Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday stressed his resolve to advance the long-stalled abduction issue a day after Pyongyang announced it would freeze nuclear weapons testing and scrap its test site. "It is extremely important to make progress on the abduction issue more than anything," ...

Queen Elizabeth II attended a star-studded special concert Saturday evening as the world's oldest and longest-reigning living monarch celebrated her 92nd birthday. Welsh singer Tom Jones kicked off the show with his hit "It's Not Unusual" shortly before Elizabeth appeared in the royal box of ...

Women journalists in Japan join the growing ranks of the Me Too movement following allegations of sexual harassment at high levels.

The foreign ministers of Japan and Canada pledge to maintain “maximum pressure” on North Korea to compel it to give up its nuclear and missile programs.

Just before reaching Chushojima Station on the Keihan Line heading into Kyoto from Osaka, or just after crossing the Uji River on the almost parallel Kintetsu train that runs between Kyoto and Nara, two towers that look old and of European design flash briefly ...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sudden announcement Saturday that his country had suspended nuclear and longer-range missile tests and shut down its main atomic test site to focus on its sanctions-hit economy may have caught the U.S. and Japan off guard, but experts ...

A breast cancer survivor has created an undershirt with a built-in bra to help other women fighting the disease. After having one of her breasts removed due to cancer, Mie Bowman, 36, now runs an underwear business called Shitagiya Clove. She holds sessions in the ...

In a sprawling plant near Amarillo, Texas, rows of workers perform by hand one of the most dangerous jobs in American industry. Contract workers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pantex facility gingerly remove the plutonium cores from retired nuclear warheads. Although many safety rules ...

Beginning this month, both the city of Osaka and the prefecture began preparations to host next year's Group of Twenty leaders' summit, with political and business leaders forming task forces to help with local assistance and promotional efforts prior to the event. But worries about ...

A U.S. push to change the Iran nuclear deal was sending a "very dangerous message" that countries should never negotiate with Washington, Iran's foreign minister warned as U.S. and North Korean leaders prepare to meet for denuclearization talks. Speaking to reporters in New York on ...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday he may travel to China, a move that could ease tensions between the world's two largest economies, as international policymakers acknowledged Beijing needs to change its trade practices. The United States has threatened to impose tariffs on ...

Despite calls to resist protectionism and for the United States to rejoin a multilateral trans-Pacific trade pact, Japan is gradually shifting gear to adjust to a trade environment shaken up by U.S. President Donald Trump. Japan ramped up its warning over the damage protectionism could ...

Russia and China had a vicious split in the 1960s; now they are in a budding bromance.

The social network is conquering e-commerce in emerging economies.

This month, fashion in Japan is coming at you with collaborations involving two major artists, one of the musical persuasion and another that might just break the internet. Meanwhile, one of Japan's homegrown fashion stars celebrates an anniversary with one of the best runway ...

Nintendo goes analog, "Dark Souls" remains relentless and "Gods of War" finds new mythology

A lot of love: Blewit, a poodle-Shih Tzu mix, was first featured here in July 2016 after being rescued from severe neglect in a hoarder's hellhole. Those dark days are long gone now, as Blewit, rechristened Itty, finds himself in a virtual paradise with ...

The challenges of coaching basketball in Japan keep Samir St. Clair on a winning streak

Anime, manga and Haruki Murakami may form an unlikely trinity, but outside of Japan they're responsible for filling Japanese Studies departments and sprawling convention halls with generations of the devoted.

For the Chiba Jets Funabashi, their 42nd victory of the season in game No. 55 was a hard-earned triumph on Sunday. It was a win that wasn't determined until the final buzzer sounded. In succession, Josh Harrellson and Leo Vendrame missed 3-pointers in the closing ...

Miyu Kato and Makoto Ninomiya beat Britain's Johanna Konta and Heather Watson in doubles on Sunday to earn Japan promotion back to Fed Cup World Group 2. With their Fed Cup playoff tied at 2-2, Kato and Ninomiya came from behind to win the fifth ...

Shu Hiramatsu scored a 50th-minute header and promoted V-Varen Nagasaki held on for a 1-0 victory over Kashiwa Reysol in the J. League first division on Sunday. Despite conceding the bulk of possession to Reysol at Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki, the hosts defended well and Hiramatsu ...

More than 100,000 people turned out to cheer Yuzuru Hanyu, who won a second consecutive men's figure skating gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, as he paraded through the streets of his hometown of Sendai on Sunday. According to organizers, about 108,000 adoring fans ...

Teenager Akira Sone became the first judoka to win the national women's championship in her tournament debut on Sunday. Sone claimed an extra-period win over Wakaba Tomita at the unlimited weight-class tournament, which doubles as a qualifier for the over-78-kg division at September's world championships ...

The X League champion Fujitsu Frontiers lost two offensive weapons — MVP quarterback Colby Cameron and longtime ace running back Gino Gordon — after last year's national championship-winning season. About 3½ months later, the Frontiers may have found someone to fill the vacant starting running ...

New Zealand won the women's Kitakyushu Sevens for the second straight year Sunday, beating France 24-12 in the final on another disappointing day for host Japan. While the Black Ferns were treating fans at Mikuni World Stadium to another wonderful display of rugby, the Sakura ...

Onelki Garcia allowed two runs over seven innings Sunday as the Chunichi Dragons beat the Hiroshima Carp 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep of the two-time defending Central League champions. Before a crowd of 35,576 at Nagoya Dome, the Cuban lefty struck out 10, while ...

After a slow start to his first season as a professional, Kotaro Kiyomiya provided fans with a small glimpse of what made him the most sought-after player in last fall's NPB draft. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie hit his first two pro home runs ...