The media love cancer — what causes it, how to prevent it, who has it. Cancer is something that potentially touches everybody in a dramatic way, and therefore public interest is keen. There’s a lot invested in cancer, particularly in the area of early diagnosis. ...

Since last year, immigration has been dominating the news in North America and Europe. Recently, it's become a hot topic in Japan as well. Business weekly Shukan Diamond (July 7) ran a 34-page, three-part special titled "Nippon no Chugokujin: Zen kaimei" (The Chinese of Japan: ...

Online users in Japan followed the storms that lead to devastating floods and landslides in the western part of the country closely as they unfolded last week. The topic remained central to discussion on social media as the days went on and the full ...

Ancient Japan appears to us as a land of warriors, priests, aristocrats, artists, poets, lovers, peasants — but one group is missing. Where are the traders, and the makers of tradable goods?

As of Friday, the deadly rains had caused over 600 landslides in 31 prefectures and halted seven expressways, 39 national roads and 24 train lines.

Thousands of volunteers began streaming into western Japan on Saturday to spend the three-day weekend helping flood-hit residents clean up their mud-caked homes and neighborhoods. The governments of hard-hit Ehime, Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures said they expect some 18,000 volunteers to arrive from across the ...

Over the past six months or so, efforts have been underway by local governments and private businesses to promote the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Numerous speeches are being made about what Kansai might do to contribute to lofty ideals like ensuring the ...

The U.S. government's road safety agency is urging automakers to speed up replacement of potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement Friday that Heidi King, it's top official, has met with 19 affected companies urging them ...

For now, Tokyo is still the world's largest city with 37 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, according to data released by the United Nations. But its population has plateaued and is projected to begin declining around 2020, while Delhi continues to ascend and is ...

To call Inua the most hotly awaited restaurant this year would be inaccurate. But that's only because its opening, at the very end of June, came a mere matter of weeks after it was first announced. There was little time for the excitement to ...

Megumi Ijiri Haskin felt so different to other children when growing up in Japan, that she aspired to live in the U.S. at the age of 17.

Edamame, or immature green soybeans, are the quintessential snack to have with an ice-cold beer, especially in summer. Their popularity has spread around the world in recent years, but the habit of eating fresh, salted green soybeans out of their pods has a history in ...

Everyone wants to eat well in Japan, but it can be difficult to secure reservations at the best spots. Restaurant booking services, like TableAll, make it easier, for a price.

Seven-Eleven's Waffle Cone Milk Vanilla ice cream might not be "offbeat," but sometimes classic flavors are all you need to survive the summer.

Nancy Sinatra Sr., the childhood sweetheart of Frank Sinatra who became the first of his four wives and the mother of his three children, has died. She was 101. Her daughter, Nancy Sinatra Jr., tweeted that her mother died Friday and a posting on her ...

Scarlett Johansson on Friday withdrew from the film "Rub & Tug" after her plans to portray a transgender man prompted a backlash. In a statement to Out.com the same day, Johansson said she's pulling out from the project "in light of recent ethical questions raised ...

When I tell Kuni Tomita the anime classic "Akira" turns 30 years old this month, she shakes her head and laughs. "Unbelievable," she says. The animator has a very personal connection to the movie: She was one of more than 60 key animators assembled to bring ...

A few months ago, I proposed to the editors at The Japan Times that we do a piece paying tribute to the classic cyberpunk anime film "Akira," which turns 30 years old on July 16. They were enthusiastic and the pitch ballooned (not unlike ...

The Pacific League completed a two-game sweep of the NPB All-Star Series with a 5-1 win over the Central League on Saturday night. While both teams scored early in the PL's 7-6 win Friday at Kyocera Dome, the 13,760 spectators at Kumamoto Fujisakidai Stadium did ...

Sekiwake Mitakeumi stayed unbeaten Saturday to hold onto the sole lead at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. Fighting in his ninth-straight tournament among the three sanyaku rankings beneath yokozuna, Mitakeumi kept a breakthrough top-level title in his sights by beating veteran Kotoshogiku on Day 7 ...

The Golden Knights agreed to terms Friday with three-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Marc-Andre Fleury on a three-year contract extension worth an average of $7 million a year. Fleury had one year remaining on his contract. The extension would keep him with Vegas through the ...

Chelsea hired Maurizio Sarri as its manager on a three-year contract on Saturday, bringing in a headstrong coach known for his expansive, attacking approach to soccer and for revitalizing Napoli in his only stint with a big European club. The 59-year-old Italian replaced Antonio Conte, ...

If Antoine Griezmann's jocular demeanor is anything to go by, France is far from overawed by the prospect of playing in the World Cup final and in buoyant spirits ahead of Sunday's clash with Croatia. The diminutive striker was full of bonhomie on Friday at ...

Back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh inning by Alfredo Despaigne and Hotaka Yamakawa lifted the Pacific League to a 7-6 victory over the Central League in the NPB All-Star Series opener on Friday night. With the score tied 5-5 in the seventh inning, Fukuoka SoftBank ...