin or a house in Alberta. When desired, it can offer largely untraceable transactions. (Washington Post)

Japan's prominent all-female musical troupe Takarazuka Revue kicked off its first-ever Taiwan tour on Saturday at the National Theater in Taipei. (Jiji Press)

Japan and the United States are considering deploying the Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft at a U.S. military base in Japan to enhance surveillance over North Korea, bilateral sources said Saturday. (Kyodo)

A replica of a statue of the ancient monk Ganjin has been shown to the media before being put on public display. (NHK)

One out of three people uses a smartphone in Japan, with the rate almost doubling over the last year, a survey by Central Research Services Inc. showed Friday. (Jiji Press)

A woman was attacked with a strong alkaline liquid in a store at a train station in Tokyo's Ota Ward on Friday night. (Japan Today)

A typhoon-like storm wreaked havoc in wide areas of Japan on the weekend, leaving three people dead and disrupting air and railway traffic. (Jiji Press)

U.S. private equity fund Cerberus Capital Management LP said Friday it aims to raise its stake in Seibu Holdings Inc. to nearly 45 percent in an apparent bid to take the initiative in managing the railway and hotel operator. (Japan Times)

North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday requested the Russian and other embassies in Pyongyang to consider the possibility of evacuation amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Interfax news agency and other media reported. (Kyodo)

Japan's latest whaling season has drawn to a close with a record low haul due to "unforgiveable sabotage" by protestors, a government minister has said. (wired.co.uk)

Thursday's announcement by the Bank of Japan to deepen its aggressive economy stimulus plan was a sensation for the markets. George Soros called the move "a very daring undertaking," anticipating capital flight as the yen falls. (rt.com)

American pop star Cyndi Lauper showed her true colors by donating a restored piano--which was damaged when the 2011 earthquake and tsunami devastated Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture--to a hospital in the city. (Yomiuri)

Will Japan's joining the Hague Convention help reunite Japanese parents with children taken overseas in the aftermath of failed international marriages? Or, will participation make refusal of the return of their children a possibility? (Yomiuri)

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry announced it is considering offering public financial support to young people who wish to study abroad. (Yomiuri)

A large wild boar went on a rampage Thursday in Taishi, Hyogo Prefecture, leaving eight people, mostly senior citizens, injured. (Japan Times)

The operators of the Sukiya and Matsuya "gyudon" beef-bowl chains will cut prices for a week beginning Friday. (Japan Today)

Police in Chiba said Friday they are looking for the person or persons responsible for cutting down 30 cherry blossom trees in the city's Chuo Ward. (Japan Today)