Men opt for hair removal to stay cool during summer
Summer is peak season at a men's grooming clinic in Japan, where appointments are becoming harder to get as scores seek to rid themselves of body hair for relief from brutal, sweltering heat.
Osaka arsonist hanged
The nation hanged a man convicted of a 2009 arson attack on an Osaka pachinko parlour that killed five people, with the prisoner as usual informed shortly before his execution.
Working by moonlight to beat the heat
Farmers shift their hours as summers grow increasingly brutal.
Train hits four workers, all killed
Four people have died after being hit by a train, authorities said, in a country renowned for its normally excellent rail safety record.
Tokyo opposes US sanctions on ICC chief Akane
Tokyo objected to sanctions imposed by the United States against International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane (pic) of Japan, calling Washington's latest salvo against the institution "very unfortunate".
Sights set on Mars’ moons
Scientists are readying a mission to Mars' moons to retrieve samples that may unlock the origins of the solar system and life on Earth, although a rival Chinese mission aims to make it back first.
Torrential rains spur floods, killing nine
Heavy rain that battered the country's east has left nine people dead, public broadcaster NHK said, after an "unprecedented" deluge that flooded over a thousand homes and snarled up roads and rail services.
Minister visits war shrine, PM stays away
The nation's defence minister paid his respects at a shrine honouring the country's war dead that has long dogged Tokyo's relations with its Asian neighbours, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stayed away.
Rain strands thousands in Chiba
At least five people died in eastern Japan after "unprecedented" heavy rain that left thousands stranded at Narita airport overnight and snarled up roads and rail services, authorities said.
Crown Prince Akishino has ‘mixed feelings’ on male-only succession
Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, said he has "mixed feelings" about the government's revision to the Imperial House Law that insists only men can become emperor.
