News On Japan

Two probes in a joint Mercury exploration mission between Japan and Europe, named BepiColombo, will be launched from French Guiana in South America aboard an Ariane 5 rocket in October. (the-japan-news.com)

The Tokyo Stock Exchange has approved e-commerce company Mercari's request to make an initial public offering. (NHK)

A volcano in Kyushu has erupted again, shooting gray smoke and ash thousands of meters into the sky. (Japan Today)

The police have started investigating pirate manga website Mangamura for suspected breach of copyright, informed sources said Monday. (Jiji)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 39-year-old man over the alleged molestation and assault of a woman in Machida City earlier this month, reports (tokyoreporter.com)

Prosecutors are demanding eight years behind bars for the president of failed travel agency Tellmeclub, who is accused of defrauding two banks of about ¥550 million in loans by doctoring earnings data. (Japan Times)

Kyoto University has removed a number of signs put up by student groups around campus. But new ones protesting the removal were posted soon after. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have revealed that a man, believed to be a foreigner, eluded custody after being accused of spraying graffiti in Shinjuku Ward last week, reports NHK (tokyoreporter.com)

Police have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the death of a 7-year-old girl in Niigata Prefecture. (NHK)

Police in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, are investigating the death of a 25-year-old demolition worker who was found in the back seat of a minicar parked outside his home on Sunday. An extension cord was tightly wound around his neck, Fuji TV reported. (Japan Today)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a 28-year-old man who allegedly stole liquor from a host club in Tokyo to sell via the marketplace app Mercari earlier this year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com)

One of the 3 main annual festivals in Kyoto, the Aoi Matsuri, was held on Tuesday. (NHK)

Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga said Tuesday that he underwent surgery in April to have a cancerous pancreatic tumor removed. (Japan Times)

The chief priest at Yakushiji Temple in Nara City has resigned over what he calls an improper relationship with a woman. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site. (NHK)

Despite advances in treatment, the number of newly confirmed cases of HIV in Japan has remained flat for the past decade, a sign that misconceptions about the disease are making progress towards eradication difficult. (Japan Today)

The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games proposed a ¥288,000 ($2,600) cap on entry prices for the games’ opening ceremony at a ticket sales strategy meeting Tuesday. (Japan Times)

A 23-year-old man who was arrested Monday night in connection with the murder of a 7-year-old girl in the city of Niigata has admitted he killed the girl, investigative sources said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male employee in the film industry who is suspected in multiple flashing incidents in Shibuya Ward, reports Nippon News Network (May 16). (tokyoreporter.com)

Police arrested a couple in their 20s on Wednesday for allegedly starving to death their 1-year-old son who was found weighing just 3.8 kilograms, less than half the average weight for a child of his age. (Japan Today)

Nagasaki Prefectural Police have launched a murder investigation after the corpse of a woman missing for nearly one decade was found in a storage space in Isahaya City, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun. (tokyoreporter.com)

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