Tokyo is worried that Washington's reluctance to arm Japan with a new advanced radar could make the U.S. missile defense system the government plans to install much less capable of countering North Korea's growing threat, three sources said. Japan wants to have a land-based version ...

The transport ministry plans to introduce fixed-fare unlimited-ride services for taxis, similar to commuter passes for trains, to help attract more customers, officials said Wednesday.

The government will draw up a set of guidelines by year-end on how administrative documents should be managed, including a clearer definition of papers that can be discarded within one year, a newly-appointed minister in charge of administrative reforms said Wednesday. "We need to put ...

Formal talks between May and Prime Minister Abe are to begin Thursday and are expected to focus on issues surrounding Brexit, bilateral economic cooperation and increased defense ties.

The emergency landing by a U.S. military Osprey aircraft on Tuesday in Oita Prefecture was the result of precautionary measures being taken against possible instrument malfunction, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Wednesday. Tuesday's incident at Oita Airport, which caused no injuries, is the latest in ...

Sumiteru Taniguchi, an influential survivor of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, died of duodenal papilla cancer Wednesday, an A-bomb survivors’ council said. He was 88.

The parents of a 27-year-old former part-time city worker who committed suicide in 2015 filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding ¥13 million in compensation from the Kitakyushu Municipal Government, claiming their daughter was overworked and harassed by a supervisor. Kana Morishita's parents say she took her ...

The Japanese government has insisted that it is taking necessary steps to counter North Korea's missile threat, but the ballistic missile that flew over northern Japan on Tuesday exposed the limits to which the country can fully prepare for the highly unpredictable launches. "We've been ...

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. plans to sell its first bond in euros, following a $10 billion buying binge in Europe during the past year. The beverage company, which produces beers such as Asahi Super Dry and Peroni, intends to sell senior unsecured notes due in ...

Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and secretary of the country's Security Council, will visit Japan from Monday through Sept. 6, diplomatic sources told Jiji Press on Tuesday. Patrushev is expected to meet with Japanese government officials including Shotaro Yachi, head of ...

Conveyor belt sushi chain Kurasushi will offer a low-carbohydrate sushi-like dish using Japanese daikon in place of orthodox vinegared rice, its operator said Tuesday. Osaka-based Kura Corp. hopes to attract consumers who are limiting their intake of rice and other carbohydrates as the new dish ...

Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday retracted a remark to lawmakers of his faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that could be interpreted as a defense of Adolf Hitler's motive for genocide during World War Two. Tuesday's comment by Aso, who also serves ...

Before earnings disasters caused Hikari Tsushin Inc. shares to sink 99 percent in 2000, the firm's founder and chairman, Yasumitsu Shigeta, was once among the world's richest people. Almost two decades later some investors are looking again at the Japanese company, and recent market ...

For working people with health issues, visiting a clinic has long meant taking hours off work on a weekday and spending more time in the waiting room than talking with a doctor. But such days might be approaching an end. Reversing a longtime aversion, Japan ...

As Elon Musk pushes out from his California base to make electric vehicles ubiquitous, a Japanese firm deep in the depths of the battery supply chain is riding his wake. Tanaka Chemical Corp., which has a long history in developing battery materials, says it's boosting ...

Unprecedented flooding unleashed by Hurricane Harvey in the United States underscores the need for even wealthy countries to boost their disaster plans to keep vulnerable people safe and help them deal with the knock-out blows that climate change could bring, experts say. Yet few expect ...

Pyongyang said the missile launched over Japan on Tuesday was an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 and meant to counter U.S.-South Korean war games.

Amid surging tensions in the Asia-Pacific region — including over Chinese moves in the East and South China seas and North Korea's nuclear program — the White House is reportedly considering naming the top U.S. military commander in the region to be ambassador to ...

Iraqi forces battling to retake the small town of al-'Ayadiya where militants fleeing Tal Afar have entrenched themselves said on Tuesday the fighting is "multiple times worse" than the battle for Mosul's old city. Hundreds of battle-hardened fighters were positioned inside most houses and high ...

On a sparsely populated island off the coast of the northwestern United States, more than a hundred environmental activists gathered last weekend to practice seaborne drills to disrupt construction on Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd.'s Westridge crude oil terminal. In kayaks and sailboats they practiced forming ...

Western Digital Corp. will not seek veto power in Toshiba Corp.'s chip unit — which it aims to jointly buy with other investors — in order to avoid lengthy antitrust scrutiny, sources said Tuesday. Toshiba and Western Digital, which are partners in a flash memory ...

The Renault-Nissan alliance is expanding its push into China, teaming up with Dongfeng Motor Group Co. on its first locally designed electric vehicle as emissions rules tighten in the world's largest car market. Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng established a joint venture to ...

Is the North Korean crisis slowly eroding the postwar taboo against using nuclear weapons?

Tariffs subsidize narrow interests and for Americans as a whole the record is one of almost unrelieved failure.

Remembering Hillel Wright, who died on Aug. 1 at the age of 73.

A selection of readers' — and writers' — tributes to Jean Pearce, who for decades helped Japan's foreign community feel more at home in their adopted country.

For a Japanese national, the question of why a person from the West would come to Japan is a fascinating one, so much so that there's even a TV show about it: "You wa Nani Shi ni Nihon E?" ("Why Did You Come to ...

Despite a career spanning nearly three decades, Yukiko Mishima hasn't appeared on many lists of up-and-coming Japanese female directors, mine included. One reason: She had a relatively late start, not releasing her first feature, a drama based on the Junichiro Tanizaki story "The Tatooer," ...

The ongoing project to rerelease Yoko Ono's full catalog of 11 albums, which began in late 2016, has now reached its second stage with the release of a trilogy of early-1970s albums — taking in "Fly" (1971), "Approximately Infinite Universe" and "Feeling the Space" ...

Kohei Arihara threw a four-hitter on Wednesday, pitching the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to a 3-1 win over the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Before 15,111 at Asahikawa Starffin Stadium in central Hokkaido, Arihara (7-11) allowed a run without issuing a walk. The right-hander needed ...

Hiroaki Okuno struck twice in the second half as Vegalta Sendai stunned J. League champions Kashima Antlers 3-1 in the first leg of the Levain Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. Yoshihiro Nakano broke the deadlock on the hour for Sendai, which is currently 12th in the ...

Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic has called for 11 samurai warriors for Thursday's crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia and believes his players have the quality to beat the Socceroos and secure a berth at next year's finals in Russia. "Australia are the current Asian champions ...

Shohei Otani, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' slugging ace pitcher expects more from his start on Thursday than he got during his aborted first outing over a month ago. "If I can make use of the work I've put in since last, time, I'll be ...

Ai Miyazato has decided to retire from competitive golf after next month's Evian Championship in France, the former world No. 1 said on her official blog on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Okinawa native announced in May that she would draw the curtain on her 14-year professional ...

Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki was granted his unconditional release by the Toronto Blue Jays, the American League club said Tuesday. Aoki was designated for assignment on Monday and cleared to become a free agent with the right to negotiate with any team, potentially a contending ...

Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said on Wednesday he will not take his foot off the gas even though the Socceroos' World Cup qualification chances were given a boost with Saudi Arabia's overnight loss to the United Arab Emirates. The second-place Saudis' 2-1 defeat means Australia, ...

Jungyo is similar to baseball's spring training for sumo; wrestlers are more relaxed and laid back, and fans have more opportunities to interact with the giant fellows. Some of the venues provide an unusual atmosphere not normally seen at the six regular tournaments each year. On ...

Ai Shishime defeated Natsumi Tsunoda in an all-Japan final of the women's 52-kg competition at the world judo championships Tuesday, while countryman Hifumi Abe claimed the gold medal in the men's 66 kg. Shishime, 23, claimed an ippon victory over 25-year-old Tsunoda with an uchimata ...