Former Yokozuna Grand Champion Kakuryu, who retired from sumo on Wednesday, held a news conference to explain his decision.
Kakuryu sat at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan with his stable master Michinoku for a video conference on Thursday.
The Japanese government plans to analyze North Korea's latest missile firings in conjunction with the United States and South Korea. Japan will stay on full alert, citing the possibility of more launches.
The Japanese government says North Korea fired two ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. The missiles are believed to have flown about 450 kilometers before falling in Sea of Japan waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The Japanese owner of a giant container ship that is stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal says attempts to refloat the ship are facing extreme difficulty.
The Ever Given is wedged sideways in the canal after being hit by a dust storm on Tuesday morning. The ship is owned by Shoei Kisen and operated by the Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine Corp.
The operators of Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains will draw an era to a close this summer when they remove public phones from the cars.
The first ones were introduced on bullet trains in 1965, and all of them will be taken out by the end of June.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 394 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday.
The figure is an increase of 71 from the daily tally last Thursday. It's the sixth straight day for new daily infections to be higher than a week earlier.
US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer says its coronavirus vaccine should be frozen for transport in principle, and refrigeration should only be an option when freezing is impossible.
Pfizer Japan on Monday issued guidelines on handling vaccines for local governments and healthcare workers.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has reported the highest number of new coronavirus cases in a month, just three days after a state of emergency was lifted.
Tokyo officials confirmed 420 new infections Wednesday. It's the second tally this month to breach 400.
Japan's health ministry has asked prefectural governments to secure more hospital beds for a possible surge in coronavirus infections.
Last June, the ministry estimated hospitalizations at the peak of infections, and urged prefectures to secure beds accordingly.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has reported the highest number of new coronavirus cases in a month, just three days after a state of emergency was lifted.
Tokyo officials confirmed 420 new infections Wednesday. It's the second tally this month to breach 400. And it's further stoking fears a new wave could be on the way.
Japan's nuclear regulator has decided to order the operator of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture to rectify security breaches in its anti-terrorism measures.
A Nuclear Regulation Authority probe found that sensors for detecting intruders at the plant were broken and that alternative measures put in place were not sufficient.
The Japan Sumo Association says yokozuna grand champion Kakuryu has retired.
Kakuryu sat out eight of 12 grand sumo tournaments through November last year due to injuries to his lower back, left foot and right elbow.
Japan Post Holdings has punished more employees of its group firms over improper insurance policy sales practices, bringing the total number of punished employees to 3,300.
In 2019, an internal investigation of the firm found that it sold more than 1,200 insurance policies to the disadvantage of clients. The sales were suspected of violating a law and in-house rules.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 420 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday. That's the largest daily figure in March.
The daily tally surpassed 400 for the second time this month, following 409 a week ago. It was the fifth straight day that the figure was higher than it was one week earlier.
The Japanese government plans to continue to communicate with China about its human rights record in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Tokyo may also urge Beijing to act responsibly and improve the situation.
Japan is the only G7 country that has not imposed sanctions over China's alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang.