A 20-year-old university student has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into an apartment in Osaka and stealing cash, with police believing he played a key role in recruiting minors for illegal work schemes. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out at a four-story apartment building in Okinawa City in the early hours of April 19th, leaving one person dead, with authorities suspecting the victim may be a man in his 70s who served as chairman of a local crime group. (News On Japan)

A bear that had remained in a residential area in central Sendai since early Sunday morning was euthanized last night in an emergency cull. No injuries were reported. (News On Japan)

A 37-year-old father arrested over the alleged abandonment of his son's body in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture may have contacted associates to say the child had gone missing before the boy's school informed the family, investigators said. (News On Japan)

Japan is often viewed abroad as a country with an unusually visible sexual culture, shaped by adult videos, erotic manga and a wide range of related subcultures. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

The annual spring garden party, held at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, has once again drawn attention to a pressing issue facing Japan's Imperial Household: how to maintain the number of family members as it continues to decline whenever female royals marry. (News On Japan)

The family of a man granted a retrial over a robbery-murder case in Shiga Prefecture has called for revisions to Japan's retrial system, saying he was wrongfully arrested despite having an alibi. (News On Japan)

A former elementary school teacher who managed an online group of educators involved in covert filming and image sharing has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, in a case that has also raised concerns at universities training future teachers. (News On Japan)

A species of poppy containing narcotic compounds was found earlier this week standing alone among about one million nemophila flowers in full bloom at Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka City. (News On Japan)

Thirteen Japanese men detained last month at a fraud base near Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, were transferred to Japan on Thursday and arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of fraud. It marks the first time Japanese nationals have been apprehended in a special fraud case operating out of Indonesia. (News On Japan)

A woman accused of conspiring with a fortune teller to forge a suicide note belonging to a male follower was handed a suspended prison sentence on April 15th, in a case linked to the alleged coercion of two men into taking their own lives. (News On Japan)

The morning commute was disrupted on April 13th when a Turkish man entered railway tracks in Aisai City, Aichi Prefecture, leading to a suspension of train services for about one hour. (News On Japan)

Tokyo police conducted a coordinated crackdown in the Kabukicho entertainment district over a two-week period, taking 21 youths aged between 13 and 19 into custody for offenses including late-night loitering, underage drinking, and smoking. (News On Japan)

A large number of hangers have been spotted on an elevated section of the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo’s Shinjuku area, where crows appear to be using them to build nests, prompting concern among nearby residents. (News On Japan)

A fire broke out at a multi-tenant building near JR Shin-Yokohama Station in Yokohama late on April 12th, sending flames billowing from a restaurant window and causing panic in the surrounding nightlife district, though no injuries were reported. (News On Japan)

A 58-year-old man arrested on suspicion of abandoning a body in a mountainous area of Bungoono, Oita Prefecture, has told investigators he met a missing teenage girl through the internet and had seen her in person, as police intensify efforts to identify the body and determine whether it is linked to the disappearance. (News On Japan)

A man in his 40s was rearrested on suspicion of a hit-and-run on April 13th after allegedly fleeing on foot following a multi-vehicle collision involving a Bentley in Hachioji, Tokyo, leaving six people with minor injuries. (News On Japan)

A growing sense of fatigue with dating apps is prompting a shift back to face-to-face encounters, with a new “presentation-style” matchmaking format gaining attention as friends take on the role of introducing potential partners. (News On Japan)

A 49-year-old former plumber was arrested on suspicion of theft after allegedly stealing metal plumbing valves from a public park restroom in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, on April 8th. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito sowed rice seeds on April 9th in a traditional ceremony aimed at promoting agriculture, held at a seedbed near the Biological Laboratory within the Imperial Palace grounds. (News On Japan)