Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to visit North Korea next year after receiving an invite from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea said Saturday. If he visits, Xi will be the first Chinese leader to do so since 2005. Xi told South Korean President ...

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) published an article on June 17 that was critical of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), a lobbying organization made up of more than 1,300 of the country's biggest companies. The Nikkei has always been in Keidanren’s corner, so it ...

An extravagant wake and funeral was held earlier this month in memory of host club Ai Honten's flamboyant founder, Takeshi Aida, who passed away on Oct. 25 at the age of 78 after a prolonged illness. "At the request of the deceased, in addition to ...

Ever since the original release of the “Pokemon” games for the Nintendo Game Boy back in 1996, the series’ central character — the electric, yellow rodent Pikachu — has found a permanent place in the world’s pop-culture zeitgeist. Pikachu has since shown up everywhere, ...

Some wars spawn myths. Some spawn epics. Some spawn both; others, neither. The 13th-century Mongol invasions of Japan spawned a myth — the "divine wind" that repulsed the invading fleet — but no epic. The 12th-century Genpei War spawned an epic — the "Heike ...

Transport authorities are looking at a plan to require the use of snow chains on vehicles, even those equipped with winter tires, during times of heavy snowfall on designated sections of roads and highways. The transport ministry and the National Police Agency aim to implement ...

The news last week that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is preparing to admit up to 345,000 foreign workers by 2023 has been met with a combination of hope they will help prop up agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors that are struggling to find ...

Despite advances in facial recognition technology, the police in Osaka still rely on pure skill to find fugitives, with investigators using only their memory to arrest dozens of wanted criminals every year. While other police forces in the world have "super recognizer" units that hunt ...

Theresa May rolled the dice with a dramatic reshuffle of her ministerial team as she battles to cling onto her job and stop her own party from tearing up her Brexit deal. The prime minister reduced the power of her critics and promoted allies to ...

Nine leaders of Hong Kong's 2014 civil disobedience Occupy Central movement go on trial Monday at a time when the Chinese-ruled financial hub's civil liberties are coming under increasing strain. The nine leaders include law professor Benny Tai, 54, sociologist Chan Kin-man, 59, and Reverend ...

A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the White House to temporarily restore CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's press pass, which was revoked after a contentious news conference last week with President Donald Trump. The White House withdrew Acosta's credentials on Nov. 7 in an escalation ...

South Korea notifies Japan of its intention to dissolve a foundation set up as part of a 2015 agreement to resolve the long-standing issue of Korean “comfort women.”

A North Korean official urges Japan to take responsibility for its “sinful history,” including the forced mobilization of millions of Koreans during its 1910-45 colonial rule.

The production of meat and dairy products is both highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and a key contributor to the problem.

Aya Tasaki was 5 when she first moved from Tokyo to Illinois. The details of that departure are still etched in her mind. Her father had already gone ahead of the family to take up a job in the United States, and Tasaki's grandparents ...

Though kissaten (old-style) coffee shops like have long been a part of Kyoto, the third-wave coffee boom has increased the number and variety of coffee shops in the city.

Two of the most popular everyday hot udon soups are named after animals that have a special place in Japanese folklore and the Shinto religion: the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog).

It is not hard to track down the very best of Tokyo's high-end Japanese restaurants. After all, there are plenty of guides and websites to point you on your way. At street level, too, it's easy to locate good noodle joints, yakitori counters or ...

The cheap, cheerful, crowded, smoke-patinated dives that populate the lower floors of Shinbashi's Ekimae Building are an enduring time capsule of old-school, after-work salaryman drinking culture. Ibrew's craft beer pub has only been open there for a year, but its no-frills, low-budget approach makes ...

On Nov. 13, sweets maker Fujiya released two new flavors of its venerable Look brand of chocolate: a smoked almond and a cheddar and Camembert cheese variety.

On the 40th anniversary of singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi's debut, The Japan Times sits down with the musician responsible for such classics as "Sutekina Holiday," "September" and the track that has taken the internet by storm, "Plastic Love."

In his latest book, "On Haiku," Japanese translator and poet Hiroaki Sato ruminates on the history of the genre and its defining features as well as its remarkable acculturation within American literary life.

A prolific writer with over 50 works published in Japanese since 1987, Ekuni's recent novel, "Geckos, Frogs, and Butterflies," won her the 2015 Tanizaki Prize. Her two works translated into English, "Twinkle Twinkle" and "God's Boat" address issues of loss and longing with ...

There were two 30-point scorers in Saturday's series opener in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, exciting the home fans and the away supporters. The Shiga Lakestars, however, dominated on the boards and capitalized on second-chance scoring opportunities in an 81-75 victory over the San-en NeoPhoenix. The Lakestars (4-12) ...

One of the most striking sights in sumo is the giant roof suspended over the ring. The 6.5-metric-ton structure is modeled on the roofs of Shinto shrines and held in place by 2.2-cm thick wires that can bear almost five times as much weight — ...

Nao Kodaira kept her long-running win streak over 500 meters alive Saturday by claiming gold at a World Cup event on home ice. A day after opening her World Cup season with a win, the Olympic champion clocked 37.298 seconds to extend her 500-meter win ...

Takakeisho relinquished his unbeaten record but kept a share of the lead at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday. The 22-year-old komusubi dropped to 6-1 when he succumbed to a ferocious slapdown against sekiwake Mitakeumi on Day 7 of the 15-day tournament at Fukuoka ...

Matsumoto Yamaga wrapped up the J. League second-division championship Saturday with a 0-0 draw at home against Tokushima Vortis, winning promotion back to the top flight in the process. The Nagano Prefecture club finished the 42-game J2 season with 77 points, one clear of second-place ...

The Phoenix are back on the field. The Nihon University football team, which has been suspended by the Kantoh Collegiate Football Association for the 2018 season after the illegal tackle incident on May 6, had an exhibition game against a combined X League team on ...

Nasa Hataoka shot a 4-over-par 76 and dropped into a seven-way tie for 13th after Friday's second round of the CME Group Tour Championship, the LPGA's season-ending event. Despite starting the day in second place, one shot behind first-day leader Amy Olson, Hataoka struggled to ...