Police investigate suspicious Santa in Wakayama.

In Japan, police investigated a man dressed as Santa for handing out treats, promoting concerns over safety and public vigilance.

Christmas Eve needs to impress a date, not be silent.

In Japan, Christmas Eve is a romantic date night for couples, focusing on festive meals like KFC and strawberry shortcake.

Japan offers fish-shaped soy sauce bottle hand cream.

Japan introduces "Lunch Charm Hand Cream," a soy sauce bottle-inspired moisturizer featuring soybean extract for smooth, non-sticky hydration.

Japan hits record 33.4M visitors in 11 months.

Japan set a new tourism record in 2024 with 33.4 million visitors, aided by a weak yen and November's arrivals.

Japanese city ending extracurriculars in middle schools.

Kobe will eliminate school-run extracurricular activities in public middle schools, replacing them with non-school affiliated programs by 2026.

Japanese politician threatens bears to citizens, seeks cartoonish anti-bear bombs.

The governor of Akita Prefecture proposed using drones to handle bear incidents but didn’t clarify their intended payload.

Japanese baseball star attempts paper plane world record.

Hanshin Tigers' Ryutaro Umeno attempted a paper airplane world record, breaking the Japanese record with a throw of 64.652 meters.

First real canned ramen now sold in Japanese vending machines.

Maruyama Seimen introduces authentic canned ramen with wheat noodles, soy sauce broth, and toppings, revolutionizing vending machine food options.

Santa project delivers donated books to Noto children.

Volunteers in Santa costumes will deliver donated books to children in need this Christmas through the "Book Santa" project.

Shakey's all-you-can-eat pizza returns to Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Shakey's has reopened in Shinjuku, offering an all-you-can-drink deal and a spacious buffet featuring pizza, pasta, and more.

Japanese government cuts subsidies; gasoline prices rise.

Average gasoline prices are set to rise over ¥5 as government subsidies to oil wholesalers are reduced starting Thursday.

Amazon Japan enters 'furusato nōzei' market.

Amazon Japan will start a hometown donation service, promising quick gift delivery and aiming to boost donations through its network.