Kazuhiko Oigawa, a former trade ministry bureaucrat, looks almost certain to beat six-term incumbent Masaru Hashimoto in Ibaraki Prefecture.

A graduate school of Mie University has decided to introduce ninja studies as one of the subjects for its entrance exam starting in February next year. Successful applicants for the graduate school can receive academic lessons about ninja studies and write a master's thesis on ...

British police announced Sunday a second arrest in connection with an assault on three police officers by a man armed with a 4-foot (120 cm) sword outside Buckingham Palace in London on Friday. A 30-year-old man was arrested at an address in west London on ...

As the Diet prepares to debate the structure of integrated casino resorts this autumn, competition in Osaka and neighboring Wakayama to win the rights to host one of the first legal gambling complexes in the country is heating up. The most talked-about candidate for the ...

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara has the backing of 14 of the Democratic Party’s prefectural chapters for the DP leadership race, His sole opponent, ex-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, has 10.

Six people are arrested on suspicion of participating in unauthorized stem cell therapies using blood collected from umbilical cords and placentas after childbirth.

Three Japanese servicemen are missing after a Maritime Self-Defense Force chopper apparently crashed late Saturday off Aomori Prefecture. One of the four crew members aboard the helicopter was rescued 40 minutes after the MSDF lost contact with the SH-60J patrol chopper but is not in ...

The election of President Donald Trump and Republican control of Congress meant the National Rifle Association could probably rest easy that gun laws wouldn't change for at least four years. But the NRA has begun a campaign against what it sees as liberal forces ...

If fascism is the danger, a tactic that plainly failed in pre-war Europe is not the answer.

The 2007 financial crisis resulted from a cognitive mistake on the part of bankers and regulators alike. Ten years later, few are willing to admit this, let alone explore what is needed to prevent another disaster.

In Japanese fashion this month, we see two local designers embarking on international careers by taking over one of Italy's most well-known brands, along with a new two-day fashion and lifestyle market in Harajuku, with attractions for the whole family. Costume National fall-winter 2018 menswear Storied ...

What does $1,500 get you in blue jeans? One answer is 44 pairs of Wranglers. Another: four or five pairs of raw denim — a rigid, rugged, unrinsed jean for true connoisseurs — from Pure Blue Japan, Samurai or any of the other excellent brands ...

The 'Sonic' boom Among video game fans, there's something called the Sonic Cycle — when a new "Sonic" game is announced and players get incredibly excited, and then the game comes out — with both good and bad results. With the game's uneven track record ...

The answer to holidaymakers' poor behavior isn't shutting out "bad tourists" but educating all tourists.

He's "big, shiny and full of life" and incredibly playful and affectionate. If you like the outdoors and an energetic companion, then Aero is the dog for you.

Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota came up short in their bid on Sunday to win Japan's first gold at the World Badminton Championships in 40 years, losing to China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the women's doubles final. Fukushima-Hirota lost 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 21-15), ...

Fukuoka SoftBank southpaw Tsuyoshi Wada struck out nine in six scoreless innings to lead the Hawks to a 3-0 victory over the Chiba Lotte Marines, winning his first game back from elbow surgery on Sunday. Wada (3-0), who started for the first time since April ...

Substitue Takayuki Morimoto equalized in the 90th minute to bail out Kawasaki Frontale with a 2-2 draw away to Ventforet Kofu on Sunday. With the J. League going into the international break, 15th-place Kofu had a surprising 2-1 lead with the clock ticking away at ...

Miguel Cotto withstood constant early pressure from Yoshihiro Kamegai and picked up a pace as the fight wore on to take a unanimous decision for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title Saturday night at the sold-out Stubhub Center. Cotto (41-5, 33 KOs) won the sixth ...

Akinobu Murasawa and Honami Maeda booked a spot in the qualifying race for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon after winning the Hokkaido Marathon on Sunday. The 26-year-old Murasawa took the tape in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 48 seconds in the men's race, while Maeda ...

Ichiro Suzuki singled to set a new single-season team record of 22 pinch-hits in the Miami Marlins' 2-1 walk-off victory over the San Diego Padres in 11 innings Saturday. Junichi Tazawa (3-3) picked up the win after keeping the visitors scoreless in the 11th, striking ...

Floyd Mayweather Jr. put on a show in the last fight of his spectacular career. Conor McGregor didn't do so badly, either. Mayweather figured out a 50th opponent Saturday night, letting McGregor have the early rounds before stalking him late and leaving the mixed martial artist ...

Nozomi Okuhara came from behind to win a women's singles semifinal on Saturday, becoming the first Japanese to reach a world badminton championships final in 40 years. The 22-year-old Okuhara, who is ranked 12th in the world, defeated India's Saina Nehwal 12-21, 21-17, 21-10 in ...