Despite the fraught global environment — with U.S.-China animosity mounting alongside a bevy of regional security concerns — Japan appears to be viewing the situation as a glass half-full scenario, according to leading experts, as well as current and former officials. That was the picture ...

A weekly magazine alleged that Katayama was paid to use her bureaucratic standing to get a tax break for a business owner in 2015.

Toyota Motor Corp. and seven other Japanese firms have made it into a 2018 global brand ranking while Apple Inc., based in the United States, maintained its top spot for the sixth straight year. The report is the first since 2007 to include eight Japanese ...

Japan has designated two coastal areas to be of international importance, raising the number of such sites around the country to 52, the only international conservationist body focused on wetlands said Thursday. Seen as key habitats for waterfowl and other creatures, Shizugawa Bay in Miyagi ...

Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s recent acknowledgment that it had restricted third-party solar power supplies for two days underscores Japan's need to boost its transmission capacity between regions. The restriction marked the first time a utility in the country had curbed use of renewable energy to ...

Astronomers peering billions of light-years into space have detected the largest, most extensive collection of galaxies ever registered in the early days of the universe, a "proto-supercluster" they nicknamed Hyperion after a Titan from Greek mythology. Hyperion has a mass 1 million billion times greater ...

In a world increasingly fragmented by U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda, Japan should take on the role as the world's new "stabilizer" by committing to the landmark Paris accord on climate change and keeping a multilateral trade regime from falling apart in ...

An antiviral pill taken daily by thousands of men across Sydney and other parts of Australia led to a globally unprecedented reduction in new HIV cases, showing that a targeted, preventative approach may accelerate progress on ending the AIDS epidemic. New cases of HIV among ...

New Reconstruction Minister Hiromichi Watanabe wants the world to know that, seven years after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Fukushima Prefecture and other disaster-struck areas of the Tohoku region are now safe. "I know that outside Japan (radiation) stigma still lingers and I ...

Six bodies were found early Thursday after a fire broke out at a residence in Sendai, police said. The blaze was reported to firefighters at around 2:20 a.m. after a late-night worker nearby heard a woman's cry for help. The fire was extinguished about four ...

Japan's exports unexpectedly fell in September — the first drop in almost two years — as natural disasters disrupted economic activity and higher energy prices continued to feed gains in imports. While one-off events make it difficult to assess the impact of the U.S.-China trade ...

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to nominate former Air Force Gen. David Stilwell to be the State Department's top diplomat for East Asia, a post that has remained unfilled for more than a year despite major challenges in the region. A White House statement on ...

A growing number of women in the Self-Defense Forces are entering formerly male-dominated fields, with one recently becoming the country's first-ever female fighter pilot. "I want to become a full-fledged pilot, no different from men," 1st Lt. Misa Matsushima of the Air Self-Defense Force told ...

Washington will begin withdrawing from a U.N. pact that lowers rates for foreign postal deliveries of small packages in the United States, the latest move by the Trump administration to challenge practices it sees as unfairly advantageous to China. White House officials said the United ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Wednesday to step up their countries' cooperation in promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has been increasing its influence. The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment toward the denuclearization of North Korea and ...

Republicans could try again to repeal Obamacare if they win enough seats in U.S. elections next month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday, calling a failed 2017 push to repeal the health care law a "disappointment." In a forecast of 2019 policy goals ...

Canada became the first industrialized nation to legalize recreational cannabis on Wednesday, but a lawful buzz will be hard to come by in its biggest cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where stores are not yet open. The day was historic for the country as Canadian ...

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday visited a former American air base in southern Vietnam that will soon become the biggest-ever U.S. cleanup site for contamination left by the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Standing near a skull-and-crossbones warning sign meant to ...

U.S. President Donald Trump, faced with a budget deficit at a six-year high, on Wednesday told his Cabinet to come up with proposals to cut spending by their agencies by 5 percent, but he suggested the military would be largely spared. "I'd like you all ...

The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will reprimand a 52-year-old judge for his controversial social media post earlier this year, marking a first in Japan. Judge Kiichi Okaguchi held a news conference later in the day and argued that the decision runs counter to his ...

Those governments reviving the old and effective tactic of kidnapping to silence opponents may yet regret their decision.

Common interests and mutual dependence will almost certainly prevail over the desire to hold the Saudis to higher standards.

Located on the northern shore of Kyushu, Fukuoka is one of Japan's most vibrant cities: It is the fastest-growing city outside Tokyo, it has the youngest average population and has gone to great lengths over the past few years to position itself as Japan's ...

From Oct. 19 to Nov. 30, the Tokyo Dome Hotel will be offering a selection of authentic Spanish cuisine at The Artist's Cafe on its 43rd floor. Prepared under the supervision of master chef Josep Barahona Vines, this gorgeous repertoire of dishes brings the ...

An Aug. 16 episode of Tokyo MX's variety show "Hirukyun!" found comedian Ken Horiuchi (better known as Horiken) joining the hosts in the studio. Over the course of his stay, he launched the other TV talent and stage hands into a wall of cardboard ...

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) offers fans a rare chance to see dozens of new and classic Japanese films with English subtitles on the big screen. Among my own picks for the event's 31st edition: 'Another World' (TIFF Competition): Junji Sakamoto's drama about two ...

As a film critic, I occasionally come across something on the screen that sets off fireworks in my brain. It happened with Sakura Ando's explosive performance as a desperate boxer in "100 Yen Love" and with the funny, surprising and moving zombie comedy "One ...

Pinch hitter Takahiro Arai tied the game in the bottom of the eighth before Ryosuke Kikuchi blasted a three-run homer as the Hiroshima Carp came back to beat the Yomiuri Giants 4-1 in Game 2 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage ...

After the Yokohama B-Corsairs' fifth consecutive loss to open the season on Wednesday, first-year coach Tom Wisman analyzed the revamped team's defensive struggles and overall shortcomings so far. For instance, he said that he wasn't pleased that the B-Corsairs gave up 48 points in the ...

Akihiro Yano, the Hanshin Tigers' new manager, said Thursday at his inaugural press conference that he will give his all to make the fans happy. "There are worries and fears, of course, but now it's more like 'OK, let's do this.' Together with everyone, I ...

Australia coach Michael Cheika has included New South Wales Waratahs lock Jed Holloway among three uncapped players in a 31-man squad released on Thursday for the third and final Bledisloe Cup test against New Zealand in Yokohama. Scrumhalf Jake Gordon and loose forward Angus Cottrell, ...

Former Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda is itching to kick off his Australian adventure with Melbourne Victory on Saturday after a long wait through the A-League's "weird" and "unique" preseason. As the league's highest-profile signing, Honda arrived in Australia to much fanfare in August, but with ...

Rick van den Hurk just knows how to win under the bright lights. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' Dutch right-hander proved it again on Wednesday night at MetLife Dome, when he helped lead the Hawks to a 10-4 victory over the Pacific League champion Seibu Lions ...

Following Japan's impressive 4-3 friendly win over Uruguay, manager Hajime Moriyasu on Wednesday lauded his new-look side for its seamless integration of overlapping generations of players. The victory Tuesday in Saitama was the third in three matches under the new boss and the first combining ...