Researchers have found for the first time in Japan a tick carrying a virus blamed for 8 deaths so far in the country. (NHK)

Plankton and seawater sampled at 10 points less than a year after the Fukushima meltdowns found concentrations of radioactive cesium were highest at different locations in the Pacific, puzzling scientists. (Japan Times)

The Nuclear Regulation Authority accepted on Wednesday an assessment that a reactor at the Tsuruga plant in western Japan is sitting above an active fault, making it increasingly difficult for the facility to resume operation. (Kyodo)

The Japanese government drew up a draft outline on Tuesday of strategies to counter the increasing threat of cyberattacks by foreign entities. (Jiji Press)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch the country's new solid-fuel rocket Epsilon on Aug. 22, carrying a satellite whose mission is to observe Venus and Mars while orbiting Earth, the science ministry said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

A hospital in Tokyo said Monday it is ready to conduct mastectomy procedures to prevent breast cancer and that several women have undergone such surgery at the hospital in the past after they developed cancer in one breast. (Kyodo)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday underscored his government's intention to help promote the state-of-the-art medical technologies. (Jiji Press)

A possible solution to the increasing amount of contaminated water inside the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant could be to pump groundwater into the sea before it gets into the reactor buildings, as planned by the plant operator, the head of international inspectors has said. (Kyodo)

A strong 6.1 earthquake has struck off the northern coast of Japan's main Honshu island, seismologists say, but no tsunami warning was issued and there are no immediate reports of damage. (news.com.au)

An NHK survey has found that little progress is being made to clean up radioactive material in areas near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK)

A government space panel has determined that Japan should begin developing its next-generation mainstay rocket for satellite launches in fiscal 2014. (NHK)

A film produced with NHK's cutting edge ultra-high resolution video system has been screened at the renowned Cannes Film Festival in France. (NHK)

Japan Atomic Energy Agency President Atsuyuki Suzuki resigned on Friday to take responsibility for a number of inspection flaws at the agency's Monju fast-breeder nuclear reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. (Jiji Press)

Japan's National Police Agency on Thursday launched a new center comprising about 20 staff members as part of efforts to better fight cyberattacks. (Jiji Press)

The Nuclear Regulation Authority decided Wednesday to order the operator of the Monju fast-breeder nuclear reactor to suspend preparations for resuming operations at the facility in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. (Jiji Press)

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurring in the Nankai Trough south of Japan's main island would cause up to 1,774 deaths on the Izu and Ogasawara island chains off Tokyo, the metropolitan government's Disaster Prevention Council estimated Tuesday. (Jiji Press)

Nine women have registered with Japan's first "ovum bank" to donate their eggs to help infertile women, paving the way for fertility treatment to begin within the year at the earliest, a private group involved in the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

Japan, China and South Korea are seeking to expand their influence in the Arctic as melting ice caused by global warming offers potentially lucrative access to resources and shipping shortcuts in the region. (Bloomberg)

The Japanese Environment Ministry is considering removing the goshawk from the list of rare domestic species of wild fauna and flora under the law on conservation of endangered species, reflecting the steady recovery in the population of the bird, informed sources said Monday. (Jiji Press)

Japanese nuclear regulators plan to instruct the operator of the Monju fast-breeder reactor to suspend its preparations for resuming the facility's operations, informed sources said Monday. (Jiji Press)