Following opposition criticism, the ruling LDP-Komeito bloc agreed to keep the Diet session open until early December and have Abe deliver a policy speech.

Takahiro Shiraishi, who worked at as sex industry scout, tells police that some of his victims were teenage girls.

Changes include creation of a watchdog organization and the requirement that firms secure accreditation for their training programs.

Sony Corp. said Wednesday it will resurrect Aibo, the robot-dog that inspired a cult following even after it was discontinued over a decade ago. The electronics giant said the new, artificial intelligence-powered Aibo is set to go on sale on Jan. 11 for ¥198,000. New ...

The change to a limit higher than 100 kph is the first since the nation’s first expressway opened in 1963.

Toshiba Corp., which incurred massive losses from the bankruptcy of its U.S. nuclear unit, is considering quitting as sponsor for the popular cartoon show "Sazae-san" after 48 years, sources said Tuesday. Airing on Sunday evenings since October 1969, the cartoon has been recognized by Guinness ...

Tomoyasu Kato single-handedly transformed an ailing family business into a sprawling empire of hotels, spas, entertainment venues and a popular chain of udon noodle restaurants. Now he has set his sights on attracting affluent overseas travelers to a series of small-scale luxury resorts he ...

Japan is discovering that even the tightest labor market in a generation is no quick spur for higher wages. That's an ominous warning for central banks and governments elsewhere who are grappling with how to translate surging corporate profits into rising salaries, a dynamic that ...

More than 200 people are believed to have died when a tunnel at North Korea's main nuclear test site collapsed in September after the country's sixth and most powerful atomic test — an accident that could have far-reaching implications for the North's nuclear weapons ...

Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it plans to resume the production and shipment of new vehicles for the domestic market once it has finished preparing measures by the end of the working week to ensure uncertified workers will not inspect its cars again. Nissan halted ...

In an email last summer, former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos claimed that top campaign officials had agreed to a meeting with representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The message, if true, would bolster claims that Trump's campaign attempted to collude with Russian interests. But it is ...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his partner, Cielito Avancena, met Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Tuesday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, discussing the sometimes strained relations between their countries in the past. According to the Imperial Household Agency, the meeting lasted for about ...

A large group of U.S. states accused key players in the generic drug industry of a broad price-fixing conspiracy, moving on Tuesday to widen an earlier lawsuit to add many more drug makers and medicines in an action that sent some company shares tumbling. The ...

The U.S. is spending more than $200 million a day responding to recent hurricanes and wildfires, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told Congress Tuesday in testimony that also slammed the $300 million Whitefish contract in Puerto Rico. FEMA Administrator Brock Long told ...

With Islamic State near defeat in Syria, Damascus is setting its sights on territory held by Kurdish-led forces, including eastern oil fields, risking a new confrontation that could draw the United States in more deeply and complicate Russian diplomacy. President Bashar Assad and his Iranian ...

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has created stickers for the Line messaging app featuring Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is also the LDP president. Line users can download eight varieties of Abe sticker for free if they add the LDP's official account as a Line ...

China has quietly undertaken more construction and reclamation in the South China Sea, recent satellite images show, and is likely to more powerfully reassert its claims over the waterway soon, regional diplomats and military officers say. With global attention focused on North Korea and Beijing ...

The Chinese president's choice to strengthen authoritarian rule rather than loosen it will prove to be a large error, for himself, his country and beyond.

Biased news, which may delivered even by traditional news organizations, can be very damaging, not least for political leaders.

A quarter-century after his first book warned Japan of what it had to lose, Alex Kerr feels the nation is finally on the same page.

Jun Kunimura has long been one of the most active Japanese actors overseas, starting with the Ridley Scott thriller "Black Rain" in 1989 and continuing with the South Korean horror hit "The Wailing" last year. Able to shift gears effortlessly from comedy to drama ...

Alice is a woman who has it all: a beautiful house in a Paris suburb, a loving husband and two teenage children who can be difficult at times but would surely panic if their maman were to suddenly make herself unavailable. Still, Alice (Isabelle ...

Funerals are just about as common in Japanese family dramas as weddings, but few films make them the focus of the story. The funniest would be Juzo Itami's "The Funeral," a 1984 black comedy about two married middle-aged urbanites negotiating the intricacies of a ...

Outside The Broad contemporary museum in downtown Los Angeles, a line of people stretched down an entire block, nearly a week after the sold-out "Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors" exhibition opened on Oct. 21. Each day the museum sells a limited number of same-day standby tickets, ...

Rookie pitcher Haruhiro Hamaguchi took the ball in what might have been the biggest game of his life and delivered the performance of his life. Because of that, the Yokohama BayStars are still alive in the Japan Series. Hamaguchi no-hit one of Japan's top offenses for ...

Four-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko said that Sochi Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu will defend his men's figure skating title at February's Pyeongchang Games, NBC Sports has reported. "He (Hanyu) needs three quadruples. Maybe two (salchows) and one toe loop. And that's it," Russia's three-time world ...

Yokozuna Harumafuji, who won his ninth championship in September, edged compatriot Hakuho for top spot in the newly released rankings for the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament. Both men, along with fellow yokozuna Kisenosato and Kakuryu, are expected to participate in the tournament. That's significant as ...

FC Tokyo announced Wednesday that 16-year-old Takefusa Kubo and Rei Hirakawa, 17, will be moved to the top team. The two teenagers will aim to make their J. League first division debuts with just three matches remaining in the league this season. Kubo, a first-year high ...

The World Boxing Council ordered an immediate rematch between Shinsuke Yamanaka and Luis Nery for its bantamweight title on Tuesday, three months after the latter failed a drug test. The sanctioning body issued a ruling saying "the WBC cannot make a determination with sufficient certainty ...

Australia assistant coach Stephen Larkham said Wednesday that the Wallabies head into Saturday's rugby international with Japan at Nissan Stadium knowing they are prepared both on and off the field. A win over the All Blacks two weeks ago ensured the team is confident in ...