Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike launches a new political party, promising to “reset” Japan and restore its international prestige, while also posing a powerful threat to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

China has another entry when it comes to buildings that look suspiciously like something else: a 12-story university block strongly resembling a giant toilet. Architects have had a field day in China in recent years with a number of outlandish designs springing up across the ...

Twitter Inc., struggling to attract new users, will lift its 140-character limit on tweets in an experiment with a small group that may expand to the entire social media platform. The test announced Tuesday will let users send tweets with as many as 280 characters. ...

The Supreme Court ruled the vote disparity in the July 2016 Upper House election to be constitutional, following more than a dozen conflicting rulings from lower courts.

Women have the potential to transform transportation in Saudi Arabia, from the types of vehicles sold to how cars are driven, when the government lets them start driving next summer. The market currently is dominated by Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co., selling sport ...

The government says it will introduce a new warning system from November to alert residents in Pacific coastal areas to a potential massive earthquake in the Nankai Trough.

President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any U.S. military option would be "devastating" for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washington's first option to deal with the country's ballistic and nuclear weapons program. "We are totally prepared for the ...

North Korea has threatened to shoot down U.S. bombers flying near the Korean Peninsula, but it would have difficulty matching its words with action given aging air defense systems mostly dating to the Cold War, military experts said. In intensifying rhetoric between the United States ...

In discussions between the U.S. and China about reining in North Korea, one topic remains taboo: What would happen if Kim Jong Un's regime collapses? For years, China has rebuffed U.S. attempts to raise the topic at so-called Track 2 dialogue sessions between academics in ...

It's a role-playing video game that, like many of its kind, allows users to choose and customize their own avatars, including a hairstyle and clothing. Set in a medieval fantasy world, users build up power as their characters travel across "provinces," overcoming obstacles and ...

The fast-growing fitness chain Rizap has teamed up with local governments to launch a program targeting elderly residents as part of efforts to curb the graying nation's ballooning medical expenses. Rizap Group Inc. provides municipalities with health management programs incorporating exercise and dietary regimes with ...

Women will be allowed to drive for the first time next summer in Saudi Arabia, the ultraconservative kingdom announced Tuesday, marking a significant expansion of women's rights in the only country that has barred them from getting behind the wheel. Women in other Muslim countries ...

People who often eat fish, including so-called blue-backed fish such as saury, face a lower risk of suffering depression than those consuming less, a team of researchers from institutes including Japan's National Cancer Center has said. In its research findings that were announced in a ...

Rebounding from low public support, Abe is back on the offensive.

The U.S., Japan and South Korea need to rely on pressure and patience, deterrence and containment — not military action.

Despite signs of progress, some women still face secondary ordeals at the hands of police after rape and other sexual attacks.

When Tran Anh Hung enters the room for an interview with The Japan Times, a hush falls among the people gathered there. The staff speak in low, gentle tones and their gestures seem restrained. "It's probably because I'm very sensitive to the sound of spoken ...

In his three films to date, Hirobumi Watanabe has created a unique cinematic world. "And the Mud Ship Sails Away" (2013), "7 Days" (2015) and now "Poolsideman" (2016) were all shot in black-and-white in Watanabe's native Tochigi Prefecture, with music by younger brother Yuji ...

The first thing a customer will say when they walk into Pelican past lunchtime is: "Any left?" That's how fast loaves sell at this popular Asakusa bakery. Many a time I've walked into Pelican — sorry, ran into Pelican — at 3 p.m. only to ...

Katsura Sunshine has come quite a way from his days listening to Japanese rakugo comic tales at a local yakitori skewered chicken restaurant where he was introduced to the ancient traditional art form almost 20 years ago. One might never guess that the 47-year-old Canadian ...

The Yokohama BayStars wasted a golden opportunity to close the gap in the race for the Central League's second postseason seed in Wednesday's 4-4 tie with the Hanshin Tigers. BayStars closer Yasuaki Yamasaki blew a one-run, ninth inning lead when Yoshio Itoi singled in a ...

Sharks forward Joel Ward told The Mercury News he might take a knee during the national anthem at an upcoming game, becoming the first NHL player to join the protests that started in the NFL and drew criticism from President Donald Trump. The 36-year-old Ward, ...

With its sophomore season set to get underway Friday, the B. League held a regular general assembly to select board members and auditors for a new two-year term, and approved them in a temporary board of directors meeting on Wednesday. Masaaki Okawa, the inaugural chairman ...

The 2017 Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament ended with a yokozuna beating an ozeki in the title-deciding final bout. That was pretty much the only normal thing we witnessed over the last 15 days at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. In one of the wildest basho in recent ...

Before the overhyped Y2K scare at the end of the last century and the technological breakthroughs of the 21st century, the Vancouver Grizzlies selected a former UCLA Bruins forward named J.R. Henderson in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft. The Grizzlies relocated to ...

When the Dallas Cowboys — known as America's team — took a knee before the national anthem and then beat the Arizona Cardinals, they provided the strongest evidence yet that President Donald Trump can't keep fans away from football. ESPN said overnight ratings rose 63 ...