A 50-year-old woman has been arrested in Kobe on suspicion of abandoning the dismembered body of her former husband in a large freezer at a condominium unit, where she allegedly continued paying rent for more than 14 years while hiding his death. (News On Japan)

A 50-year-old member of an organization affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate has been arrested in Yamaguchi Prefecture after nearly nine years on the run over the 2017 fatal shooting of a bodyguard for the leader of a rival group in Kobe. (News On Japan)

An Iranian national has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 40 kilograms of stimulants from the United Arab Emirates into Japan in March, after customs officers found the drugs hidden in the bottom section of a machine used in the process of making naan bread. (News On Japan)

Nine Japanese nationals were among 17 people detained in Laos on suspicion of involvement in a special fraud operation, while Japanese authorities have sought cooperation from Cambodian police over dozens of Japanese citizens believed to have gone missing after traveling to Cambodia. (News On Japan)

A 32-year-old Dutch tourist has been arrested on suspicion of leaving tire marks on the asphalt after performing drift driving in the parking lot of the Oya History Museum, a tourist facility in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. (News On Japan)

A giant stone at Mitsuishi Shrine in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, said to be linked to the origin of the prefecture’s name through a legend about a demon’s handprint, has been carved by an unknown person in what appears to be the shape of a palm. (News On Japan)

A shrine believed to be the world’s first dedicated to stuffed animals was established on June 20 in Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, giving owners a place to express gratitude for beloved plush toys and hold memorial rites for those that have finished their role. (News On Japan)

The first trial of two men accused of killing restaurant owner Ryutaro Takarajima and his wife, Sachiko, began at the Tokyo District Court on June 22, with the 30-year-old defendant described as a directing figure admitting the charges, while the other defendant acknowledged involvement but argued that he was only an accessory. (News On Japan)

Japan's Emperor and Empress appeared before the press with the Belgian royal family during their official visit to Belgium, joining King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and their children for a commemorative photograph at the royal residence of Ciergnon Castle. (News On Japan)

Urakawa, a Hokkaido town of about 10,000 people known as one of Japan's leading thoroughbred breeding centers, is seeing a rapid increase in Indian residents as local farms turn to experienced overseas workers to offset a shrinking pool of Japanese horse trainers. (News On Japan)

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, on a state visit to the Netherlands, reunited with Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Dutch princess who was photographed holding hands with Princess Aiko 20 years ago, in a visit that highlighted the long friendship between the Japanese imperial family and the Dutch royal house. (News On Japan)

A damaged and badly decomposed body of an adult man was found inside a large freezer near the entrance of a locked apartment in Kobe on June 20, prompting police to investigate the case as a possible crime. (News On Japan)

A cargo ship carrying vehicles from Osaka to Tokyo ran aground off Toshima in the Izu Islands before dawn on June 19, creating an unusual scene in which a large freighter appeared to have docked at a part of the island with no port. (News On Japan)

Eleven pupils and teachers were injured after a fire broke out at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo's Kita Ward at around 11 a.m. on June 19, forcing more than 300 children to evacuate and briefly trapping several pupils on a narrow ledge outside a fourth-floor classroom. (News On Japan)