Hokkaido formally celebrated the 150th anniversary of its name Sunday in Sapporo, with the Emperor and Empress in attendance and Ainu representatives performing traditional dances. The island prefecture was officially named Hokkaido on Aug. 15, 1869, and formally put under the control of the government. ...

A month after the historic rain disaster in western Japan, residents in Hiroshima are still struggling to come to terms with the aftermath. And the people most affected, particularly those unfamiliar with Japanese procedures, will face further hurdles on the path to recovery. As residents ...

Postpartum support for mothers to cope with depression and other mental health maladies is still hard to come by despite government efforts in recent years to promote it, a survey shows. Funding and staff shortages are the major obstacles to making such support more widely ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is arranging to hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Eastern Economic Forum conference in Vladivostok, Russia, in September, it was learned Sunday. The summit is aimed at accelerating the improvement of Japan-China relations, government ...

A phone app and a database of more than 50 million voters were key weapons in the successful campaign of cricket legend Imran Khan in last month's general election — though rivals allege that Khan also received clandestine aid from Pakistan's powerful military. How Khan's ...

In the cramped former home of Jack Ma, founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, about 30 young engineers sit elbow to elbow, working to attract the next million users for DingTalk, Alibaba's workplace communication software. Their installation in the hallowed flat where Ma got ...

Noodle club members from a high school in the city of Fukui are hurriedly honing their soba-making skills to prepare themselves for the national high school championship in Tokyo later this month. The noodle club, a rarity even in noodle-crazed Japan, was launched two years ...

Tourism is booming in Japan, but a growing number of visitors are ditching their guidebooks for an app best known for celebrity snapshots and images of food: Instagram. The social photo-sharing service is proving to be especially popular among those seeking destinations off the beaten ...

Misaki Harada wants to quit her job as a receptionist at a restaurant management company in Tokyo and move into marketing for an apparel-maker. But the 24-year-old said she wanted more than just a bigger paycheck. Her next employer would need to improve her quality ...

Signing the treaty banning nuclear weapons would put Japan on the right side of history, geography, legality, morality and humanity.

Far from a rejuvenated hegemon poised to reshape the global economy, Xi's China has been exposed as a giant with feet of clay.

Bright sunshine lit up the room when Ambassador Alan Beraud, sporting an Argentine blue tie, walked in and introduced himself with the warm smile and confidence of a career diplomat.

Inspired by the 2018 Good Toy Awards winners, announced in May by the NPO Japan Good Toy Association, this month's On: Design takes a look at a few aesthetically pleasing items to help keep the kids entertained over the summer holidays.

CW. Nicol visits Zenryoji temple in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture for a Candle Night public event, led by chief priest Tomonobu Narita, for a slow-life-themed evening.

Read all about it in the government's daily gazette, from laws and notices of naughtiness to deaths and even poetry.

Reader B wrote to Lifelines about his worries regarding his wife, a keen driver who is about to become an octogenarian.

Mikio was but a kitten when he came to ARK last September, but he's grown into a gorgeous, "uber-friendly" cat who's about to turn 1 year old.

Kento Momota, only restored to the national team in January after a suspension for illegal gambling, became the first Japanese man to win a badminton singles world championship on Sunday. Earlier, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara came from behind to win an all-Japanese women's doubles ...

Kashiwa Reysol snapped a four-game J. League losing streak Sunday with a 2-1 win away to Consadole Sapporo. In an end-to-end to contest at Sapporo Dome, Reysol outdueled fourth-place Consadole to claim victory for the first time since beating last-place Nagoya Grampus on May 20. Reysol ...

Kenya Wakatsuki unloaded the bases with one swing, powering the Orix Buffaloes to a 6-4 win over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Sunday afternoon. With two outs in the top of the fourth inning at Yafuoku Dome after Ryo Nishimura's bases-loaded single tied the game ...

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama fell from 10 to 13 shots behind sole leader Justin Thomas and is tied for 36th place after the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Saturday. After shooting rounds of 67 and 72 for an up-and-down start at the Firestone ...