Japanese scientists say the space probe Hayabusa2 has successfully released a capsule which is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
The capsule is believed to contain sand from a remote asteroid Ryugu. It is scheduled to land in a desert in South Australia.
The Lower House of Japan's Diet has begun deliberating on a bill to revise the preventive vaccination law to secure vaccines for the coronavirus.
The bill would make coronavirus vaccinations free. If the vaccines are found to cause health problems, the government will pay for treatment.
The fishing season for snow crabs began on Friday in the Sea of Japan off Fukui Prefecture.
Boats carrying the renowned winter delicacy unloaded their haul at ports in the prefecture.
The atomic-bombed city of Nagasaki has set up a countdown board to mark the number of days until next year's UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons goes into effect.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons reached the necessary 50 ratifications on Saturday.
An old sake brewer just north of Tokyo has begun preparations for its first brew of the sake season.
The brewery, Igarashi Syuzo, was established in the city of Hanno, Saitama Prefecture in 1897. On Tuesday, workers steamed rice grown especially to make sake. After letting it cool on a machine, they put it in a tank and slowly stirred it using a three-meter-long stick.
Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party has begun debate on how the Science Council of Japan, the country's top academic body, should be organized.
A working group of the LDP met on Wednesday to discuss Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide's refusal to appoint six new members to the council. The six candidates were among those recommended by the body for membership.
Official campaigning has kicked off for a second referendum in Osaka City on whether to reorganize the city into wards similar to those in Tokyo.
What is known as the "Osaka metropolis plan" calls for abolishing the city and creating four special wards. Those who proposed the plan say it will eliminate administrative redundancy between the city and Osaka Prefecture.
TOKYO — The financial misconduct trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly began Tuesday with Kelly saying he committed no crimes and was only trying to keep his star boss Carlos Ghosn from leaving.
The charges being heard at Tokyo District Court center on Kelly's alleged role in failing to report to Japanese authorities the future compensation of Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades.
Members of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party are deciding who will lead them - and the country.
The party members are casting their ballots at a Tokyo hotel. The party president chosen will almost certainly win a vote in the Diet to make him the next Prime Minister. He will take over from Abe Shinzo, who is stepping down because of health issues.
Preservation work on the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also known as the Atomic Bomb Dome, started on Thursday after a delay of more than one year.
The structure in the city of Hiroshima was built more than 100 years ago. It survived the 1945 US atomic bombing.
The 2021 Acura TLX is officially rolling off the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio. This marks the beginning of a new generation for the Acura, which promises to be "the quickest, best-handling and most well-appointed sport sedan in the brand's 35-year history." Heady words, considering the brand has produced many impressive sedans over the past few decades.
Both the standard TLX and the TLX Type S will be made alongside each other, and the engines lurking within will be assembled nearby in Anna, Ohio. Only the standard TLX with the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder will be available initially, but the Type S and its 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 will arrive next spring.
One day after Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's surprise announcement of his resignation for health reasons, the battle to succeed him has already begun, with several candidates signaling their intentions to contest the premiership.
LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Kishida Fumio says, "My commitment to continue working to become the next leader remains unchanged."
A trial has begun in Osaka involving the widow of a former Finance Ministry official who committed suicide after being forced to falsify documents. The widow is seeking damages from the state and a former senior ministry official.
Akagi Toshio, who worked for the Finance Ministry's regional bureau in Osaka, killed himself in 2018. He had been pressured to falsify official documents pertaining to the sale of state-owned land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen at well below market value.
Japan's health minister says the government has begun supplying the newly-approved drug remdesivir to medical institutions treating coronavirus patients.
Kato Katsunobu said on Tuesday that delivery of the anti-viral drug provided by its US manufacturer began the day before.