A 15-year-old girl who randomly stabbed and seriously injured a woman and her daughter in Tokyo's Shibuya entertainment district on Saturday night has said she did it because she wanted to receive the death penalty.
The girl was arrested on the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.
Dancers and spectators in Okayama City, western Japan, enjoyed a traditional parade called "uraja" to conclude an annual local summer festival held for the first time in three years.
About 1,000 people made up to look like demons danced through the central part of the city on Sunday to mark the last day of the festival. The event is associated with a well-known old tale of a little boy who slayed demons.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 24,780 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday. Officials also reported 29 deaths.
The daily tally of new cases for the capital is up more than 2,000 from a week ago.
Weather officials in Japan are warning of torrential rain through Sunday in the Hokuriku, Kinki and northern Kyushu regions.
The Meteorological Agency says humid air is flowing toward a low-pressure system accompanied by a front passing over the Tohoku region, leaving atmospheric conditions unstable over wide areas in eastern and western Japan.
Japan reported 261,029 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, hitting a new record high for the second straight day.
Nineteen prefectures around the nation logged their highest daily tallies.
A group led by lawyers has asked auditors at four prefectures to block the use of public funds for the state funeral of former prime minister Abe Shinzo.
The motions were filed in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Hokkaido prefectures on Friday.
Japan reported a record 255,534 new coronavirus cases across the country on Thursday. A total of 287 people died due to the virus.
Twenty-one of Japan's 47 prefectures logged their highest daily tallies. There are 610 seriously ill patients on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines, down 17 from Wednesday.
A Japanese medicine manufacturer says it plans to start distributing its oral coronavirus medicine through ordinary market channels. This means patients across the country could soon be prescribed the medicine more quickly.
MSD, which is the Japanese arm of US pharmaceutical firm Merck, said on Thursday that the new system would make it easier for medical facilities and pharmacies to secure necessary amounts of the medicine Lagevrio.
The head of Japan's National Security Secretariat has lodged a protest with China's top diplomat over Beijing's military drills around Taiwan.
China has been staging large-scale military drills in the area in response to a visit to Taiwan earlier this month by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Major Japanese mobile carrier KDDI is sending text messages from Tuesday on details of its compensation plan to users affected by last month's nationwide network disruption.
KDDI says over 36 million customers will each get 200 yen, or about one dollar 50 cents, in the form of deductions to their bills or other means. Users of the company's subsidiary in Okinawa are also eligible for the refund.
Japan's weather officials say unstable atmospheric conditions may bring further record rainfall to the northern region on Tuesday.
The Meteorological Agency says warm and damp air is flowing into a rain front hanging over the Sea of Japan. Developed rain clouds have brought heavy rain sporadically to the Tohoku region.
The government plans to launch a cross-ministerial panel on spiritual sales, a dubious marketing practice employed by the religious group previously known as the Unification Church.
Justice Minister Hanashi Yasuhiro said on Monday that officials from the ministry, the National Police Agency, the Consumer Affairs Agency and other government organizations will make up the panel.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has instructed the agriculture ministry to draw up measures to keep the prices of imported wheat it sells to domestic flour mills at current levels.
Kishida gave the instruction on Monday at a meeting of a government task force on prices and wages.
Two Japanese Cabinet ministers visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Monday, the day Japan marks the end of World War Two.
Economic Security Minister Takaichi Sanae and Reconstruction Minister Akiba Kenya paid visits to the shrine, which honors Japan's war dead and includes leaders convicted of war crimes in World War Two.