Around 38 percent of fire departments across the nation offer interpreter services for emergency calls made by people who cannot speak Japanese, a government survey showed Thursday. The figure, as of the end of June, represents a 13 percentage point increase from December last year ...

The successful re-entry and collection of samples are expected to contribute to Japan’s efforts toward the development of manned space missions in the future.

A reporter, whose question Trump brusquely dismissed as incomprehensible, prompted an array of reactions from those watching the scene unfold.

The technology conglomerate plans to cut about 7,000 jobs globally, Chairman and CEO Nobuaki Kurumatani said at a news conference in Tokyo.

Two mega-banks plan to share their respective ATMs, from the first half of next year at the earliest, to cut costs as users decrease due to the spread of online banking, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. Under the plan, users with accounts at ...

The city of Kyoto, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, is aiming to attract travelers to lesser-known spots to ease "overtourism" that has increased complaints among both visitors and locals. Having been rated highly in foreign travel magazine polls, the number of visitors ...

Samsung Electronics Co. showed off a new phone with a foldable screen in a bid to shake up a smartphone business awash with black, shiny rectangles that look increasingly similar. At its conference Wednesday for software developers in San Francisco, the company previewed what it ...

The two are expected to discuss various issues including how to deal with North Korea, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in Tokyo.

Twenty-five years after particle physicists began studying prospects for a linear collider, Japan is poised to decide whether to pay for half of the $7 billion project and build the 20-kilometer-long superconducting tunnel in mountains northeast of Tokyo. Prospective suppliers — from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ...

Caroline Kennedy was in top form when she returned to Japan recently for a two-week visit. Following her arrival here on Oct. 25, the former ambassador's itinerary was nonstop. Highlights included her biking across the Seto Inland Sea in a race, Cycling Shimanami 2018, as ...

Starbucks plans to accelerate the roll out of digital services in Japan by introducing preorders and deliveries via smartphones, as well as cashless payments, visiting CEO Kevin Johnson said Thursday. "If you think about consumer behavior today globally, the mobile internet and the explosion of ...

Amazon.com Inc. is betting that stores of the future won't have any clerks or registers. A company in Japan thinks it can get there first. Signpost Corp., which has a staff of about 100, has already deployed its technology in a kiosk on the platform ...

Words of regret run repeatedly through the mind of Yoshinori Kato: "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." On Aug. 6, 1945, when the city of Hiroshima was hit by a U.S. atomic bomb, Kato, now 90 but who was 17 at the time, said he ...

The Environment Ministry said Wednesday it plans to urge companies to reduce their use of microplastics, amid heightened global concern over marine pollution. Under an updated policy that the ministry plans to compile by year-end, companies would be asked to curb use of microbeads in ...

President Donald Trump accused Japan on Wednesday of treating the United States unfairly on trade, claiming that Japan exports cars with low tariffs but does not take American cars. Speaking at a news conference a day after the Republican Party lost control of the House ...

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has embarked on a domestic tour this week with his favorite son, demonstrating his support for his chosen heir despite the crisis spawned by the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Roads were lined with Saudi flags and images of the king ...

The U.S. midterm results likely mean that the Trump administration won't have much time or resources to spend on Japan.

Commentators and politicians see the mixed outcome as evidence that Americans would back Trump for a second term.

The Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi is offering a Thanksgiving feast from Nov. 19 to 22 at its Motif Restaurant & Bar where guests can enjoy a panoramic view of the bustling Tokyo cityscape from the seventh-floor restaurant. A Thanksgiving lunch course is available ...

The Penfolds Collection 2018 Master Class was held at Happo-en, a luxurious garden venue for events and banquets, in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Oct. 22. Chief winemaker Peter Gago spoke about the 12 varieties of red and white wines that are included in this year's ...

On Oct. 11 and 12, the second edition of "NHK World-Japan presents Songs of Tokyo" was filmed before a live audience at the NHK Hall in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. Artists of various genres representing today's Japanese music scene such as visual kei, idol, dance, ...

A presentation for Jinseki International School, scheduled to open in April 2020, will be held in the gallery of The Japan Times' Kioicho office in Tokyo from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 23. Admission is free and doors open at 2:30 p.m. This international ...

Possession and receipt of marijuana are illegal for Japanese citizens even overseas, but don't expect urine checks at immigration.

What do Tokyoites and tourists think of Canada legalizing pot for recreational use? Could or should it ever happen in Japan?

Every year people from the film industry — buyers, programmers and critics — descend on the Tokyo International Film Festival to see what this country has to offer, and every year they usually find at least one gem among the selections in the Japanese ...

When Beverly Caimen moved from the Philippines to Japan in 2016 she was a relative unknown who could barely speak the language. Several months later, however, an unexpected encounter with actor Shun Oguri drastically changed her life. That meeting led to him introducing Beverly, as ...

The MLB All-Stars prepared for their series against Samurai Japan by giving former Japan manager Tatsunori Hara a rude welcome in his return to the dugout. Washington Nationals rookie sensation Juan Soto drove in a run with an infield double off the Tokyo Dome ceiling ...

Japan's skaters all made it through practice unscathed on Thursday ahead of the start of the NHK Trophy on Friday. Unlike last year's near disaster, which saw Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu take a hard fall and sprain the lateral ligament in his right ankle on ...

The wind was more like a zephyr, so the yacht was not running as swift as it could have. Still, it was comfortably plowing on the bay of Sagami. "It was maybe about 30 kph," Wakako Kajimoto said after the boat returned from practice to Enoshima ...

Atsunori Inaba already knows he'll be managing Samurai Japan during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. When it comes to Don Mattingly and Team USA, well, never say never. Right now, the two managers are preparing to face off in the Japan All-Star Series which begins Friday and ...

Teams are reshaping their rosters and rotations as the season quickly marches closer to the midway point. Before the midweek slate of games on Wednesday, teams had already played in 20 percent of their 60 regular-season contests. In that dirty dozen of competition, observers saw ...

Japan's professional sports clubs are attracting a wave of investment, as a fitness club, clothing chain operators and entrepreneurs look to cash in on the sports world's potential ahead of the 2020 Games. At the training camp of J. League first division soccer side Shonan ...