International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde urged Japan on Thursday to make sure that a nationwide consumption tax increase scheduled for next year does not hurt the country's economic growth. "We believe that the higher consumption tax will help fund growing health and pension expenses, ...

Sumo wrestler Takanoiwa filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking ¥24 million ($210,000) in damages from Harumafuji, claiming the former yokozuna's assault last year forced him to miss matches due to injuries and caused him financial loss. Harumafuji faced a summary indictment in December for assaulting the ...

The two industry titans said they are setting up a new joint venture to develop autonomous driving technologies and other on-demand services.

Maintaining concentration is key to getting your work done efficiently, but it can be hard to achieve sometimes. Sitting in your chair at the office, other coworkers may be constantly walking around nearby. Someone behind your desk could be chatting with their colleagues. That's where an ...

New Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said Thursday he will dedicate all his strength toward blocking the Japan-U.S. plan to relocate a key American military facility within the prefecture. "With my whole mind and body, I will do my best to achieve the return (of the ...

The number of minors who fell prey to sexual and other crimes through the use of social media in the first half of 2018 dropped from a year earlier but remained high, provisional data by the National Police Agency showed Thursday. A total of 856 ...

Yoshihide Suga rebutted the reports by repeating the prime minister’s official stance, saying LDP lawmakers will seek to put together a unified formal party proposal.

The figure marks an increase of 6,851 children age 17 or younger compared to the same period last year, according to the National Police Agency.

Brace yourself, a strong quake is coming. This dramatic emergency message sent to smartphones and loudspeakers caused a brief panic after midnight Wednesday in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures, with many taking to social media to express their confusion over whether or not to get ready ...

Two years ago, an online rant about the lack of day care in Japan went viral on social media and seemingly started a movement, prompting working mothers to stage demonstrations in which they demanded the government take them seriously and offer more child care. Since ...

About seven years have passed since Miyuki Kano, a 41-year-old former Olympic volleyball player, entered into the world of deaf sports as a volleyball coach, taking over the position of her friend who died of cancer. Kano's time as a coach has been a success, ...

Parental neglect, bullying and juvenile delinquency — these are the things the 20-year-old idol who goes by the name Kanano Senritsu says she has gone through. But she seems to be transforming the pain of her past into strength, having launched a group to ...

Kyoto has topped a ranking of major Japanese cities as measured by criteria such as livability and economy, according to a survey by a think tank affiliated with major real estate developer Mori Building Co. The Institute for Urban Strategies on Wednesday released its first ...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent an alert on Wednesday aimed at tens of millions of mobile phones to test a previously unused presidential alert system to warn the public in the event of a national emergency. The test message was originally scheduled for September ...

The U.S. government on Wednesday warned that a hacking group widely known as cloudhopper, which Western cybersecurity firms have linked to the Chinese government, has launched attacks on technology service providers in a campaign to steal data from their clients. The Department of Homeland Security ...

A Utah man was taken into custody on Wednesday as a suspect in the investigation of letters sent to Pentagon officials and President Donald Trump that were initially feared to contain the poison ricin, a law enforcement source said. William Clyde Allen III was arrested ...

Amazon.com Inc. is eliminating monthly bonuses and stock awards for warehouse workers and other hourly employees after the company pledged this week to raise pay to at least $15 an hour. Warehouse workers for the e-commerce giant in the U.S. were eligible in the past ...

Jeff Bezos' space company is in the conceptual design phase of a large lunar lander that it says will provide reusable access to the moon's surface and its resources, Blue Origin said on Wednesday. The lander is part of Blue Origin's broader mission of enabling ...

The office of San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Wednesday it is "unfortunate" that Osaka has decided to terminate their sister-city relationship over a statue symbolizing Asian "comfort women," a euphemism for the girls and women forced to work in Japanese military brothels before ...

It's time to close the loopholes that allow teachers who sexually harass students to remain in the education industry.

Trump's trade war with China shouldn't obscure a broader push-back against the country's mercantilist practices.

Sometimes, "a ton of chocolate" isn't hyperbole. Running now until Dec. 26, ANA InterContinental Tokyo proudly presents Chocolate Sensation, a hotel-wide event celebrating cocoa-based culinary creativity; and to make sure there's enough to go around, the hotel has procured multiple chocolate shipments that together ...

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which selects a qualifying short film for the Academy Awards every year, will present its Autumn Screening from Oct. 5 to 12 at two locations in Tokyo. The program of 36 short films in various categories features big names ...

The #MeToo movement has been gaining momentum in Japan over the past year, though its impact on public life hasn't been anywhere near as strong as in other countries. Still, the efforts of journalists such as Shiori Ito and BuzzFeed's Keiko Kojima have helped ...

There has always been a considerable amount of cultural exchange between China and Japan, but we've recently been seeing it take place in new areas like underground music, blockbuster films and contemporary theater. On Oct. 6 and 7, Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo will present ...

A tight game turned into a lopsided affair — at least for a key stretch of time — in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Kawasaki Brave Thunders enjoyed the fruits of their labor, convincingly beating the Chiba Jets 82-71 in the opening match ...

Tomoyuki Sugano became the first pitcher in 40 years to throw eight shutouts in a season as he and the Yomiuri Giants blanked the Hiroshima Carp 4-0 on Thursday. Sugano (15-8) struck out 11 and completed his four-hitter without issuing a walk. He pulled even ...

Nihon University Phoenix defensive lineman Taisuke Miyagawa returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since his controversial May 6 tackle on Kwansei Gakuin Fighters quarterback Kosei Okuno drew international attention, according to Phoenix head coach Isao Hashizume. Miyagawa's attorneys released a statement on ...

Hajime Moriyasu on Thursday named six veterans from last summer's World Cup in Russia to the Japan national team for a pair of upcoming friendlies, calling on the players for the first time since he took over as manager in July. Among the six, Moriyasu ...

The Yomiuri Giants are looking to bring back Tatsunori Hara for a third stint as manager after Yoshinobu Takahashi steps down at the end of the season, sources close to the matter said Thursday. Hara, 60, ended his second go-round as manager of the Tokyo-based ...

Japan's famous win over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, regarded by many as one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time, will to be turned into a movie with an international all-star cast, the film's creator told Kyodo News. Award-winning Australian ...

Yoshinobu Takahashi on Wednesday confirmed he will step down as Yomiuri Giants manager after failing to win the Central League pennant during his three years in charge. While the Giants are still in the race for this year's CL Climax Series, Takahashi said he needed ...