The Yoshinoya "gyudon" beef bowl restaurant chain refused to allow a university student to attend a recruitment event after assuming the student was a foreign national, an official of the chain's holding company said Friday. (Kyodo)

TRON is a prominent cryptocurrency project in the current digital ecosystem. (newsonjapan.com)

Japan Airlines Co. forecast a return to profit this year, betting on a pick-up in domestic and international travel as the nation signals it’s ready to loosen virus-related border controls. (ajot.com)

Core consumer prices in Tokyo, considered a leading indicator of Japanese price trends, rose 1.9% in April from a year earlier, marking the fastest annual pace in seven years, government data showed on Friday. (Nikkei)

Japanese pharmaceutical and medical material makers are expanding domestic output of ingredients and production materials for vaccines in response to a creeping shortage of supplies globally. (Nikkei)

Major Japanese travel agency H.I.S. Co has decided to move into agriculture to diversify its revenue sources after a tough period in which the coronavirus pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the tourism sector. (Japan Today)

The last time the Japanese yen dipped below 130 to the American dollar, in 2002, China’s economy was smaller than France’s, Vladimir Putin was meeting Western officials with a smile, and the rapper Eminem was atop the pop-music charts. (The Economist)

Rising costs and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have taken an unlikely toll on Japan's beloved soba noodles, leaving some chefs with little choice but to raise prices. ( Reuters)

You want a job in Japan? You want a business? You better connect, b**ch! We joined a group of professional LGBTQ+ people in Tokyo named "Fruits in Suits Tokyo". (Tokyo BTM)

The new school term began in April, but stores are already preparing the newest models of the iconic randoseru backpacks for children who will enter Japan’s elementary schools in 2023 as families increasingly purchase them earlier — and with higher price tags. (Japan Times)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been battering Japan's tourism industry, traditional inns in Nikko and Nasu -- tourist destinations north of Tokyo -- are getting fresh money to remake themselves as modern hot-spring spa resorts. (Nikkei)

Japan's Financial Services Agency has revised its regulations in a bid to attract more foreign securities firms to the country. They can now complete all procedures for establishing a presence in Japan in English. (NHKn)

Japanese mother of three Maiko Takahashi was never one to pinch pennies or accept hand-me-downs for her children even though circumstances for her single-income family have always been fairly modest. (straitstimes.com)