Ministers from both countries agreed to boost measures preventing North Korea from evading sanctions through illegal ship-to-ship transfers, and confirmed work toward an early conclusion of a new security agreement.

When he senses a business opportunity, Hitoshi Tanaka bets big and does everything he can do to make sure the initiative bears fruit. The 55-year-old veteran entrepreneur describes the moment as "taking a full swing." However, "determination to swing all the way is not something that ...

Google LLC said Wednesday its Pixel 3 smartphone series with artificial intelligence-powered cameras will hit shelves in Japan in November, the first time the American tech giant has released its signature phones in the country. The move into Japan pits Google against Apple Inc.'s iPhones, ...

The last remaining unit at the plant resumed operations Wednesday, about a month after a deadly earthquake caused a prefecture-wide blackout.

Hong Kong will "fearlessly take action" against independence calls and protect China's interests, leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday, as concerns grow that the city's freedoms face an unprecedented challenge from Beijing. Lam's annual policy address came as her government stood accused of attacking press freedoms ...

Passports carried by Japanese nationals allow holders to travel freely to 190 countries and territories, according to the latest study by the global law firm.

The co-working startup is raising additional capital to accelerate its expansion, according to a source, in a deal that could total $15 billion to $20 billion.

Women serving on Japan's biggest warship, the Kaga, are a tight-knit group on the front line of a push to transform the Japanese navy into a mixed-gender fighting force, where men outnumber them more than 10 to one. The Maritime Self Defense Force needs more ...

From family and friends to strangers on the subway and public figures on 24-hour news cycles, humans recognize an astonishing 5,000 faces, scientists said Wednesday in the first study of its kind. Through most of history humans lived in small groups of a hundred or ...

Deep below the ancient volcanoes scattered around the Philippines sits a simmering stockpile of intense heat that officials hope will help revive the nation's sputtering green energy machine. The Philippines — thanks to its spot in the "Ring of Fire" zone of Pacific volcanoes — ...

Tokyo has been chosen as the world's best big city outside the United States for the third year in a row, the U.S. travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler said Tuesday. Readers cast more than 420,000 votes for their favorite cities in the 2018 poll, the ...

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley exits President Donald Trump's Cabinet as the most high-profile female member, potentially putting her back into play as a candidate for a Republican Party struggling to gain traction with female voters. In her out-of-the-blue announcement Tuesday, Haley, ...

This is the first part of a new series of reports written by industry specialists. The first 12 articles are about Japanese general trading companies, or sōgō shōsha. The sōgō shōsha are unique, diversified and complex organizations that are known to have played a significant ...

The present vacuum created by the lack of U.S. participation in the region must not be filled by China's growing sphere of influence.

Despite a pessimistic forecast, it's possible to meet consumption-cut targets on the current path.

Culture of over-regulation helps explain the country's persistent problem with data falsification.

What about if Japan split into a confederation of five semi-autonomous "regions," each delineated roughly by geography and population?

Haruna Kimishima knew her music had found an audience overseas when her Twitter DMs began to fill up with English. "Japanese fans tend to not react to me directly, especially when compared to foreign listeners," says the 23-year-old artist, who records as Haru Nemuri. "They ...

I attended my first tea ceremony decades ago, as part of a company orientation. Kneeling on the floor, I sat in the formal seiza position, stumbled through the motions and sipped the thick green tea. Just as the pain in my legs was reaching ...

The sudden death of Ren Osugi last February robbed Japanese cinema of one of its most dependable actors. That loss is rendered all the more acute by "The Chaplain," Osugi's final screen role, and his debut as producer. It's the kind of serious, intelligent ...

Yokohama F. Marinos will take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of their Levain Cup semifinal against Kashima Antlers after Hugo Vieira snatched victory in the final moments of a see-sawing contest on Wednesday night. The Portuguese forward was first to the ball after ...

Starter Bryan Rodriguez battled through five innings before the bullpen took care of the rest as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters held on for a 5-4 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Pacific League on Wednesday night. Dominican right-hander Rodriguez improved to 3-2 ...

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Games announced the routes for the Olympic individual time trial and Paralympic road race on Wednesday, finalizing the courses for all cycling events taking place in two years' time. The courses for the Olympic time trial and Paralympic ...

Australia will erect a statue of a homegrown sprinter who backed two Americans in their famed Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics, with authorities describing the honor as "seriously overdue." Peter Norman, silver medalist in the 200-meter event in Mexico City, stood on the ...

The World XV to take on Japan on Oct. 26 at Osaka's Hanazono Rugby Stadium will be a star-studded affair, following the announcement Wednesday of a further nine players. Australians Ben Alexander and Sam Carter and a plethora of South Africans led by former Springboks ...

Last week's column featured links between sumo and American football, including a mention of how yokozuna Wakanohana took up the latter sport after retiring from the raised ring. He isn't the only former yokozuna with connections to the gridiron, however. The 54th yokozuna, Wajima, likewise became ...

Kazuma Okamoto has spent all season showing why many think he could be one of Japan's next great slugging stars. Now he'll get to show it against some of MLB's best. Okamoto, the Yomiuri Giants' 22-year-old cleanup hitter, was given his first call-up to the Samurai ...

When Ice Theatre of New York honors Kristi Yamaguchi on Oct. 15, it will be for a whole lot more than her performances as a figure skater. Her on-ice resume is superb, of course, including the 1992 Albertville Olympic championship, followed by a starring role ...

J. League first-division side Sagan Tosu tabbed assistant coach Kim Myung-hwi to run the relegation-threatened team on the field from Tuesday, leaving existing Italian head coach Massimo Ficcadenti in limbo. A day after reports surfaced that Ficcadenti had been fired, the club named Kim, a ...