Tadao Yanase, a government official allegedly involved in the favoritism scandal involving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is expected to admit he met with a Kake Gakuen representative in April 2015.

Xerox’s chief and six board members agree to step down in a victory for businessman Carl Icahn in his battle against the firms’s $6.1 billion takeover by Fujifilm.

Although the government warned against the use of “slanderous” comments on a now-defunct Cabinet Office online forum, many appear to encroach upon what qualifies as hate speech.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to submit a bill to the metropolitan assembly in June that is aimed at curtailing passive smoking, a key step toward making the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in the capital smoke-free. The metropolitan government hopes to fully implement the ...

The government is considering delaying the announcement of the name of the nation's next era — or gengo — until February or later, giving up its initial plan to quickly deal with concerns over the name change, a government source said Tuesday. The announcement of ...

In a move that some may consider cold-hearted, a Finnish nongovernmental organization is aiming to raise €400,000 ($480,000) to carve U.S. President Donald Trump's face on an arctic iceberg to highlight global warming. The effort, known as Project Trumpmore, a reference to Mount Rushmore, is ...

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expressed an eagerness to strike a free trade agreement with Japan “at some point” — an arrangement Tokyo has adamantly opposed.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday that Japan will actively contribute to helping realize peace in the Middle East, and that it has no intention of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. During their talks at Abbas' office ...

Prosecutors indicted an American man Wednesday for killing a woman in Osaka in February. According to the indictment, Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, strangled 27-year-old Saki Kondo at a condominium rented out to tourists on Feb. 16. The prosecutors charged him with injury resulting in death, not murder, ...

Japanese who lived in Taiwan during a 50-year period of colonial rule ultimately weren't given a choice after the end of World War II: They were forced to repatriate to a country many hadn't stepped foot in for decades, if ever. Altogether, over 300,000 returned ...

Asahi Shuzo Co., the Yamaguchi Prefecture-based maker of Dassai premium sake, has announced plans to build a brewery in New York, making it the first Japanese producer to establish itself in the region at a time when local craft sake breweries are on the ...

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a denial Wednesday that U.S. troops stationed in the country would withdraw following the possible signing of a peace treaty to end the Korean War, saying that they should stay even if a deal is reached. "U.S. Forces Korea ...

Precisely because Tokyo is not directly involved with planning and executing a bilateral meeting, it is well-placed to focus more on the longer-term objectives of not only denuclearization, but also on political issues.

Before U.S. President Donald Trump starts celebrating the apparent diplomatic rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula, he should consider the challenges that lie ahead.

The first branch of Kungyokudo, Japan’s oldest incense supplier, opened near Tokyo Station on April 26, and despite how it might appear on paper, it’s a very good fit. The brightly lit Tokyo flagship is housed in the Kitte building, the former Japan Post sorting ...

If you go down to the woods today — and you should — leave your smartphone behind. Find a spot by a bamboo grove or take shade under a camphor tree and immerse yourself in the total effect of shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing." This is ...

Kanon Sudoh Student, 20, Japanese I don't imagine things will be settled soon by these talks. The U.S. military is stationed in Japan, costs too much and its existence looms large over the region, and there's no easy way to see them move out. I expect ...

Tatsuya Yamaguchi, a member of Japanese all-male pop group Tokio, intends to leave the five-member band after coming under fire for kissing a high school student against her will, other group members revealed Wednesday. The remaining four members — Shigeru Joshima, Masahiro Matsuoka, Tomoya Nagase ...

Japanese show business definitely has a feudal side. Talent agencies control their tarento (talent) much in the way the daimyō (feudal lords) controlled the samurai in their clans, supporting their livelihoods in return for absolute fealty. And just as samurai were expected to stay ...

I've seen my share of Japanese movies set partly or wholly in the United States. With a few exceptions, the filmmakers only skim the exotic surface, while the Japanese characters never become more than fish out of water gasping for a breath of the ...

Takayuki Kishi surrendered marquee rookie Kotaro Kiyomiya's first hit but finished with a three-hitter, leading the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to a 1-0 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Wednesday. Before 27,661 at Sapporo Dome, Kishi (2-1) walked two and struck out 10 ...

Shinzo Koroki scored a goal in each half Wednesday night to lead Urawa Reds to a 2-0 victory away against reigning J. League champions Kawasaki Frontale and give Oswaldo Oliveira his first win as their manager. The 67-year-old Brazilian oversaw back-to-back defeats in his first ...

"I can't do this for 10 years. I want to have a normal job. I want to live in a normal house. I want to eat normal food. I want to live a normal life." Those were some of the last words spoken by Takuya ...

Brandon Laird was on his way back to the clubhouse after practice on Saturday when he spotted a young boy looking down on him from the stands. The boy wore a yellow shirt and black-rimmed glasses and a baseball glove covered one of his ...

A little before 10 p.m., Kawasaki Brave Thunders staff members were finally able to empty Todoroki Arena, removing everything they'd used to host what would likely be their final home contest of the season. They will be back there next year. But the circumstances won't ...