Last month, Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto suggested that U.S. troops stationed on Okinawa may wish to utilize Japan’s sex industry in lieu of sexually assaulting the local female population. In light of such comments, questions have been raised about what is legal within the nation’s elaborate adult-entertainment industry. (Tokyo Reporter)

Former national soccer team player Daisuke Oku has been arrested for allegedly making threats over the telephone. (Japan Times)

A car being chased by a police car slammed into another vehicle, leaving one woman dead, in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday morning. (Japan Today)

Japan's Emperor and Empress have held a banquet for visiting French President Francois Hollande at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. (NHK)

Aichi Prefectural Police on Tuesday busted a casino in Nagoya’s Naka Ward for confining non-paying customers and operating illegally. (Tokyo Reporter)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday expanded its investigation into popular night club Vanity Restaurant Tokyo, which was raided last month for licensing violations. (Tokyo Reporter)

A Tokyo ward office has set rules to prevent a growing number of joggers around the Imperial Palace from causing accidents. (NHK)

Police said Thursday that three people have been arrested in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, over the unauthorized disposal of a corpse. (Japan Today)

The number of people suffering from dementia in Japan is estimated to have totaled some 4.62 million in 2012, a survey by a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry study team showed Thursday. (Jiji Press)

Some 11,000 of 160,000 residents in 13 coastal municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture have yet to file compensation claims over the March 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 power plant, it was learned Thursday. (Jiji Press)

The government will establish the "Miura Award" in recognition of 80-year-old adventurer Yuichiro Miura's reaching the summit of Mt. Everest in May, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday. (Yomiuri)

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito said Thursday his wife, Masako, feels better about her health since making her first official overseas trip in more than a decade. (foxnews.com)

Tateyama, Toyama Pref., June 5 (Jiji Press)--Kurobe Dam marked the 50th anniversary of its completion on Wednesday with a ceremony to remember the 171 people who died during its construction deep in a steep mountain range in central Japan. (Jiji Press)

Kanagawa Prefectural Police on Tuesday arrested three suspects, including two members of a the Inagawa-kai organized crime group, for the alleged prostitution of a 15-year-old runaway girl in Yokohama. (Tokyo Reporter)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of two organized crime members for blackmailing a deaf man. (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan's total fertility rate in 2012 hit a 16-year high of 1.41, while the number of births fell to a new low of 1,037,101, the government said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

On May 23, Osaka Prefectural Police arrested Daishi Yamamoto, the 38-year-old manager of “fashion health” club Stewardess Story for providing sex services in violation of the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses. (Tokyo Reporter)

Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, will make official visits to three countries in central and eastern Europe later this month to attend events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Japan. (Jiji Press)

Five months ago, Shinzo Abe was elected Prime Minister but he has yet to move into Tokyo's White House, the Shusho Kantei. Many believe Abe's reluctance is because of a belief that the official residence is haunted. (theworld.org)

Work to dispose of an unexploded wartime shell has halted bullet trains in Tokyo. (NHK)