The government said Friday its position on using state funds to hold a key Shinto ritual during next year's Imperial succession remains unchanged, despite the fact that the younger son of Emperor Akihito has raised a question about financing the religious event. "We are aware ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party booked ¥25.86 billion ($228 million) in revenue for 2017, by far the largest among Japanese political parties, government data showed Friday. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, set up in October last year, reported ¥1.25 billion, ...

A Tokyo court on Friday approved a request from prosecutors to extend the detention of former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, after he was arrested last week for alleged financial misconduct, an official said. Ghosn can be held in custody for another 10 days ...

NASA announced Friday nine U.S. space companies chosen to bid on delivery services to the moon, including Draper Laboratory Inc., whose team includes Japanese lunar exploration startup ispace Inc. NASA is soliciting proposals to deliver science and technology payloads, such as small rovers and instruments, ...

The rate of rental car accidents involving foreign drivers in Osaka Prefecture is four times higher than those involving Japanese drivers, according to recent data released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. A study of foreign drivers conducted by the ministry's Kinki bureau between ...

In a statement issued after the ruling, Japan Airlines expressed deep regret over the pilot’s actions and the company’s failure to supervise him.

Dried fish for breakfast, fried to a crisp with a splash of spiced vinegar, garlic fried rice and a runny egg yolk, is the kind of breakfast that Filipinos who live abroad crave. The dish, often made with sardines, anchovies or round scad, uses dried ...

The nation's labor market loosened slightly in October, government data showed Friday, though it remained near the tightest level seen in decades as companies struggled to find workers due to an aging population. The country's job availability ratio stood at 1.62, falling for the first ...

The following questions and answers relate to controversy over Imperial succession rituals set to be held following the enthronement of Crown Prince Naruhito on May 1, the day after his father, Emperor Akihito, abdicates. How does the Constitution separate religion and state? Article 20 of Japan's ...

Hitomi Yoshizawa, a former member of the all-girl J-pop group Morning Musume, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison suspended for five years for injuring two people in a hit-and-run incident in September while driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the ruling ...

Uber Technologies Inc. and Hitachi Ltd. are among the companies that will flood London with 3,000 electric vehicles as part of a study aimed at overcoming a shortage of charging points blamed for holding back sales. The biggest-ever trial involving commercial electric vans and cars ...

Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 major economies on Thursday shared concerns about growing downside risks to an otherwise stable global economy. Summing up discussions among G20 finance ministers and senior officials over dinner in Buenos Aires, Finance Minister Taro Aso said, "The world ...

The U.S. Navy has sent a warship near disputed islands in the South China Sea, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said Friday, ahead of key meeting between the leaders of China and the United States at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina. In a statement ...

On a side street near a darkened Ikata shopping arcade full of abandoned storefronts, the Sushi Ko restaurant is unusually busy on a weekday. Balancing a tray full of drinks, Sachiyo Ozaki said most of her restaurant's customers were there because of an industry shunned ...

For 25 years, pregnancy and parenting magazines Tamago Club and Hiyoko Club have served as a platform for new mothers, giving them a place to share their concerns and support one another. In a similar vein, some groups have launched services connecting new moms ...

The Trump administration is considering new background checks and other restrictions on Chinese students in the United States over growing espionage concerns, U.S. officials and congressional sources said. In June, the State Department shortened the length of visas for Chinese graduate students studying aviation, robotics ...

Communities that benefit from aid want international charities to move beyond pictures of poor children and show a more balanced view of Africa, a study showed on Friday. People in six African countries were asked to evaluate images used in campaigns by major charities including ...

French President Emmanuel Macron said he will have a talk with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Argentina and reiterated his call for a full probe of the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a ...

The prince expressed doubts about the constitutionality of the Daijosai grand thanksgiving rite, saying he believes it is a “highly religious” event.

There hasn't been a more exciting time to be a critic of the 'greed is good' philosophy of the corporate sector led by self-centric rock-star CEOs.

Chinese trade practices and territorial ambitions must be addressed at the international level, but Trump is botching the job

One of two places in Tokyo named after valleys favored by the melodious uguisu (Japanese bush warbler), Uguisudanicho is a small neighborhood wedged between Daikanyama, Ebisu and Shibuya straddling the line between old-school businesses and gentrification.

A statue of cartoon character Luffy from megahit comic and animated TV series "One Piece" was unveiled Friday in front of the Kumamato Prefectural Government building. The 174-centimeter-tall statue, matching the height of Monkey D. Luffy, the main character in the story, has been erected ...

UNESCO has declared reggae, the Jamaican music that spread across the world with its calls for social justice, peace and love, to be a global treasure that must be safe-guarded. Born in the poor neighborhoods of Kingston in the 1960s, reggae reflected hard times and ...

The Akatsuki Five received a tough challenge from Qatar early but wound up posting a 85-47 victory in a FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier at Toyama City Gymnasium on Friday night. The Japan men's national team (5-4) extended its winning streak in the preliminaries to ...

Second in a series When he was presumably closer to retirement home age than prime-time sports figure, George Foreman produced one of the most stunning feats in modern sports history. Foreman's 10th-round knockout of Michael Moorer in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, 1994, made him the ...