The number of people taking refuge at shelters in earthquake-hit Osaka Prefecture grew by more than 1,000 on Wednesday as heavy rain sparked fears of landslides.

All 18 crew members aboard a 32-meter fishing boat that started sinking Wednesday in stormy weather about 850 km east of Miyagi Prefecture were rescued by nearby vessels, according to the Japan Coast Guard. The 122-ton Koryo Maru No. 68 from Kochi Prefecture, which had ...

Alarmed by an increase in abandoned rice paddies amid the Westernization of the Japanese diet and a graying population, a Kyushu dealer of major agricultural machinery-maker Kubota Corp. began producing rice flour in 2010 as an ingredient for bread and pasta to make up ...

Police arrest a teen suspected of involvement in a knife attack Tuesday on a 9-year-old boy — causing serious head trauma — who was returning home from school in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Rice has been grown in Taiwan for centuries, but many modern varieties of the island's staple food have their origins in Japan. While the earliest written record of rice being cultivated on the subtropical island dates back to 1602, archaeologists have found evidence that aboriginal ...

In just 30 years, cities around the world will face dramatically higher risks from extreme heat, coastal flooding, power blackouts and shortages of food and water unless climate-changing emissions are curbed, urban researchers warned Tuesday. Today, for instance, over 200 million people in 350 cities ...

Kim Jong Un doesn't appear to be in a rush to dump his nuclear weapons. In talks with China President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, the North Korean leader reiterated his call for a gradual process to carry out the results of last week's summit with ...

Tokyo could play a role far beyond writing checks for an agreement.

Japan must cooperate as much as possible with the denuclearization of North Korea, fully mindful of the positive impact it will have on its own security.

Writer's kindness was legend, and his photos and columns told the story of a Tokyo social scene's rebirth after war and Occupation.

Ask a Japanese person who Hiroshi Takigawa is and you're likely to get a blank face. Give them his stage name, Croket, and you're bound to get a smile. In the late 1970s, Takigawa was ubiquitous on prime time TV as Croket (pronounced "korokke") thanks ...

Both budgets and box-office prospects for Japanese indie films have been declining for years. As the former approaches the zero mark, so do recognizable actors and other standard indicators of quality. Audiences, smelling amateurism, stay away. Flying in the face of this dismal trend is ...

You probably know the type: lonely, maybe even a little antisocial and more comfortable talking to cats than people. Saori (Erika Sawajiri), the reclusive heroine of "The Cat in Their Arms," certainly fits the bill. A former pop idol who has consigned herself to the ...

The scene: Tokyo. The plot: An Australian fan of Shakespeare with Down syndrome sets out on a solo adventure to escape the watchful eyes of his domineering older brother and discover the city. "Shakespeare in Tokyo" is the latest film by Australian director Genevieve Clay-Smith, ...

Japan will face a tough task containing Senegal's speedy, skillful attacking players in its next World Cup clash, left back Yuto Nagatomo said Wednesday. A day after Samurai Blue's surprise 2-1 win over 10-man Colombia in Saransk, the squad has turned its attention to the ...

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made the trip to San Diego on Tuesday to meet with star forward Kawhi Leonard ahead of Thursday's NBA draft, according to multiple reports. The two had a "good" conversation and "more dialogue" is expected, Jabari Young of the ...

The sport of sumo manages to achieve with one circle what Dante Alighieri needed nine to describe. Indeed, the only people who don't think sumo training is hell are those that have never set foot inside a ring. Keiko, as sumo practice is known, is an ...

Kenta Maeda allowed three runs over 3⅔ innings and received a no-decision Tuesday in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Cubs. The Japanese right-hander gave up five hits and five walks, while striking out two in his second start since coming ...

An opening win that few saw coming has given Japan the perfect start to its World Cup campaign, but there will be further hurdles to clear if the team is to book its place in the knockout round. Japan beat Colombia 2-1 in Saransk on ...

Tokyo Dome was one of the many sites that hosted public viewing events for Tuesday's Japan-Colombia game, the first match of the tourney for both. For many fans at the Big Egg, it must have felt as if they were actually in Saransk, which is ...