Ryuta Idogawa traces the onset of his battle with mental illness to a moment not long after his parents had been relocated to Saitama from their hometown of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, in the spring of 2011.

From Aug. 15, the Yukan Fuji ran a three-part series by investigative reporter Fumiaki Tada about the "dangerous summer" that confronts Japan's young people, including the possibility of falling victim to fraud or robbery. In Tokyo and other cities, aggressive street touts called sukauto (scouts) ...

The Ibaraki Prefectural Police on Saturday arrested a Filipino man suspected of killing a 21-year-old woman in 2004. Taken into custody was Gifu resident Lampano Jerico Mori, 35. The police also plan to place two other Filipino men suspected as accomplices on an international wanted ...

On Aug. 15, the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese surrender, there was a symposium in Tokyo about changing the Constitution. One of the panelists, documentarian Tatsuya Mori, pointed out that earlier that day Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had given remarks at an annual memorial ...

Schoolchildren had no classes on Saturday for the first time in 120 years as a limited five-day week system started at public schools nationwide.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority will soon start talks on clearing two reactors at Tokyo Electric’s giant Kashiwazaki-Kariya nuclear plant as safe for restarts.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera asks new U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty to pay more attention to the Japanese public’s base-hosting concerns, especially regarding the MV-22 Osprey.

A Vietnamese man is taken into custody in Saitama Prefecture after evading arrest during a traffic stop in Gunma, where he allegedly bit a police officer.

China's parliament has passed a draft law that criminalizes acts deemed insulting to the national anthem, even if committed in the territories of Hong Kong and Macao, according to a legal affairs official. The National Anthem Law was passed Friday by the National People's Congress ...

Diet lawmaker Antonio Inoki, a frequent visitor to North Korea, is expected to recommend dialogue over pressure for solving political disputes when he visits Pyongyang this week.

Rescuers searched painstakingly through flooded neighborhoods across southeastern Texas on Friday for people stranded by Hurricane Harvey's deluge as President Donald Trump asked Congress for $7.85 billion in federal disaster relief. The storm, one of the costliest to hit the United States, has displaced more ...

Talk about negative nation branding! With the Cambridge University Press affair, Chinese authorities have really outdone themselves in drawing attention to their fear of history.

For Takamichi Saeki, the road to becoming a hair stylist and running a salon started out in the art world, working as a gallery assistant.

As the influx of foreign visitors to Japan includes Muslims, there has been discussion about how Japan can best accommodate their religious dietary restrictions and other needs. According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of visitors from Indonesia, the country ...

It's a dilemma faced by all practitioners of traditional arts and crafts. To keep their heritage alive, should they rigorously adhere to time-honored practices? Or bend a few rules and innovate? Chef Daisuke Nomura chose the second route. Sougo, his excellent restaurant in the ...

What are the odds for this? Tokyo now has not one but two restaurants serving Bhutanese food. And not only are they both in the same Uehara neighborhood, they stand face to face on opposite sides of the same street. It's been several years since ...

One innovative Japanese company has found a way to deliver its customers a taste of the sea, but with imitations it touts to be "almost like the genuine article." Fish paste products, known as surimi, have a long history in Asia and have even seen ...

Convenience stores in Japan hit on a winner a few years back when they introduced fresh-brewed coffee machines. These chains realized folks want cheap and drinkable caffeine fixes before they begin their day. The next jackpot, however, has proved elusive. Maybe ... it's more coffee? ...

In the autumn of 1956, Japan's most renowned literary critic, the 54-year-old Hideo Kobayashi, engaged in taidan ( a "conversation" to be published in a magazine) with 31-year-old rising literary star Yukio Mishima. Early that year Mishima's novel, "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion," had ...

As members of Japan's postwar baby boom generation approach their seventh decade, they have been wallowing in an extended nostalgia boom over the historical and cultural accouterments of the Showa Era (1926-89). If you feel left out of the discussion, the antidote is to ...

Lieutenant Reiko Himekawa heads a team of homicide investigators at Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters. They are dispatched to the city's gritty Ota Ward, where a human hand had been found without a body. From fingerprints, its owner is soon identified as Kenichi Takaoka, operator ...

Defending Top League champion Suntory Sungoliath showed they are not giving their title up without a fight Saturday, rallying to beat Yamaha Jubilo 27-24 at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground. A try after the hooter from Kosei Ono from a quickly taken penalty by Atsushi ...

Fukuoka SoftBank's Dennis Sarfate earned his 46th save of the season, matching the NPB record as the Hawks defeated the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 3-1 on Saturday to secure a spot in the Pacific League Climax Series. Sarfate stepped on the mound in the ninth. ...

Japan manager Vahid Halilhodzic has urged his players to wrap up their World Cup qualifying campaign on a winning note as the team arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday ahead of its final Group B match. Japan has already booked its ticket to next year's ...

U.S. figure skating star Gracie Gold is stepping away from the sport to seek professional help with the Olympics a little more than five months away. The 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist and two-time national champion did not specify in a statement Friday to U.S. ...

Ai Miyazato, who will retire later this month, shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to sit two shots off the lead after the second round of the Portland Classic. Two-time defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada is in first with a 10-under 134 total along ...

Hideki Matsuyama's FedEx Cup Playoffs struggle continued at the Dell Technologies Championship on Friday, with the world No. 3 finishing the first round at 1 over, six shots back of rival and leader Dustin Johnson. Searching for form after missing the cut at the playoffs ...

Japan resumed its gold medal rush at the world championships on Friday, when Chizuru Arai won her weight division, while defending champion Mami Umeki grabbed silver in the women's 78-kg class. Arai won the women's 70-kg championship over Puerto Rico's Maria Perez. Arai secured her ...

Mark Emmert, the National Collegiate Athletic Association president, supports Japan trying to establish its own college sports governing body. Emmert, who stopped here after visiting Taipei for the World University Games, was invited to meet a group of leaders that are studying the U.S. model ...

Serena Williams gave birth to a baby girl on Friday, according to media reports, prompting an outpouring of delight from fellow professionals, celebrities and fans of the sporting icon. Williams, who will turn 36 later this month, was admitted to the St. Mary's Medical Center ...

Kaho Minagawa finished fifth in the individual all-around on Friday at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, marking the best finish in the event by a Japanese in 42 years. Russia's Dina Averina won the gold medal with a 74.700 total, her twin sister Arina (73.450) ...

The Cleveland Indians are playing so well, they're piling up wins two at a time. The AL Central leaders completed their second doubleheader sweep in three days, routing Detroit 10-0 Friday night for their ninth straight victory. Mike Clevinger pitched six sharp innings to finish off ...