Japanese "hagoita" decorative wooden paddles bearing images of seven prominent people this year have been put on display in Tokyo.
A doll wholesaler has been making the battledore paddles every year as a year-end tradition.
A support group including lawyers is providing consultations in Tokyo to people who have lost their jobs or part of their income because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Consultation sessions began from 10 a.m. on Tuesday in Okubo Park situated in Shinjuku's Kabukicho entertainment district.
Every December people across Japan prepare to head back to their hometowns to spend the New Year holidays with family. But this time, many will be staying put to avoid potentially spreading the coronavirus. To make up for it, people are spending big on gifts to send to their families and friends instead.
Traditionally, people in Japan send gifts known as "Oseibo" as a show of appreciation for the year that's passed. Department store officials say sales of fine wine and meat are booming, lifting holiday gift sales beyond last year's levels.
A major Buddhist temple in the city of Narita near Tokyo has been spruced up for the New Year.
About 40 monks and staff members wearing masks gathered in the main hall of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple shortly after 5:00 a.m. and began dusting Buddhist statues and altar ornaments with brushes and cloths.
Japan's Science and Technology Policy Minister Inoue Shinji says the government plans to decide its policy on the country's leading academic body by the year-end.
Inoue was speaking to reporters after he received reform proposals for the Science Council of Japan from the main governing Liberal Democratic Party on Friday.
The Nissan Kicks is getting a refresh for the 2021 model year. Nissan launched the Kicks for 2018, which means it's time for the mid-cycle update. As a little preview to the full reveal on December 8, Nissan has given us a quick teaser video.
Nissan provided zero information beyond the video. The whole front end is shrouded in darkness, preventing us from seeing much of anything in detail. At the very least, the headlights look changed versus the current model. They look more squared-off versus the bubbly and fun lights on the current Kicks. The grille looks to be a bit wider than before, but it's keeping the same general shape as the outgoing Kicks' grille.
The surge in coronavirus cases across Japan is putting a damper on plans for the festive season, with many bosses say they won't throw parties for their employees this year.
A research firm surveyed more than 10,000 companies about their plans to celebrate the end of 2020 and the start of 2021.
Japan's weather officials will stop observations of about 90 percent of plants and animals that have continued for nearly 70 years.
The Meteorological Agency began observing the flowering of plants and the first chirping of animals in 1953 to report changes in season and climate.
People in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa have flown kites to pray for an early end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 30 people took part in the event held at a seaside park in the town of Motobu on Saturday.
The Japan National Championships for track and field events ended on Saturday after three days of competition.
As sports events have been postponed or cancelled one after another due to the coronavirus outbreak, the three-day tournament was a key test of how to manage future sporting competitions.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has proposed resolving a bilateral territorial issue with Russia without leaving it to the next generation.
He made the proposal to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the leaders held their first talks by telephone on Tuesday.
A report from a couple of months ago suggested that to meet the demand of gamers stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony could actually boost its PS5 production. However, that may no longer be the case, at least that’s according to a report from Bloomberg which suggests that Sony might actually end up producing less than expected.
The report claims that Sony might end up producing about 4 million less units than previously expected. The company had reportedly initially aimed to produce as many as 15 million units for the fiscal year, but now with the cuts, they are only expected to produce as many as 11 million units.
It was a sad day for petrolheads around the world when Mitsubishi killed off the iconic Lancer Evolution.
People in Japan are commemorating the end of World War Two -- 75 years on. A government-organized ceremony was held in Tokyo on Saturday to honor those who died in the war.
About 550 people attended the event held every August 15th. The number this year was the smallest ever because of the coronavirus. Attendance was less than one-tenth of last year's.