A team of Japanese researchers has found a new drug combination that reduces amyloid beta protein, believed to play a key role in causing Alzheimer's disease, by using stem cells derived from patients, Kyoto University announced Tuesday. The scientists believe their findings, published in the ...

Japan Post Bank Co. will invest up to ¥500 billion ($4.4 billion) in several foreign funds as part of efforts to diversify its profit sources, in response to the nation's low interest rate environment, the president of the bank's holding company said Wednesday. Japan Post ...

The government sold land in Osaka to school operator Moritomo Gakuen for a highly discounted price based on faulty data estimating the cost of removing industrial waste from the site.

A group of opposition lawmakers on Tuesday kicked off the first in a series of hearings where they will question police and ministry officials over a high-profile case involving an alleged rape by a former television journalist with close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo ...

African leaders were embarrassed by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and already encouraging him to step down before the army began moves last week to oust him, according to a secret Zimbabwean intelligence cable seen by Reuters. The cable, dated Oct. 23 and written by someone ...

Japan Atomic Power Co. plans to file Friday an application with the Nuclear Regulation Authority seeking approval for a 20-year extension to the operational life of its aging Tokai No. 2 power station in Ibaraki Prefecture, the operator said Tuesday. If it gains approval, the ...

Toshiba Corp. will remove its corporate logo from its prominent position atop the One Times Square building overlooking New York's iconic tourist hub as part of cost-cutting efforts, sources said Wednesday. In addition to terminating its contract for the Times Square screen in the first ...

The Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday the wedding ceremony of Princess Mako, eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, and Kei Komuro, her classmate from university, will be held Nov. 4 next year. The ceremony will take place at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, with the Emperor ...

The government looks likely to choose April 30, 2019, as the date for Emperor Akihito’s abdication, with Crown Prince Naruhito’s succession to the throne to follow on May 1.

A woman employed as a costumed performer at Tokyo Disneyland was awarded labor compensation after developing a disorder that caused acute pain in her arm, the park's operator said Wednesday. Since February 2015, the 28-year-old contract worker has performed in parades wearing various characters' costumes, ...

Subaru Corp. will introduce a series of all-electric cars in Japan as early as 2021, sources said, as competition intensifies between automakers looking to develop eco-friendly cars in response to stricter global emissions regulations. The carmaker will initially focus on releasing electric versions of its ...

A bright fireball lit up the night sky Tuesday over eastern and western Japan, according to multiple witnesses. Saitama Prefectural Police received several phone calls on their emergency hotline from people who saw a "blue light in the sky" around 9:30 p.m. in places such ...

Police on Wednesday referred to prosecutors a 27-year-old man who has admitted to killing nine people, as well as dismembering and storing their body parts in his apartment near Tokyo. Takahiro Shiraishi was served an arrest warrant Monday for killing one of the nine, Aiko ...

A group of about a dozen U.S. State Department officials have taken the unusual step of formally accusing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of violating a federal law designed to stop foreign militaries from enlisting child soldiers, according to internal documents reviewed by Reuters. A ...

The combination of the words "airport" and "sushi" do not normally inspire confidence in a high-quality gastronomic experience. But just in time for the peak holiday travel season, Newark Liberty International Airport has introduced Tsukiji Fishroom, a grab-and-go spot featuring products from the world-renowned seafood ...

Lee Su-jin used to work at a love hotel in South Korea, changing sheets and cleaning up after couples who had paid for a few hours of privacy. Sixteen years on, he is using the knowledge he gained to transform the industry. Lee is founder ...

A group of veteran doctors in private practice in southwestern Japan will launch a training program for young doctors currently working at general hospitals across the country. The two-year program set to start next spring, organized by a doctors association in Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, is ...

For Tsutomu Nakamura, taking back control of his life from a gambling addiction meant first hitting rock bottom. The 50-year-old preached the same mantra to gambling addicts at the recovery facility he founded, only to discover his own experiences had little to do with the ...

A 2015 survey of 52 countries and economies ranked Japan second behind Singapore in collaborative problem-solving skills among 15-year-old students, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday. The top four spots were occupied by those who participated from Asia, with Hong Kong and ...

Major Japanese retail chain Aeon Co. will stop selling pornographic magazines at its 7,000 outlets across the country in January in response to complaints from customers about sexually explicit front covers on store shelves. Ministop Co., a convenience store chain under the umbrella of Aeon, ...

The new realities of energy and climate change contradict longheld policy assumptions.

Sometimes facts are stranger than fiction.

Speaking as a Japanese person, I can't help but feel a short burst of national pride when Hollywood gives my country any kind of attention, like with the animated film "Kubo and the Two Strings." Directed by Travis Knight of Oregon-based Laika Entertainment ("Coraline," "The ...

Stand-up — one comic in front of a microphone — is the default setting for live comedy in the United States. In Japan the equivalent has long been rakugo, a traditional form in which a single performer tells comic stories. Today, however, aspiring ...

Poverty and debt are two traditional reasons for becoming a porn actress. But as Takahisa Zeze's new film "The Lowlife" nonjudgmentally shows, the women who work in Japan's giant AV (adult video) industry today may also have other, more personal motivations, though they ...

CBS News and other networks said on Tuesday they had fired Charlie Rose, one of the most prominent American interviewers, the day after the Washington Post reported the television host had sexually harassed eight women. PBS and Bloomberg, which broadcast the "Charlie Rose" show, also ...

Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho saw his overnight lead trimmed to one win after suffering a shock first defeat at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday. Hakuho got quickly rammed out by sekiwake Yoshikaze in the day's final bout at Fukuoka Kokusai Center and in a ...

The city of Sapporo has expressed its interest in bringing the Winter Olympics back to Japan's northern island in 2026. Now, the Hokkaido capital, and the Japanese Olympic Committee, will move forward with assessing the merit of a potential bid. Sapporo will now enter a dialogue ...