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A Japanese court has ruled that not recognizing same-sex marriages is constitutional. It dismissed plaintiffs' claim for government compensation, saying current legal provisions cannot be ruled unconstitutional.

The Tokyo District Court handed down the ruling on Wednesday in a damages suit filed against the government by eight plaintiffs, including same-sex couples. The plaintiffs argued that provisions in the civil code and other legislation that don't recognize same-sex unions are unconstitutional.

The Japanese government has suspended entry of non-resident foreign nationals to Japan to prevent the transmission of coronavirus variants.

The measure is taking effect on Monday and will continue through January 31. A similar restriction is already in effect for travelers from the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Honda has become the first carmaker in America to allow dealers to list non-certified used cars on its official website. It's gradually rolling out the program across the nation in a bid to lure younger buyers into showrooms.

As of writing, dealers can list vehicles from their inventory of certified pre-owned cars on HondaCertified.com, a platform which lets users search for a used Honda based on a number of parameters, including the model, its mileage, and its distance from a given ZIP code. Non-certified used cars will appear on the same platform, Roadshow reported, which sounds confusing but it's less so than operating two separate websites.

Japan's government is considering whether to request business closures for nightlife establishments that fail to follow its guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A request based on a special law to tackle the outbreak is under consideration for non-compliant businesses where staff and customers come into close contact.

The Japanese labor ministry says non-regular workers account for about 60 percent of people who have recently lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ministry says 4,210 people were let go or had their contracts terminated, or were expected to lose their jobs in the week through last Friday.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he intends to call on people to stay home even though there will be no police crackdown on violations.

Abe held a news conference on Tuesday after declaring a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.

The rumors claiming the next generation of Toyota's gargantuan Land Cruiser will surf the industry's downsizing wave are getting louder. The off-roader will get a high-tech makeover, but it will remain as rugged as ever.

In 2020, the Land Cruiser is available with a gasoline-powered V8 in the United States, among other markets, and with a diesel-burning V8 in countries like Australia. All signs point to both eight-cylinders retiring along with the current-generation model. Japanese magazine Best Car learned Toyota will argue there's a replacement for displacement by making the Land Cruiser available with a twin-turbocharged V6 engine borrowed from Lexus.

Japan's education ministry plans to draw up guidelines to provide educational opportunities for all foreign children living in Japan.

Last September, the ministry surveyed over 124,000 foreign children aged between 6 and 14 who are currently registered in local residence records.