The government will launch a public-private council this year to discuss the practical use of flying cars in hopes of bringing more companies outside the automobile industry into the effort, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. Given the slow development of such vehicles among ...

Princess Ayako says she hit it off with her husband-to-be Kei Moriya from the time they first met last December at the introduction of her mother, Princess Hisako.

Handy Japan Co., a startup providing free-to-use smartphones docked in hotel rooms, announced on Monday a capital tie-up with SoftBank Corp. to boost its service for tourists with "internet of things" technologies. It was just about a year ago when the free handset service, which ...

BMW AG and Hyundai Motor Co. have urged the U.S. not to impose tariffs on auto imports, joining General Motors Co. in pressing their case to the Commerce Department even as a top aide to President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns as "smoke and ...

Global investors are becoming more aware of the risk of the global warming and thinking that their investments can function as a spearhead to counter the problem, said the head of the world's leading organization that advocates responsible investment. "I think investors understand that, more ...

President Rodrigo Duterte's two years in office in the Philippines have been marred by controversy, but with one big success: A booming economy. The jury is still out if that's because, or in spite, of him. The brash, 73-year-old leader — nicknamed The Punisher when ...

Mobile communications services will be available from next March aboard Hokkaido Shinkansen Line trains traveling through the undersea Seikan Tunnel, the communications ministry, Hokkaido Railway Co. (JR Hokkaido) and three major mobile phone carriers have announced. Currently, passengers cannot use smartphones or other communication ...

Toymakers in Japan are strengthening measures against counterfeit products being sold overseas, especially in China. The proportion of domestic toymakers' sales made overseas has been growing, due to the shrinking domestic market amid the declining birthrate. Firms are concerned that overlooking the sale of counterfeit ...

Unifa Inc., an IT venture firm in Nagoya, has begun offering a monitoring service that can alert nursery school teachers to the warning signs of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death among babies at day care facilities. The high-tech solution for ...

According to the National Police Agency's latest statistics, as many as 82.26 million people held driver's licenses in Japan in 2017. Of those drivers, 18.18 million — or 22.1 percent — were 65 or older. With well-developed public transport networks in urban areas and a ...

Foreign visitor numbers and redevelopment in urban areas are generating healthy demand.

Japan has lowered its alert level for North Korean ballistic missile launches amid diminishing tensions following the historic summit between the U.S. and North Korean leaders last month, government sources said Monday. As a result, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis vessels, which are equipped with ...

Several hundred top diplomats, politicians and business people gathered Monday at a Tokyo hotel to honor Yoshio Okawara, a former Japanese ambassador to the United States who died of pneumonia March 29 at age 99. Okawara served as Japan's man in Washington from 1980 to ...

The United Nations Command gave Japan 27 notifications of plans to use U.S. bases in the country in 2017, compared with 15 the previous year, Japanese and U.S. government sources have said. The surge in the use of U.S. bases by U.N. forces reflected increased ...

An expert says that during a crisis it would be better to turn around and go back home.

An elementary school in the city of Toyama near the site of a shooting and stabbing incident last week said Monday it will remain closed after a threat was made to attack it. An email warning that an attack would take place Wednesday against Okuda ...

Japanese comedian Naomi Watanabe landed a spot on Time magazine's latest list of the 25 most influential people on the internet. Watanabe, known for her over-the-top impersonations of Beyonce and Lady Gaga, is "Japan's most popular star on social media," with 8 million followers on ...

Two years after one of the worst Islamist attacks in Bangladesh's history, the country is touting its success in combatting and controlling militancy and extremism. On the night of July 1, 2016, five militants stormed the Holey Artisan Cafe and Bakery in Dhaka's posh Gulshan ...

Is this a case of deja vu on the dancefloor? In 2012, police in Osaka started raiding clubs for violating the adult entertainment business law, popularly known as fūeihō. The law forbids dancing after midnight. When pressed on the matter, police officials said they were simply ...

Emperor Akihito has cancelled his public duties after being diagnosed with dizziness and cerebral anemia, a condition of insufficient blood flow to the brain, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday. The Emperor, 84, is set to abdicate next year. According to the agency, the Emperor felt ...

U.S. President Donald Trump's weekend of oil diplomacy doesn't change the underlying dynamic of a crude market that's swiftly seeing demand threaten to overtake supplies, analysts said on Sunday. Trump's tweet suggesting that Saudi Arabia had agreed to pump an additional 2 million barrels a ...

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to ban spouses of high-skill visa holders from working will likely push 100,000 people out of jobs and negatively affect the visa holders and their employers, according to a new research study. The Trump administration has been tightening the rules ...

Conditions in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state are not ready yet for the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled a military crackdown, the head of the International Committee of Red Cross said on Sunday after visit to the region. Myanmar has said ...

If Russia and Turkey are born-again democratic empires in the modern era, what about Japan?

Turkey's president now has a green light to pursue even more vigorously his nationalistic theme and his Islamic agenda.

Action can and should be taken to reduce hazards posed by earthquakes.

Kanji with ovine roots turns up all over the place in Japanese vocabulary.

Introducing some uses of the noun 世話 (せわ, care) and related expressions.

Locals gathered at Keisuke Kuwata's alma mater in Kanagawa Prefecture to arrange themselves in formation to spell out the message "Happy 40th, Sazan."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern becomes the first woman in the country's history to give birth while in office.

Welcome to our live blog of the Japan vs Belgium game, which will decide who advances to the quarterfinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. We'll begin our coverage at 2 a.m. (JST) on Tuesday, July 3, one hour before the 3 a.m. kickoff. In ...

Yokohama BayStars rookie Katsuki Azuma was among 13 players newly named to the Central League roster by manager Koichi Ogata for this month's All-Star games, Nippon Professional Baseball announced Monday. Azuma is the only first-year player in either league selected to play in the two-game ...

Japan manager Akira Nishino admitted on Sunday that he has not drilled his players for a penalty shootout ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium. Nishino said he sees no point in rehearsing a penalty shootout scenario because it is impossible to recreate ...

Two-time Olympic figure skating gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu was bestowed with the People's Honor Award on Monday, becoming the youngest individual recipient of the prize. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presented the award to the 23-year-old star skater in a ceremony at his office in Tokyo. Hanyu ...