Long considered a rising star, Shiori Yamao exits the Democratic Party amid an emerging scandal, dealing a blow to the nascent leadership of the struggling opposition.

On the sidelines of a forum in the Russia, Abe and Putin condemn North Korea’s nuclear test but remain at odds over the path toward its denuclearization.

A coordinated effort will be critical in applying pressure of a ‘different dimension’ on Pyongyang, Abe says to Moon.

Doctors and nurses at a national hospital could theoretically rack up monthly overtime at three times higher than the government threshold, a labor-management agreement shows.

Western Digital Corp. is planning to take just under 16 percent of the voting rights in Toshiba Corp.'s chip unit after it goes public in the future, sources close to the matter said Thursday. The complicated monthslong bidding process surrounding Toshiba Memory Corp. could take ...

In a bid to help fix the nation's child care crunch, a Tokyo-based start-up is testing a new service combining robots and sensors to monitor kids at nurseries. Global Bridge Holdings, a child care and nursing care venture, is working with academics from Gunma University ...

The number of reported cybercrimes rose to a record in the first half of 2017, the National Police Agency said Thursday, warning of a new scam in which virtual currency accounts are hacked for illicit money transfers. The police say they received 69,977 reports in ...

It's been more than a year since "Pokemon Go" took the world by storm, getting people to wander outside and look for virtual monsters with their smartphones. The game became a social phenomenon, with adults and children gathering in parks and public areas to train ...

Amiri Afifa, a 24-year-old Afghan woman who lost one of her legs to a land mine at age 4, visited an orthotics and prosthetics maker in western Japan this summer to be fitted with an artificial limb for the second time. "Does it hurt here?" ...

The United States wants the U.N. Security Council to impose an oil embargo on North Korea, ban the country's exports of textiles and the hiring of North Korean laborers abroad, and subject leader Kim Jong Un to an asset freeze and travel ban, according ...

A former key Foreign Ministry negotiator sees a window of opportunity in which both sides can be persuaded to pull back, but it will only last a year or so.

German Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn's apparent bet on the rise of Trump-style populism is risky.

Disability presents different challenges for everyone but wheelchair users share a common dilemma: Their mode of locomotion stands out, while they often struggle with social isolation. That was my takeaway from "The Lost Coin," a 2016 short by Mizuko Yamaoka, a filmmaker who has ...

Hirokazu Koreeda is best known for intimate family dramas that overseas critics often compare to the work of Yasujiro Ozu (1903-63), the genre's unquestioned master. Koreeda rejects these comparisons, however, and says he feels more of a cinematic kinship to Mikio Naruse (1905-69), one ...

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles are officially on a winning streak. It's only two games, but it's a start, and with the way the last few weeks have gone, the Eagles will gladly take it. Carlos Peguero drove in two runs, Yuki Matsui recorded his ...

Kenta Hasegawa, who managed Gamba Osaka to a domestic triple in 2014, will not receive a contract extension past this season, the team announced Thursday. The 51-year-old Hasegawa took the reins in 2013 after Gamba had been relegated to the J2. Under his guidance, the ...

Kimiko Date still wanted to stay on the court and play the game she has always loved. But her body will not allow her to do that anymore. Speaking publicly for the first time since she announced her impending retirement from tennis on her blog late ...

Some things never change. Among the constants in Japan, of course, are beautiful fireworks during summer festivals, friendly small-town merchants and an endless array of delicious noodle shops. Add this item to the list: SeaHorses Mikawa mainstay Kimikazu Suzuki's reign as head coach. He took over as ...

Ichiro Suzuki went one better than Japan's all-time home run king Sadaharu Oh on Wednesday when he reached 5,863 total bases in NPB and MLB combined in the Miami Marlins' 8-1 loss to the Washington Nationals. Ichiro had a pinch-hit single in the fifth inning ...

What a month it was for Hotaka Yamakawa. On Aug. 11, the burly Seibu Lions slugger filed marriage papers with his girlfriend of seven years. He also experienced one of the best stretches of his career on the field during that month. A run of ...

Yokozuna Kisenosato and Kakuryu have pulled out of the upcoming Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament due to injuries, their respective stablemasters said Thursday. The announcement of their withdrawal, which came three days before the start of the meet at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, once again dashed ...

Japan feels sorry it could not come through for Australia against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, but the Socceroos' minimal win over Thailand did not help matters, firing up the Saudis who saw an opportunity they did not let go of to qualify for their ...