The meeting could be consistent with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s stated desire to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On the list was the Finance Ministry in Tokyo as well as the Osaka and Hokkaido prefectural government offices.

Officials visited 1,018 companies with facilities in eight prefectures in eastern and northeastern Japan, interviewing trainees there to probe the situation.

Forget the flashy humanoids with their gymnastics skills: At the World Robot Summit in Tokyo, the focus was on robots that can deliver the mail, shop and build a house. One example was ZMP Inc.'s CarriRo Delivery, a robot shaped a bit like a toy ...

Japan is seeing an increase in the number of deaths related to mushroom picking, after extreme summer heat and heavy rain produced a rich crop of the seasonal delicacy this year. Many mushroom hunters, mainly elderly people, tend to go into remote areas deep in ...

The country's growing ranks of dementia sufferers are sitting on a mountain of frozen assets, creating personal dilemmas for loved ones fretting over how to handle that money and a drag on the nation's economic prospects as the vast pool of wealth lays idle. The ...

President Donald Trump said Thursday he now believes journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warned of "very severe" consequences should Saudi Arabia be proven responsible. "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told journalists when asked if he believed that Khashoggi, ...

Trump's enforcement of Iran sanctions could undermine the dollar's global primacy.

However you assess Kavanaugh's tears, they marked a giant leap for public emotionalism and a major political moment for malekind.

Onomichi has become a full-blown destination in its own right, largely thanks to the Shimanami Kaido bicycle trail.

Designart, Tokyo's annual festival encompassing all creative genres, is a cornucopia of design-related presentations and exhibitions within galleries, shops and event spaces. Celebrating its second iteration at a larger scale this year, the festival has its eyes set on the future: beyond 2021 to ...

Although less well-known than the nearby Shimanami Kaido, the 96-kilometer-roundtrip Akinada Tobishima Kaido route is gaining in popularity. Starting at the Akinada Bridge, the Tobishima route spans a network of seven bridges seven islands that can be traversed on car, bike or foot down ...

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks catcher Hiroaki Takaya gathered his teammates in a huddle around him near the visitors' dugout and delivered a message intended to pump them up before facing the Seibu Lions. "We scored 10 runs in the first game and won," Takaya told them. ...

Brazilian striker Jo scored the winner with an assist from countryman Gabriel Xavier as Nagoya Grampus beat 10-man Kashiwa Reysol 1-0 Friday night in a clash between two sides fighting to avoid relegation from the J. League first division. With Grampus coming into the match ...

The Hiroshima Carp clinched their second Japan Series berth in three years on Friday with a 5-1 victory over the Yomiuri Giants in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage. The Carp started the six-game final stage at Mazda Stadium with a ...

Nao Kodaira opened the new season on a strong note Friday, topping the podium in the women's 500 meters at the Japan Cup. The Pyeongchang Olympic gold medal-winning speedskater, competing in her first official meet of the season, won the race in 37.78 seconds at ...

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expects to be working again in the new year and has fielded inquiries from all over the world, he told German newspaper Bild. Wenger, who left Arsenal in May after 22 years in charge, said he did not know what ...

LeBron James opened with two thunderous dunks and had 26 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Portland Trail Blazers prevailed 128-119 Thursday night in the season opener for both teams. Damian Lillard had 28 points and ...

Former Nankai Hawks great Joe Stanka, the 1964 Pacific League MVP who famously threw three shutouts during that season's Japan Series, died of heart failure on Oct. 15, his grandson Josh told The Japan Times Stanka, 87, passed away at his home in Katy, Texas. A ...