Speaking at the Grand Shrines of Ise, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the tradition of revealing the name after the era starts will be skipped to minimize the public impact.

A new process that adjusts the way plants turn sunlight into energy could boost the yields of many staple crops by 40 percent, potentially feeding hundreds of millions more people, American researchers said Thursday. Crops such as rice, wheat and soybeans, as well as fruits ...

The arrested driver of a car that plowed into a crowd in the Harajuku district of Tokyo at New Year has said he was planning to spray kerosene at people at a popular Shinto shrine and set them ablaze, investigative sources said Friday. In the ...

The request means a reason for the Japanese detentions that have kept the architect behind Nissan’s alliance with Renault jailed since Nov. 19 must be disclosed in five days.

Skateboarding, jumping rope and wielding lightsabers aren't things we typically expect monks to do. That was until September, when a monk in Fukui Prefecture was ticketed for wearing his traditional robe while driving. The police officer believed the robe was impeding his ability to operate ...

Traders catch up to the global market meltdown on Japan’s first trading day by sending the Nikkei down 2.26 percent to 19,562 and the Topix down 1.53 percent to 1,471.

A man and a woman were killed and eight others were injured early Friday when a fire broke out at a lodging house in Yokohama, police said. The fire broke out in a room on the fifth floor of the 10-story Ogiso Bekkan lodging house, ...

China's population shrank last year for the first time in 70 years, experts said, warning of a "demographic crisis" that puts pressure on the country's slowing economy. For decades the world's most populous nation, with about 1.4 billion citizens, China limited most families to one ...

A gradual rise by the yen in recent weeks culminated in a dramatic surge — firing a warning shot for world markets and the global economy in 2019. Historically, outsized gains in short periods, such as the Russian default in 1998 and the global market ...

In just over a decade, South Korea has spent the equivalent of a small European economy trying to fix its demographic crisis, yet birthrates have dropped to the lowest in the world. This year, President Moon Jae-in, who describes himself as a feminist president, is ...

The international situation may provide Japan with a golden opportunity to maximize its national interests on the global stage.

The best U.S. approach to North Korea can be summed up in two words: strategic patience.

Brewer Yuji Shimada carefully holds the stem of a short wine glass and pours a clear, golden liquid from one of the taps mounted on the commercial refrigerator, the light fizz from natural carbonation creating a thin layer of foam reminiscent of beer head. "This ...

Winter winds whistle as I exit Jiyugaoka Station in Tokyo's Meguro Ward, surrounded by a flock of boisterous high school students in black uniforms. Their joyous chatter as we walk into brilliant sunshine at the station's main exit reminds me that the station and ...

When two foreign nationals dipped their toe into the traditional sake brewing industry as sales staff, they not only discovered the intricacies of the beverage, but they also came to understand the unique aspects of working in one of the country's most traditional industries. The ...

In a mountainous farming village near Oze National Park, a popular eastern Japan marshland frequented by hikers, an artist who crafts accessories and ornaments out of charcoal is using a DIY spirit to lead a full country life. Michiko Setoyama, 39, a former accessory store ...

Mikawa's Takanobu Nishikawa scored a season-best 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting on Friday night. The SeaHorses also dominated on the boards in an 84-77 victory over the visiting Levanga Hokkaido. Isaac Butts, J.R. Sakuragi and Ko Kumagai added 15 points apiece for the SeaHorses (15-15) in ...

Kei Nishikori showed he was back to his best form as he downed Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-5 to reach the semifinals of the Brisbane International on Thursday. Nishikori proved too consistent for the Bulgarian in a high-quality match, securing crucial breaks at 5-5 in ...

The Spurs' suffocating defense, scoring runs and fans' unrelenting contempt for the opposing team's star player have often overwhelmed the opposition. Kawhi Leonard has seen it many times in San Antonio, but the Toronto star never experienced it from the opposing bench until Thursday night. ...

Larry Weinberg, one of the founders and original owners of the Portland Trail Blazers, has died. He was 92. His death was announced Wednesday by the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. Weinberg was one of three partners who got the franchise started as an NBA expansion ...

Yusei Kikuchi smiled wide for the cameras, pointing to the back of his No. 18 jersey — a celebrated number for Japanese pitchers. In the city where one of his childhood idols, Ichiro Suzuki, became a major league star, Kikuchi is eager to prove ...