Long queues for replica shirts, desperate searches for tickets and TV stations showing Japan's wins on a loop: excitement is building ahead of the host nation's historic Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa. (Japan Today)

Three men believed to be foreigners are behind to have been behind the theft of more than 4 million yen from a ticket shop in Shinjuku Ward on Wednesday, police said, reports NHK (Oct. 17). (tokyoreporter.com)

The first solar-powered cars to complete a 3,000-kilometer endurance race across Australia reached the finish line in Adelaide on Thursday, with Japan's Tokai University Solar Car Team coming in second place. (Kyodo)

Two Japanese women, one behind a campaign against women being forced to wear high heels at work under corporate rules and the other a collegiate sumo wrestler, were included in British broadcaster the BBC’s 2019 list of 100 influential women from around the world released Wednesday. (Japan Times)

The U.S. Marine Corps on Thursday acknowledged an error in the identity of a second Marine pictured lifting the American flag over Iwo Jima in one of the most iconic photographs of World War II. (Japan Times)

Japanese commercial banks have been snapping up zero-coupon debt issued by a state-backed scholarship body in the latest twist in the the Bank of Japan's negative rate campaign where no-interest loans can be a good deal for lenders. (Nikkei)

Police say it will take more time yet to know the motive behind the arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio, as the suspect is still hospitalized. Friday marks three months since the deadly attack. (NHK)

Japan's education ministry says 332 school children committed suicide in the year through March, the highest number since records began in 1988. (NHK)

With a rapidly aging and declining population, human capital is one of Japan's most precious resources. Yet despite Japan's need to draw on every individual in the workforce, there is a section of the population whose potential is being overlooked: children in poverty. (Nikkei)

Venomous fire ants could spread in Japan, as the recent discovery of about 50 queen ants at a Tokyo port suggests the invasive alien insect from South America has likely taken root, according to an analysis by a national research institute. (Kyodo)

The International Olympic Committee is considering moving the marathons and race walking events for the 2020 Summer Games from Tokyo to the northern island of Hokkaido amid concerns about the Japanese capital's stiflingly hot weather. (Nikkei)

Japan manages a rare feat for a developed country when it comes to feeding its children -- high scores for nutrition but very low obesity rates. One major key? School lunches. (Japan Today)

A Tokyo court has handed down a 13-year prison sentence for a father charged with abuse that led to the death of his 5-year-old stepdaughter. (NHK)

The government's response to Typhoon Hagibis dominated Tuesday's debate in the Diet. (NHK)

Japanese idol Tomohisa Yamashita is to star in a chilling new thriller set in the Antarctic called "The Head". (Japan Times)

Warehouse Kawasaki is like nowhere else in the video game industry, and if you want to see it for yourself, you’ll have to move fast. (soranews24.com)

As a fuller picture of the damage from Typhoon Hagibis emerges, Japan faces weeks of delays in restoring some train service, but supply chains weathered the storm relatively well, attesting to the rise of disaster planning. (Nikkei)

Digging for buried treasure has never been so fun, it isn’t often said that all you need is the push of a button and riches could fill your pockets. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan has canceled its first fleet review of the new Reiwa era as the Self-Defense Forces support areas of the country battered by Typhoon Hagibis. (Nikkei)

A Tokyo Fire Department helicopter rescuing a 77-year-old woman in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, who had been isolated because of flooding caused by Typhoon Hagibis, accidentally dropped her about 40 meters to the ground because her rescuers did not properly attach her to the rope when they were attempting to winch her to safety during the botched operation. (Japan Times)