The Liberal Democratic Party lost a large number of seats to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's upstart Tomin First Party in the Tokyo assembly election. Media surveys reveal that the public is dismayed by recent scandals involving the LDP, in particular the one surrounding educational ...

Utopias and dystopias have this in common: surveillance. From Thomas More's "Utopia" (1516) to George Orwell's "1984" (1949), from Plato's "Republic" (c. 380 B.C.) to Yevgeny Zamyatin's "We" (1921), the view prevails that people behave better under scrutiny. Why conceal good deeds? For no ...

The monk Dogen lived in dreadful times. A revolution culminating in 1185 had brought to power warriors who for centuries had served perhaps the most unwar-like aristocracy in world history, the effete but highly cultured ladies and gentlemen of the Heian Period (794-1185). ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to give budget priority to fostering human resources as the government proceeds with the process of drawing up the fiscal 2018 state budget. Japan faces the difficult task of securing enough revenue to cover the rapidly aging nation's ballooning social ...

About a year after the craze created by the augmented reality game "Pokemon Go," the smartphone app has largely become a tool for middle-aged and older people to stay fit and a way for tourist spots to attract visitors. One day in early July, Tsutomu ...

Japan’s biggest airlines will start checking passengers’ electronic devices for bombs next week at the request of the U.S.

Japan will fund a new water infrastructure improvement project in Jordan to help the country manage the influx of Syrian refugees, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday after a meeting with Jordanian Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki in Tokyo. Abe said the ¥1.4 billion ($12.3 million) ...

Tokyo Electric walks back its decision to dump the tritium-tainted water stored at Fukushima No. 1 plant into the ocean after the disaster reconstruction minister objects.

"Politics will eventually be replaced by imagery. The politician will be only too happy to abdicate in favor of his image, because the image will be much more powerful than he could ever be." — Marshall McLuhan, in a 1972 interview The resounding victory in the ...

Toyota allegedly made a big investment in Britain after getting secret reassurances that it wouldn’t lose its trading advantages once Britain leaves the European Union, sources say.

A bill that many U.S. lawmakers hoped would send a message to President Donald Trump to keep a strong line against Russia hit a new snag in the House of Representatives on Friday, as Republicans proposed combining it with sanctions on North Korea. The Russia ...

Thermal images of North Korea's main nuclear site show Pyongyang may have reprocessed more plutonium than previously thought that can be used to enlarge its nuclear weapons stockpile, a U.S. think tank has said. The analysis published Friday by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korean ...

Ollanta Humala, Peru's former left-leaning president who was ordered to spend 18 months in pre-trial detention, on Friday was moved to a prison built for his longtime foe, the ex-autocratic leader Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori, 78, has spent the past decade as the lone inmate in ...

On July 16, 2007, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the world's largest nuclear power complex at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa — a site that the government and Tepco had insisted was seismically safe.

A small community in Miyagi Prefecture is struggling to continue making one of its most-famous craft exports — Shiroishi handmade paper and paper clothes

How do you solve a geopolitical problem like Kim Jong Un? Containment? Embargoes? Propaganda? Regime change? Synchronized baseball?

It's not certain exactly when tofu was introduced to Japan. One theory holds that it was brought over from China by the great Buddhist priest and scholar Kukai, also known as Kobo Taishi (734-835) in the early ninth century during the early Heian Period ...

Many of Tokyo's finest restaurants are so hidden away you hardly know they're even there. But there's little chance of missing Maruka. In the unlikely event that you fail to spot the large white noren curtain across the entrance, you won't miss the long ...

Everybody likes a happy ending, especially when the story involves one of Tokyo's most popular pubs. That's why many cheered when Mikkeller Tokyo announced its return this spring. A year after calling it quits in Shibuya's Udagawacho district, the Danish-based craft beer bar has reincarnated. ...

The nation that gave the world bratwurst and hot dogs is cutting back on its favorite pork sausages and larding up plates with more veggie concoctions instead. Germans last year consumed the smallest amount of pig meat since at least 2005, and the drop will ...

One of the most popular desserts to take off in Tokyo over the last two years has been shaved ice from outside Japan. Taiwanese baobing, via the chain Ice Monster, kick-started the trend, and a few others have appeared as of late. Korean chain ...

"A Tokyo Anthology" is the latest in a series of books that aims to introduce Japanese literature to readers within the context of history and cultural developments. "An Edo Anthology" came out in 2013 and covers the century from 1750. "A Kamigata Anthology" is ...

The bulk of Martin Cruz Smith's "Tokyo Station" is set in 1941, when the impending war with the Allied Forces was the talk of Tokyo. Tokyo Station, by Martin Cruz Smith.464 pages SIMON & SCHUSTER, Fiction. Yet a third of the way into the book, which was ...

Karin Tanabe's fourth novel explores the experience of Japanese and German internees in the U.S. during World War II, set against the experience of foreign detainees in Japan. The Diplomat's Daughter, by Karin Tanabe.464 pages SIMON & SCHUSTER, Fiction. She deliberately focuses on less-explored stories such as ...

For one night, it was just like old times for Alfredo Despaigne in Chiba. A monstrous home run, a celebration with Chiba Lotte Marines catcher Tatsuhiro Tamura, and a celebratory "Despa-iine" call-and-response with the fans in right field after the game. It was almost like ...

Andre Schurrle struck a late winner as Borussia Dortmund beat Urawa Reds 3-2 on Saturday to score their first win under new coach Peter Bosz in a preseason friendly for the Bundesliga side. The Reds more than held their own against Dortmund and Shinzo Koroki ...

Sosuke Genda was an almost last-minute addition for this year's All-Star Series. But that hasn't taken any of the fun out of it for the 24-year old Seibu Lions rookie. Genda got his first taste of the All-Star Series on Friday night at Nagoya Dome. ...

Yokozuna Hakuho kept his perfect record intact through the first week of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with a comfortable win over third-ranked maegashira Ikioi on Saturday. With two yokozuna — Kisenosato and Kakuryu — having already pulled out, Hakuho remained sturdy as an ...

Harukyo Nomura pulled herself into contention by shooting a 3-under 69 Friday to sit four shots behind leader Feng Shanshan after two rounds at the U.S. Women's Open. Nomura carded four birdies and a single bogey for a 36-hole total of 4-under to share sixth ...

The Sunwolves wrapped up their second Super Rugby season on a winning note Saturday, coming from behind to beat the Blues 48-21. Filo Tiatia's side demolished the three-time winners from Auckland in sweltering heat, which reached 43 C at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground. Timothy Lafaele ...