Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to upgrade their security relationship to enable real-time monitoring of missiles launched by North Korea. The countries will activate the new data-sharing mechanism by the end of the year. (NHK)

A private photo of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, taken at his official residence, was leaked by a magazine on Friday, with critics arguing the action was inappropriate and generated security issues at what they consider a public facility, reports Kyodo News. (Daily Sun)

Sales of Suica and Pasmo IC cards, which are used to pay for train fares and other payments in Japan, will be temporarily suspended from Thursday of next week due to a global semiconductor shortage. (NHK)

Police in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning a newborn baby girl whose partially burned body was found along the coastline last month. (Japan Today)

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Friday in Tokyo to mark the start of construction for a new train line connecting Tokyo Station and the capital's Haneda airport that will begin service before March 2032. (Japan Today)

Built in 1979, the King Kong-like figure is perched atop a pink commercial building which houses a gym and a brightly lit FamilyMart. From afar, the giant creature is seemingly overlooking the bustling district, leaning towards the edge of the building, with its right arm dangling freely. (NOJ)

Japan's House of Councillors pass a law Wednesday extending the deadline for collecting expressway tolls, which had been until 2065, by 50 years to 2115, TV Asahi reports. (NOJ)

Relations between Japan and South Korea had plunged to their lowest in decades after a bitter dispute over wartime forced labour, in 2018, spilled over into trade restrictions and a consumer backlash against Japanese goods. (South China Morning Post)

Weather officials say that Japan had the warmest spring in 125 years this year, characterized by early blooms on cherry trees, and summer-like temperatures on certain days in May. (NHK)

Twenty-year-old shogi sensation Fujii Sota has become the youngest player to win the Meijin title, the oldest of the eight major titles in the Japanese board game. (NHK)

The Japanese government on Thursday announced specific measures to curb falling birth rates by boosting financial support for households with children. (DW News)

Japan's leading university and the Financial Services Agency have started working on a project to prevent future financial crises. (NHK)

Japan is home to a wide variety of sports, from football and baseball to horse racing and sumo wrestling, and so there are few better places to wager on via online sports betting platforms. (newsonjapan.com)

Know Your Enemy: Japan is an American World War II propaganda film about the Japan's aggressive war directed by Frank Capra, with additional direction by experimental documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens. (TRNGL)

Japan on Wednesday passed a law allowing nuclear reactors to operate beyond 60 years, as it tries to reinvigorate the sector to meet energy challenges and climate targets. (Japan Today)

Japan on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive policy package to tackle hay fever caused by pollen from cedar and cypress trees, aiming to halve emissions over the next 30 years. (Kyodo)

Police in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, have arrested a 36-year-old self-employed man on suspicion of abusing his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter. (Japan Today)

A district court in central Japan has ruled that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriage violates the country's constitution. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would fire his son, who is working as his secretary, after a scandal over a party held at his official residence in late 2022. (Business Times)

The Maman Spider Sculpture by the late Louise Bourgeois is a famous landmark in Roppongi Hills. (NOJ)