North Koreans are marking the seventh anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong Il with visits to statues and vows of loyalty to his son and successor, Kim Jong Un. As snow fell Sunday, tens of thousands of people offered flowers and paid respects ...

Japan plans to grant exemptions from technical tests required for a new category of visa if applicants have attained a certain degree of professional education in their home countries, informed sources say. A detailed study on the issue is being conducted for nursing care, one ...

The government remains committed to plans to announce the name of Japan's next era before Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, despite demands from conservative lawmakers to have it announced afterward out of respect for the Emperor, who plans to ...

A hot spa resort area in Oita Prefecture, which is hosting next year's Rugby World Cup, has created an online map showing onsen spots open to visitors with tattoos, typically stigmatized in Japan due to their association with yakuza. The Oita city of Beppu has ...

Huawei Technologies Co. and wireless carrier SoftBank Group Corp.’ close business dealings could be an issue in T-Mobile U.S. Inc.’s proposed purchase of SoftBank’s Sprint Corp.

The recent diplomatic dust-up over the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, one of the leaders in developing equipment for fifth-generation mobile networks, has demonstrated that this technology, which promises to enable an internet of things and self-driving vehicles, also poses risks. What is 5G, what will ...

The prefectural police and fire departments in Fukushima have started multilingual services aimed at non-Japanese speakers making emergency calls amid a rising number of foreign visitors in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. On Dec. 1 the prefectural police began offering services ...

Japanese banks might have snapped up a third of the loans made to highly indebted U.S. companies, propelling the size of the market past $1 trillion.

Health ministry data shows a majority of cancer and heart patients surveyed by the government worked in some form while they were undergoing treatment in a hospital.

The crucial question is whether technological renovation can create enough new employment opportunities to make up for jobs lost to technology.

Japan's animal welfare regulations could halt the Taiji slaughter if Japanese law categorized dolphins as mammals instead of fish.

The Japanese markets have closed and the trading floor at Societe Generale's Tokyo branch is noticeably less frenetic, even though traders remain glued to their computer screens, keeping an eye on movements in other markets around the globe.

The world of programming not only has countless educational benefits for kids, but it can also be an impressive creative outlet.

As elderly dog owners struggle to care for their aging pets, more look to pet nursing homes for longterm help.

A lot of new gadgets aren't essential to life, but they can help make daily living a little more fun, easier and convenient.

Coping with a sudden illness or unexpected injury is difficult enough in your own country, but it can be even harder when you're unfamiliar with the customs or language of the country you live in.

This guy's energy is contagious. Word is he's an "all-round terrific cat" and should have been scooped up long ago.

Fueled by a potent inside attack and a well-orchestrated passing performance, the Sunrockers Shibuya etched an 80-57 victory over the San-en NeoPhoenix on Sunday afternoon. What's more, after a woeful October, when they won just two of 10 games, the resurgent Sunrockers improved to 12-12. Center ...

Tomokazu Harimoto became table tennis' youngest World Tour Grand Finals singles champion on Sunday with a win over world No. 4 Lin Gaoyuan of China. The 15-year-old Harimoto, ranked No. 5 worldwide, beat Lin 11-4, 13-15, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 to become Japan's first men's singles ...

Japan's men's basketball team is on the right track to earn a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, FIBA task force co-chairman Ingo Weiss told a news conference on Sunday. Weiss stressed that the Japan Basketball Association has fully lived up to the expectations of ...

Olympic champions Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo captured their second badminton's World Tour Finals championship in women's doubles on Sunday. Takahashi and Matsutomo, the top seeds, beat Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea 21-12, 22-20 to win their second tour finals ...

Admire Mars earned his first Grade 1 victory on Sunday and remains undefeated in four races after winning the 70th running of the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. Piloted by Italian jockey Mirco Demuro, the second-favorite Admire Mars crossed the line in 1 minute, 33.9 seconds ...

With Naomi Osaka enjoying a breakthrough campaign in 2018 and Kei Nishikori making a strong comeback from a career-threatening injury, the past season proved fruitful for emerging tennis powerhouse Japan. Osaka started 2018 at No. 68 in the WTA rankings but experienced a dramatic rise ...

Kosei Okuno, the victim in the illegal tackle scandal which rocked Japan in May, made history for himself on Sunday. The Kwansei Gakuin University sophomore quarterback completed 12 of 15 passes for 149 yards to guide the Fighters to a 37-20 triumph over the Waseda ...

Nao Kodaira extended her winning streak to 34 straight races with a gold-medal 500-meter sprint performance at a World Cup event in the Netherlands on Saturday. The 32-year-old clocked 37.17 seconds around the oval at the sea-level Thialf arena in Heerenveen and shaved 0.12 off ...

The Houston Texans were trailing late and facing a second straight loss after a nine-game winning streak. Deshaun Watson wasn't having it. The cool-headed, playmaking quarterback threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins with 2:15 left, lifting the Texans to a 29-22 victory over Sam ...

Dan Carter wrapped up his first season in Japan by claiming the Top League MVP award Sunday. A day after helping his team to the league title, the Kobe Kobelco Steelers playmaker was also named Top Kicker with an 86.2 percent success rate, though he ...

Kashima Antlers advanced to the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup, and a showdown with Spanish giant Real Madrid, after outlasting Mexican powerhouse Guadalajara 3-2 on Saturday. The semifinal against the Spanish power will be a rematch of the 2016 Club World Cup final, ...