Most people believe politicians lie, though the reflexive skepticism with which the current U.S. president’s pronouncements are met is probably exceptional. The secret to successful lying is to never admit to it in the slightest way. That rule of thumb has been challenged by a ...

Japan’s surprising success at the 2018 World Cup in Russia has dominated headlines and morning shows domestically. News organizations abroad, however, honed in on a very different topic — trash. It was a virtual replay of one of the last World Cup’s most viral stories: ...

One year ago, the Kasumigaseki Watch column in the monthly business magazine Keizaikai (August 2017) noted that while the government has set an annual target of 40 million foreign visitors by 2020, the tourism ministry was unable to formulate an effective strategy due to ...

Capt. Yoshita Masaki is said to have remained aboard his ship until the last moment, apparently determined to share her fate, and paying no heed to the officers and men who besought him to leave while there was yet time.

Despite assurances from the Pentagon chief, Tokyo is pressuring Washington because peace on the Korean Peninsula might benefit China and alter U.S. troop levels in Japan.

The launch of what would have been Japan's first privately developed rocket to reach outer space failed Saturday after it burst into flames just seconds after liftoff from Hokkaido, its developer said. Officials of Interstellar Technologies Inc., founded in Hokkaido by former Livedoor Co. President ...

Kai, the iconic white dog featured in TV commercials for mobile carrier SoftBank Corp., died of natural causes on Thursday. He was 16. Kai, a Hokkaido, endeared himself to living room audiences with his cute gestures in his role as the first-generation father in the ...

Fishing crews are growing more concerned about the shadowy North Korean boats because they are getting close enough to see their crews’ faces.

A new report citing U.S. intelligence agencies says that North Korea has boosted its nuclear fuel production at multiple secret sites in recent months — despite leader Kim Jong Un's pledge to work toward denuclearization. The report Friday by NBC News, citing more than a ...

Is Japan "the best" at fireworks? George Plimpton thinks so. In 1984, this unofficial fireworks commissioner of New York declared that "Japan is by far the most enlightened and enterprising nation when it comes to fireworks" in a book titled "Fireworks: A History and Celebration." More ...

"Japan: The Cookbook" is a classic recipe book that runs the gamut of Japanese cooking techniques, drawing on Nancy Singleton Hachisu's wealth of experience and culinary conections.

Director believes her multicultural upbringing helped open doors to the theatrical business.

Sel Sal Sale is not one of those modest restaurants that keeps itself safely hidden out of sight behind an anonymous frontage. Quite the opposite: The wood-framed window onto the street invites you to slow down, pause and peer inside. Stroll past at dinnertime — ...

The noren half-curtain across the entrance, the compact seven-seat counter, the steam wafting up from the simmering vats — this is the DNA for thousands of hole-in-the-wall noodle joints across Japan. But Ayu Ramen stands out in one crucial respect. Every bowl here comes ...

Several of Japan's beloved Western-style dishes, such as doria and Napolitan spaghetti, originated in the culinary melting pot of Yokohama.

Seven-Eleven's mix-it-yourself brown sugar kuzukiri is a cool, refreshing summer treat.

Ishiguro has always seen himself as a British writer and dislikes being pegged to his Japanese origins. Still, he admits that the matter is complex.

Japan is under no illusions that they will be anything but a massive underdog in its World Cup round-of-16 match against a star-studded Belgium side, defender Maya Yoshida said Saturday. The 29-year-old, who as a center back for Premier League club Southampton regularly faces some ...

Kohei Uchimura failed to qualify for the horizontal bar finals at the Japan National Gymnastics Apparatus Championships on Saturday. The two-time reigning Olympic all-around men's champion entered the competition aiming to execute the Bretschneider, in the final round, but slipped and fell from the ...

Takayuki Kishi mastered his former club over seven scoreless innings as the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles battered the Seibu Lions for the second straight day, beating the Pacific League leaders 9-1 on Saturday afternoon. The 33-year-old right-hander who was the Lions' ace before leaving for ...

Effective leadership involves the ability to inspire others. What's more, organizational harmony creates the proper conditions to achieve — and sustain — success. Looking at the Golden State Warriors and Rakuten, Inc., one can see parallels in how they operate, set bold targets and reach them. Billionaire ...

The Nationals broke out of their offensive funk in a big way. Juan Soto hit two of Washington's seven home runs, finishing with four hits and five RBIs, and the Nationals routed the Philadelphia Phillies 17-7 on Friday night. Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Brian ...

LeBron James made the first move. Now what? Cleveland? Los Angeles? Philadelphia? A surprise? Stay tuned. Decision III is this summer's blockbuster, and it's coming soon. James told the Cavaliers that he is not exercising his $35.6 million contract option for next season and will become an ...

Nasa Hataoka carded an even-par 72 on Friday to remain three shots off the pace at the Women's PGA Championship, in the third of five major tournaments on the LPGA Tour. The 19-year-old Hataoka had four birdies and four bogeys to land in a ...

The Washington Capitals announced Friday that associate coach Todd Reirden has been promoted to replace Barry Trotz as the team's head coach. It's the first head-coaching opportunity for Reirden, who was being groomed for the job under Trotz in Washington. Earlier this week, defenseman John Carlson ...

Japan players on Friday acknowledged criticism of the tactics that saw them settle for a 1-0 loss against Poland the previous day, but said they were simply doing what was needed to secure the Samurai Blue's first World Cup knockout-stage berth since 2010. The squad ...

Rui Hachimura and Nick Fazekas were as good as advertised. And they helped the Japan men's national team big time, helped produce a huge win. Hachimura and Fazekas scored 49 combined points in Japan's 79-78 victory over Australia in a FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier on ...