Hirotsu Bio Science, a medical venture developing a cancer screening tool using nematodes, has secured ¥30 million in funding from Shinkin Capital Co. to accelerate growth in overseas markets, the firm announced Thursday. The Tokyo-based venture run by Takaaki Hirotsu, formerly a biology researcher at ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday called for pay hikes through negotiations between management and labor unions next spring, making such a request for the fifth straight year in a bid to inject fresh momentum into wage growth. "I hope to see wages raised by ...

The prime minister’s economic agenda is shaping up after his election win with a focus on steering firms to hike wages, and with moves to shift fiscal prudence targets.

A key quality certification for some of Kobe Steel’s copper and copper-alloy products has been revoked over the firm’s data falsification scandal.

The number of reported cases of bullying at Japanese schools hit a record high of over 320,000 in the 2016 academic year due partly to efforts to detect early signs, the education ministry said Thursday. A total of 323,808 bullying cases were reported at elementary, ...

Economic losses due to the neglect of unclaimed land could reach ¥6 trillion in about 20 years, according to research analysis.

A pair of high-end persimmons proved sweet in more ways than one when they fetched ¥540,000 ($4,750) at the season's first auction on Thursday. The fruit — harvested in central Japan and sold at a local wholesale market — are of a cultivar developed by ...

President of software firm and another plaintiff will seek ¥2.2 million in damages over claims that a law on married names caused them psychological suffering.

Mount Fuji donned a snowcap overnight Wednesday for the first time this season — 31 days later than last year — according to the city of Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture. The declaration follows a separate announcement by the local branch of the Meteorological Agency that the ...

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday proposed reducing the fees charged by medical institutions, to curb social security costs which have ballooned due to the country's rapidly aging population. The fees, made up of drug and medical service costs, need to be slashed by at least ...

EU lawmakers accused their own parliament on Wednesday of failing to protect staff from sexual harassment, as allegations of abuse in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein case have raised questions over standards also in Brussels' institutions. Debating an emergency motion calling on authorities to ...

At the entrance of the defunct lead and zinc mine in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, earlier in October, American Henry Chamberlain, 95, had to lean on his cane to ease the fatigue linked to the beatings he received from Japanese soldiers during World War II. In ...

A mysterious partial skull unearthed in Papua New Guinea in 1929 — that once was thought to belong to an extinct human species — now turns out to have another unique distinction. Scientists believe it belongs to the oldest-known human tsunami victim. Researchers said on ...

As the number of foreign visitors to Japan continues to rise, pharmacies and drugmakers are stepping up efforts to better serve customers who speak little Japanese. As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics approaches, pharmacists, doctors and nurses feel a strong need to help foreign ...

Sitting in his hillside grocery shop in a Bangladesh refugee camp, Rohingya Muslim Momtaz-ul-Hoque takes a break to listen to an audio recording on his mobile phone, while children and passers-by gather round to hear the latest news from Myanmar. "I listen because I get ...

A fire nearly destroyed a local shopping district in the city of Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, Wednesday but no injuries were reported. About 50 people evacuated to a near elementary school from the Okura Market district, where shop owners dwell among their stores. The district, which stretches ...

Japan and Britain plan to hold security talks involving their defense and foreign ministers around Dec. 14 in London to discuss responses to North Korea's nuclear arms and missile threats, a Japanese government source said Wednesday. The so-called two-plus-two dialogue will bring together Foreign Minister ...

The health ministry will prohibit medical institutions from using before-and-after photos of patients in cosmetic-surgery advertisements, sources said Wednesday. The plan follows a series of consumer problems stemming from advertising for aesthetic medical services, including minor cosmetic surgery and liposuction. Before-and-after images will be allowed for ...

Osaka is famed for it's cheap prices, with ¥1 supermarket sales, ¥10 drinks and discount train tickets sold right next to the station. That attracts thrifty consumers and tourists, but may be undercutting the central bank's efforts to generate sustained price rises. "If it's not ...

Moscow-based anti-virus software maker Kaspersky Lab said on Wednesday that its security software had taken source code for a secret American hacking tool from a personal computer in the United States. In September, U.S. officials ordered Kaspersky's products removed from government computers, saying the firm ...

Despite widespread perceptions, not all "comfort women" were coerced into that existence, and not all were treated badly.

Capitalism is taking on new forms in the 21st century, and the old arguments to defend it no longer have any relevance.

Before Denis Villeneuve's blockbuster sequel "Blade Runner 2049" was turning heads, a few lesser-known short films were already building on its predecessor's grim sci-fi universe. In early 2017, Villeneuve selected directors Shinichiro Watanabe and Luke Scott (son of original "Blade Runner" director Ridley Scott) to ...

Harrison Ford admits he is about to spout a cliche, but goes for it anyway: "It really doesn't feel like 35 years since 'Blade Runner,'" he says with a sheepish grin. Ford was 39 when the film, inspired by Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel "Do ...

Stephen Nomura Schible refrains from saying whether he and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto are friends, or even close, despite having filmed a documentary about him. "When I'm in the U.S., everyone refers to him by his first name, but in my mind and when I'm in ...

Jamie Joseph's Japan side faces its first test of the autumn Saturday when it takes on Robbie Deans' World XV in an uncapped game at Fukuoka's Level 5 Stadium. The Brave Blossoms meet a side that includes representatives from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, ...

Hideki Matsuyama got off to a rough start in his bid to defend the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions title on Thursday, carding a 2-over-par 74 in the first round. The world No. 4 made three birdies, two bogeys and a triple bogey at Sheshan International ...

The most celebrated high school slugger in recent memory will don the colors of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2018. Seven teams selected Kotaro Kiyomiya, the 18-year old superstar from Tokyo's Waseda Jitsugyo High School, during the first round of the 2017 NPB Draft ...

In this era of rapid-fire 3-point shooting, Shigehiro Taguchi stands out as a consummate threat. He's always looking for a chance to launch his shot from beyond the arc. But the 3-pointer isn't the only weapon in his offensive arsenal. He's a dependable mid-range shooter ...