The Shukan Asahi weekly magazine said on Friday that it will suspend a series of stories on Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto following a backlash over the first article detailing his background.

The World Health Organization reported ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10 that over 350 million people, about five percent of the global population, suffer from depression worldwide.

The Finance Ministry plans to approve a new type of cigarette vending machine that can check a cigarette buyer’s age when a driving license is inserted in it besides those with the “taspo” IC card function.

Following reports that Chinese-made dumplings sickened at least 10 people in Japan, Beijing said tests on their ingredients found none of the pesticide cited by Japan.