A Hong Kong appeals court jailed three leaders of the Chinese-ruled city's democracy movement for six to eight months on Thursday, dealing a blow to the youth-led push for universal suffrage and prompting accusations of political interference. Joshua Wong, 20, Alex Chow, 26, and Nathan ...

A Taiwanese businessman has won an auction for the personal effects of late Japanese civil engineer Yoichi Hatta and plans to donate them to a museum built to honor his contributions to Taiwan, a local newspaper has reported. The Chinese-language China Times reported in its ...

A wild otter was caught on film on Nagasaki Prefecture's Tsushima Island in February, marking the first sighting of the mammal in Japan in 38 years, a University of the Ryukyus team said Thursday. It is not known whether the observed otter was a Japanese ...

Japan's Inpex Corp. might participate in a tender to develop the Azadegan oil field in southwestern Iran and form a consortium with other foreign oil firms to that end, a high-ranking Iranian official says. If Inpex gets involved in the Azadegan again — after giving ...

Bandai Co. is looking to tap Japan's expanding tourism market by opening a Tokyo shop dedicated to selling, building and painting plastic models of robots from its popular Gundam franchise. Gundam Base Tokyo — set to open Saturday in the Odaiba district — will let ...

William Hagerty, new U.S. envoy, arrives in Tokyo emphasizing U.S. commitment to “ironclad” bilateral security ties in the face of North Korea’s escalating nuclear threats.

Even though 72 years have passed since the end of World War II, for Minoru Kawaida, 85, a little known event that happened on the morning of Feb. 6, 1944, remains at the forefront of his mind. Having studied until 1 a.m., he overslept that ...

The United States drew a hard line for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday, demanding major concessions aimed at slashing trade deficits with Mexico and Canada and boosting U.S. content for autos. At the start of talks in Washington, U.S. President Donald ...

At least 26 people died Wednesday night in police operations in the Philippines capital Manila, authorities said on Thursday, a second night of heavy bloodshed this week in an intensification of President Rodrigo Duterte's fierce war on drugs and crime. The killings across Manila followed ...

The Defense Ministry will deploy new land-based Aegis Ashore system in response to North Korean missile threats.

The Australian city of Melbourne was named the world's most livable city for a record seventh year in a row in a global survey that was released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on Wednesday. Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, received perfect scores for ...

President Moon Jae-in says South Koreans forced into labor during WWII have the right to seek compensation from Japanese firms despite 1965 treaty.

Juvenile consultation centers struggle to keep up as child abuse cases have spiked fivefold over the past 15 years.

Medical advances are enabling more cancer patients to return to work after treatment, but not without difficulties. Many face pay cuts and struggle to cover medical bills or living costs, according to a recent survey of working cancer patients by Lifenet Insurance Co. Conducted in ...

A Japanese nonprofit group is preparing to set up a hospitality venue for LGBT athletes and fans during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to boost diversity at the events. "We want to leave a legacy by opening up the world of sports (to diversity) ...

Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, and her longtime boyfriend, Kei Komuro, will speak to the press together on Sept. 3 to officially announce their engagement, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday. The announcement had originally been planned for July 8 but the ...

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are planning to visit in late October the Kyushu region, which had recently been battered by torrential rain, to offer encouragement to residents recovering from the disaster, sources affiliated with the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday. They are also considering ...

Food aid is reaching thousands who survived a mudslide on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, the United Nations World Food Programme said on Wednesday, two days after 400 people died and more than 3,000 were left homeless. Dozens of houses were buried as ...

The outing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students by teachers is on the rise in Japan, which still lacks a framework for understanding the ramifications of the issue in terms of the educational system. Teachers who may simply think they are showing consideration to ...

Top White House adviser Steve Bannon has said he would be open to a potential deal in which China persuaded North Korea to freeze its nuclear buildup in exchange for the removal of U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula. In an interview published Wednesday by ...

Opposition candidates running in Venezuela's October gubernatorial elections will be investigated to make sure none was involved in violent political protests this year, the head of a new pro-government truth commission said on Wednesday. The panel was set up earlier in the day by the ...

Lebanon's parliament abolished on Wednesday a law that absolves rapists if they marry their victims, joining other Arab states that have repealed "marry-your-rapist" laws in recent weeks. Lawmaker Elie Kayrouz, who backed ending the law — article 522 of the penal code — said other ...

HMD Global, the Finnish start-up looking to reinvigorate the Nokia phone brand, unveiled the Nokia 8 on Wednesday, hoping to cash in on rising consumer demand for high-quality audio and video features. The Android device, due out in September, will potentially beat rivals on price ...

U.S. President Donald Trump disbanded two high-profile business advisory councils on Wednesday after corporate CEOs quit in protest over his remarks blaming violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, not only on white nationalists but also on the protesters who opposed them. A parade of prominent Republicans and ...

New evidence released by Australian government agencies on Wednesday may have narrowed the location of missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the lead body behind search operations for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean, released two reports, one of which concluded ...

Japan and South Korea have managed to live for years with the reality of vulnerability to North Korea's nukes. There is no reason why the U.S. cannot learn to do the same.

A shift from long hours to efficient, goal-oriented work is exactly the right medicine for white-collar Japan

The Motif Restaurant and Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi is offering dinner created in collaboration with Sapporo's Moliere French restaurant from Aug. 21 to 27. Moliere is the only restaurant in Hokkaido to be awarded three Michelin stars, receiving the honor ...

In 2006, professional football player Steve Gleason made one of the most dramatic plays in NFL history when he blocked a punt that led his team, the New Orleans Saints, to its first home victory following Hurricane Katrina. Five years later, he was diagnosed ...

"Adults are stupid," says Shinji Okoda, who is better known in Hiroshima as "Guy," the vocalist for hardcore punk band Origin of M and owner of Disk Shop Misery and Bloodsucker Records. At 52, he certainly appears to have some authority in the matter. Just ...

Shota Imanaga struck out seven over as many shutout innings as the second-year lefty picked up his 10th win of the season in the Yokohama BayStars' 4-1 victory over the Chunichi Dragons on Thursday. Imanaga (10-5) got early run support, with sluggers Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and ...

Another medal-earning feat by the Japan men's 4x100-meter relay team at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London was certainly an encouraging sign, and now it hopes to achieve its ultimate goal: winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That, of course, will ...

Ryo Ishikawa said Wednesday that winning the season-ending Wyndham Championship is not a realistic season-ending goal. Instead, he simply wants to prepare to battle his way back to the PGA Tour. A day before the start of the regular-season finale, Ishikawa, a 14-time winner on the ...

The Bambitious Nara's recent signing of Gary Hamilton signals the team's serious commitment to winning. Vying for supremacy in the B. League's second division will be the name of the game for new bench boss Zeljko Pavlicevic's club, with Hamilton being a key piece to ...

The new Japan Rugby Top League season kicks off Friday with five games being played across the country. Defending champion Suntory Sungoliath open their campaign against the Canon Eagles with fans, players and coaches alike forced to get used to yet another new format. This season, ...