This coming June, British author George Orwell's dystopian novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four," marks the 70th anniversary of its publication. In the United States, Penguin has announced plans for a special 75,000-copy reprint. According to The New York Times, the publisher noted that, sales of the ...

Allegations of copyright infringement have undermined a high-profile attempt to sell a renowned coffee-flavored Italian dessert in Tokyo. Hero’s opened in Tokyo’s Omotesando neighborhood on Jan. 20, offering various tiramisu flavors inside Instagram-friendly mason jars decorated with illustrations of superhero-style cats. In another universe, the ...

The weekly magazine Spa has apologized for an article it published in December that ranked universities in terms of how easy it is to get their female students into bed. The article generated backlash but the apology was issued in response to a petition ...

Spanish influenza again holds Tokyo in its deadly grip, favored by the changeable weather.

Japan and China agreed Saturday to accelerate preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan later this year, as the two nations have pledged to promote reciprocal visits by their leaders, a Japanese government official said. At their meeting in Beijing, Senior Deputy Minister ...

Pope Francis is eager to deliver a message from one of Japan's two atomic-bombed cities that the making of nuclear weapons — not just their use or possession — is unethical, according to a Japanese Catholic source. The pope plans to visit Japan in November, ...

Starting in April, Tokyo’s Nakano Ward will allow female students at all municipal junior high schools to choose pants as part of their uniform, and Setagaya Ward will also allow the same option.

Chen Wan-xuan, a student from Taiwan, raises a spoonful of salad to the mouth of an elderly resident at a nursing home in Asahikawa as she speaks quietly to him. "Please eat this slowly," the caregiver says in clear Japanese to the man, who is ...

The government announces standards it hopes to set for casino resorts, requiring them to have hotels and conference rooms that will be among the biggest in the country.

A co-pilot at All Nippon Airways subsidiary Air Japan Co. is prevented from flying after testing positive in a preflight alcohol check.

Hezbollah's bigger role in Lebanon's new unity government points to a growing appetite to shape state affairs and builds on unprecedented military clout the group is wielding after helping turn the tide in Syria's war. Hezbollah's expanding power in Lebanon reflects a deepening of Iranian ...

It's actually pretty accurate now, even further in advance. The Midwest had plenty of warning this cold front was coming.

Although wine production in the Kansai region dates back over 100 years, changing demographics have since taken their toll on local grape cultivation. To help save the prefecture's remaining fields from abandonment, Tomofumi Fujimaru opened the Shimanouchi Fujimaru Winery in the heart of Osaka.

Is there a more satisfying way to spend a couple of hours at table than a leisurely session of good dim sum? In years past, Tokyo has been poorly served in this department, at least when it comes to the classic, laid-back, yum cha ...

For Baird Brewing, perseverance and the cultivation of a loyal fan base has made it a rarity in Japanese craft beer: a truly independent brewery. Lacking the shelter of a parent company, it has created a line of taprooms to spread its concept of ...

FamilyMart has brought a new and improved version of its immensely popular melonpan (melon bread) ice cream back to store shelves — get one while they're still in stock!

Although he was poised to be a doctor, Lu Xun, the most celebrated of all modern Chinese authors, abandoned medicine for something he felt would truly enlighten and modernize his nation: literature.

William Scott Wilson's definitive 2004 biography, "The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi" stands out not only for its meticulous historical accuracy, but also for the author's expertise on samurai texts.

With Haruki Murakami's latest novel, "Killing Commendatore," die-hard fans might find something to enjoy in the writer's trademark, albeit under-edited, style, but one gets the feeling Murakami has gotten too comfortable with his own style.

There are times when the obvious top scoring option for the SeaHorses Mikawa is this: Give Kosuke Kanamaru the ball and get out of the way. Saturday was one of those days. Kanamaru, a splendid scorer when he's at the top of his game, made basket ...

A select team from Japan's Top League lost to French Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne 50-29 on Saturday. The charity match at Gifu Memorial Center Nagaragawa Stadium raised funds for community reconstruction from natural disasters in Japan, including the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in ...

Taro Daniel completed a comeback by Japan in a Davis Cup qualifier with a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 win over China's Li Zhe in the final singles match Saturday, securing a 3-2 aggregate victory. By winning the tie at the Guangdong Olympic Tennis Centre, Japan ...

A sixth Lombardi Trophy would further cement the legacy of the New England Patriots, and specifically Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but the upstart Los Angeles Rams are chasing history of their own in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday. The Patriots are 5-3 in the ...

Qatar foiled Japan’s bid for a record-extending fifth Asian Cup title on Friday, winning the tournament for the first time in a 3-1 upset. Golden Boot winner and tournament MVP Almoez Ali scored an early opener before Abdelaziz Hatim added a second as Felix Sanchez’s ...