Tepco plans to survey melted fuel debris at the No. 2 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in a bid help it determine the best removal method.

Activist group's hardball tactics expose rifts in the Ainu community over the fate of bones held at universities.

The government sets a target of accepting 10,000 Vietnamese caregivers by the summer of 2020 to address a chronic labor shortage in the nursing sector as the Japanese population rapidly grays.

Shigenobu Ikeda, 74, dreams of returning to his home in Hiroshima. He believes the property can be fully restored, even though half of the house was damaged in a landslide triggered by the recent torrential rains in western Japan. Ikeda is one of dozens of survivors ...

Japan's move toward opening its doors to more foreign workers is widely seen as a must to better cope with an expected shrinkage in the working population. Potentially broadening the scope of non-Japanese workers accepted into a country that for years has kept a firm ...

Foreign Minister Kono and his German counterpart stress the importance of closer economic ties just days after Japan and the EU sign a free trade agreement.

The city of Iga, in Mie Prefecture, has been left fighting off wannabe ninja after a news report on local labor shortages that suggested it wanted to hire the traditional assassins went viral. Iga was featured in a report by American radio station NPR this ...

African and South Asian nations could miss national targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions unless rich countries stop using them as dumping grounds for millions of polluting old cars, a study has warned. The report by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) said the ...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday played up reports that North Korea has begun dismantling key parts of a missile test site, but the president's enthusiasm contrasted with remarks by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said the same day that verification and inspections ...

Greece was in mourning Tuesday following some of the worst wildfires this century, with fears the toll — at least 74 dead and 187 injured so far — could rise, as rescuers search for people trapped in their homes or burned-out cars. The fires, which ...

More than 22,000 people were taken to hospitals due to the heat wave across Japan last week and 65 of them died, both record-high figures since comparable information became available in 2008, preliminary government data showed Tuesday. The fatalities were recorded in 28 of the ...

China's president needs to get a grip on the trade war issue before it gets a grip on him.

Trying to produce prosperity with protectionism is as easy as extracting sunbeams from cucumbers.

Marvel and DC may rule the North American multiplex, but that doesn't mean their fans have read the source comics. In Japan the opposite is true: The manga comes first and foremost in a media chain that eventually leads to anime, games and, at ...

Though anime director Mamoru Hosoda rarely diverges from his pet theme of family, the scale of his movies rises and falls like the tide. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006) was an intimate tale of high school life, "Summer Wars" (2009) dealt with ...

When Fuji Rock Festival started in late 1990s, the principal attractions were invariably imported. Although the event also featured plenty of Japanese bands, even in the early years, it was Westerners that exerted the biggest draw — from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo ...

Before you leave to enjoy a weekend of music, culture and ... maybe a typhoon? Check out this list of essentials you'll need to bring along.

Yuma Suzuki and Shoma Doi scored second-half goals in quick succession Wednesday night in the Kashima Antlers' 2-0 win away to Cerezo Osaka. The victory at Yanmar Stadium lifted Kashima up three places to seventh on the J. League table, but it may have come ...

Fumiya Hojo had three hits and drove in two runs to pace the Hanshin Tigers to a 6-3 win over the Central League-leading Hiroshima Carp on Wednesday. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Hojo's one-out single off right-hander Allen Kuri (4-3) tied the ...

The Nagoya tournament ended with the Emperor's Cup being handed to arguably the most surprising top division champion in eight years. The steamy meet in central Japan took its cue from the World Cup, delivering a succession of shocks right from the get-go. Big names fell ...

Veteran Russian tennis star Mikhail Youzhny said on Tuesday that he would retire from the ATP Tour following the St. Petersburg Open in mid-September. The 36-year-old from Moscow made the announcement after winning his first-round match at the Atlanta Open 6-2, 6-0 over American Emil ...

Hokkaido's Abashiri and Miyazaki have been selected as training camp sites for the Japan national team for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced on Wednesday. Both are familiar cities to the Japanese rugby community and fans as they have long ...

Quarterback Baker Mayfield has signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns. The top overall pick in this year's NFL draft finalized his four-year, $32 million deal on Tuesday, a day before Cleveland's players are scheduled to report to training camp. Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, ...

France striker Kylian Mbappe has revealed he played the World Cup semifinals and final with a back injury he hid from his rivals. In an interview with France Football magazine, Mbappe says he displaced three vertebrae in his back during the tournament in Russia three ...

Katie Ledecky, the freestyle phenomenon who bagged her 14th world record in May, says she'll keep trying to push her boundaries as she looks toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ledecky, who won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics to take her tally to ...

Kevin Love signed his new contract and proudly put on a hard hat. The Cleveland Cavaliers will rebuild around him. The All-Star forward made a long-term commitment to the franchise on Tuesday by signing a four-year, $120 million extension with the Cavaliers, who believe Love can ...

Tear gas in riders' eyes. A farmers' protest blocking the road. Two key crashes on dangerous descents. The only thing lacking from the wild 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday was a shakeup in the overall standings. Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe took advantage of ...

It was a good night for New York's bullpen. First, Masahiro Tanaka gave the Yankees relievers a breather. Then the front office added reinforcements. Tanaka pitched a three-hitter, Austin Romine drove in two runs as the replacement for again-injured catcher Gary Sanchez and the Yankees beat ...

Catcher Ayatsugu Yamashita hit an 11th-inning walk-off homer for his first home run of the season on Tuesday as the Rakuten Eagles earned an 10-8 come-from-behind win over the Nippon Ham Fighters. Eagles' right-hander Takahiro Norimoto gave up six runs in six innings as both ...