Patrons may order from, converse with and be entertained by a robot fleet that outnumbers its human handlers at Pepper Parlor, overlooking bustling Shibuya.

The Department of Defense announced a one-year pilot program this week in a bid to help 11,000 civilian employees in Japan navigate and defray the cost of medical care in the country. 

A better-than-expected 254,000 jobs were added to the economy in September, and the overall unemployment rate ticked down from 4.2% to 4.1%, said a bureau report released Friday. For veterans, the jobless rate fell from 3.5% in August to 2.7% in September, according to the report.

The commissary at Yokosuka Naval Base is keeping single-use plastic bags at checkouts.

The Kadokawa Cultural Museum, in Tokorozawa city north of Tokyo, fuses museums of art, anime and oddities with a huge, reader-friendly library.

A nonprofit dedicated to addressing eating disorders has been added to the Military OneSource’s resource finder, making it easier to find by people tackling the issue.

Medical professionals at this airlift hub in western Tokyo are prepping to administer flu shots ahead of other Indo-Pacific bases as flu season approaches. 

Last year’s decision to defer medical billing for Department of Defense civilians has left hundreds confused and concerned about debt, according to the Japan Civilian Medical Advocacy group.

Donkeys, llamas and capybaras are among the 140 animals at Izu Shaboten Zoo, less than a three-hour drive from U.S. bases near the Japanese capital.