News On Japan

A couple pose inside a snow hut with a heart-shaped entrance, made especially for Valentine's Day, at a square near the city office building in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, on Tuesday night. (Japan Today)

For punters in the Uguisudani red-light district of Taito Ward, many must be wondering: Where is the love? (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's education ministry released draft revisions of the country's curriculum guidelines for elementary and junior high schools on Tuesday, including adoption of English as a regular subject for elementary school fifth- and sixth-graders. (Jiji)

Ibaraki Prefectural Police are searching for a man suspected in a shooting incident at an office in Kamisu City that left one person dead and another injured, reports TV Asahi. (tokyoreporter.com)

Japan's economy is cruising along, at least by its own recent standards, with real growth clocking in at 1 percent in 2016. It may have reached top speed. (Bloomberg)

Children over the age of 3 should be "familiar" with the national flag and the national anthem, according to draft new guidelines for operating public and private nursery schools. (Japan Times)

The Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen singer was surprised by his popularity in the US, with kids, artists and famous celebrities all wanting a photo with him. (rocketnews24.com)

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January hit 2.3 million, up 24 percent from the same period last year, the tourism ministry said Wednesday, thanks to a boost in travelers from China and Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holiday. (Japan Times)

When picturing famous Japanese castles, people often have in mind vivid cherry blossoms or clear-blue skies in the background. Recently, however, castles are becoming more attractive at night through efforts such as projection mapping technology. (the-japan-news.com)

The $3.3 billion acquisition by SoftBank Group Corp, the Japanese telecommunications, internet and solar energy giant, of Fortress Investment Group marks tycoon Masayoshi Son's latest step in building an investment empire. (Japan Today)

Products bearing the image of "Kumamon," the black bear mascot of quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture, racked up sales of at least 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in 2016, the prefectural government said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

In Tinseltown this week there is the potential for a golfing script of which even Hollywood itself would be proud. (telegraph.co.uk)

Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. and 17 women, who were seeking a total of around 370 million yen ($3.2 million) in damages for developing blotches after using the company's skin-whitening products, reached a settlement Wednesday at the Yokohama District Court. (Kyodo)

A new ordinance bill to impose strict restrictions on dating businesses using teenage schoolgirls was presented to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly's steering committee Wednesday, with the aim of protecting them from involvement in crimes. (Japan Today)

Japanese Defense Ministry sources say Air Self-Defense Force jets have been scrambled a record number of times over the past 10 months. (NHK)

All Nippon Airways opened a new route connecting Narita International Airport near Tokyo and Mexico City on Wednesday, becoming the first Japanese air carrier to launch regular flights directly linking Japan and Mexico. (Jiji)

A 17-year-old rape suspect who escaped from police custody at a hospital in Hokkaido the previous day turned himself in on Thursday, accompanied by a female acquaintance, officials said. (Japan Times)

When Pokémon GO launched last summer, fans were overjoyed at its astounding scale. 142 Pocket Monsters, who could be hiding literally anywhere? Simply amazing. (rocketnews24.com)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested another executive of a software company whose dating sites are alleged to have defrauded users with fake profiles of celebrities, including former AKB48 member Atsuko Maeda, reports the Sankei Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

A kindergarten in Osaka city handed out to parents copies of a statement slurring Korean residents in Japan and Chinese people, and its officials were recently questioned for suspected hate speech as a result, prefectural government officials said Thursday. (Japan Today)

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