The Acura TLX is all-new for 2021. It's built on a new architecture that we're told is the brand's most rigid other than the NSX. In our first-drive review, we called it "a true enthusiast's sedan." Now, we know that another benefit of the car's redo is improved crash performance, as the new TLX has earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The 2021 TLX bettered its predecessor in the challenging driver's-side small-overlap front crash test, achieving a Good score versus the previous model's Acceptable rating. The 2021 TLX also garnered a Good score for the passenger-side small-overlap front crash test (the previous version was not tested) and for the agency's other crash tests as well: moderate-overlap front, side-impact, roof crush and head restraints and seats.

Redesigned headlights earned the 2021 Nissan Sentra a coveted Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Some 2020 models built after the last round of updates get the distinction, too.

Nissan's eighth-generation Sentra made its debut for the 2020 model year with a new platform, a much more muscular design inspired by the bigger Maxima, and better technology inside. We drove it and called it an appealing small car, but the IIHS gave its snazzy headlights an inferior rating. Nissan took the criticism to heart.

Newly-available electronic driving aids earned the 2021 Toyota C-HR a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Japanese firm's smallest crossover missed out on a Plus rating, however.

Toyota made its Safety Sense 2.5 suite of electronic driving aids standard across the full C-HR range for 2021. It bundles a long list of features including a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, road sign assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping technology, and automatic high beams. It's the first feature (called PCS w/PD in alphabet-soupese) that made a difference from the Institute's standpoint. It allowed the C-HR to avoid collisions at 12 and 25 mph, and it either avoided or at least slowed down for a dummy in three separate tests.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has expressed confidence that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held successfully next year and also emphasized that safety for spectators is a top priority.

Bach held a joint news conference in Tokyo with the president of the Tokyo Organising Committee, Mori Yoshiro, on Monday. He earlier met Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko.

In addition to a stylish design and hybrid fuel economy, the 2021 Toyota Venza can now brag about its safety ratings. The IIHS has awarded the crossover its second-highest Top Safety Pick rating for its all-around superb safety scores. The only thing holding it back from the highest Top Safety Pick + rating is slightly subpar standard headlights.

In the Venza's favor are crash test ratings that earn the top "Good" rating across the board. Also impressive are its collision prevention ratings. Tested for car-to-car and car-to-pedestrian crash prevention, the Venza's suite of automatic braking and warning systems earned the highest "Superior" score for both. Those systems are all standard on all Venza's, too. Finally, the child seat LATCH anchor access is rated "Good +."

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, rescheduled for next year, have tested ways to carry out safety checks on spectators entering the venues of events.

About 1,000 participants in the three-day test conducted in Tokyo through Wednesday included private security firm personnel who will cover safety checks at the Games. This is the first such test since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Nissan will start offering its Safety Shield 360 suite of active safety gear as standard on 10 of its U.S. models come next year.

Details for the 2021 Infiniti Q50 are out, and while it's largely the same sedan as it was last year, Infiniti made some notable improvements. For starters, Infiniti made its suite of driver assistance equipment standard. This includes blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, 360-degree camera with moving object detection, parking sensors, backup collision assist and auto high-beams. It's a fairly comprehensive package that many luxury brands would make you pay a pretty penny for.

Additionally, Infiniti is adding a Sensory trim level for 2021. It's equipped with the 300-horsepower version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine. Infiniti also equips it with sport design front and rear fascias, leather sport seats, black open pore wood interior trim, black headliner and pillars and a 16-speaker Bose audio system. Both the Sensory and Red Sport 400 gain power-folding, auto-dimming outside mirrors in the new year, too.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey has achieved the highest award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Top Safety Pick+. Although the Odyssey is not a new generation for 2021, it does benefit from several changes, including newly standard active-safety features and new LED headlamps that appear across the lineup.

Previously, the 2020 Odyssey performed well in all six crash tests, achieving the highest, Good, score in all six. It's halogen headlamps, however, were rated Marginal and Poor (depending on the version). And its collision-avoidance system had not been tested. The 2021 Odyssey has LED headlamps as standard, and they earned an Acceptable score. Additionally, the Odyssey's collision-avoidance system is now included on all trims, and it earned a Superior rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. The Odyssey also received a Good+ score for LATCH ease of use — the best among minivans — although that is not part of the criteria for a TSP+ award.

A huge Olympic rings monument in Tokyo Bay has been temporarily removed for safety checks.

The floating monument is 33 meters wide and 15 meters high. It was installed in January on the water in Odaiba Marine Park, one of Tokyo's Olympic venues.

The biggest challenge facing organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is how to secure the safety of athletes and spectators, as the peak of the global coronavirus pandemic is yet to be seen.

Thursday marks one year before the opening of the Games, which have been postponed due to the pandemic.

An event to pray for the safety and success of the July Grand Sumo Tournament was held on Saturday at an arena in Tokyo. Only a limited number of sumo officials were allowed to attend due to the coronavirus threat.

Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku and other stable masters were among those who showed up at the Ryogoku Kokugikan hall.

With the Camry’s 2021 model year, Toyota is celebrating the nameplate’s largest and most diverse lineup ever, which will now feature a new XSE Hybrid grade.

Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to draw up safety measures for workers after finding that some of the buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are in bad condition due to the 2011 accident.

TEPCO on Monday reported to the Nuclear Regulation Authority the results of its survey of about 580 buildings in the compound.