Four people were injured and hundreds of others left stranded in train carriages and at an airport early Friday after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit Hokkaido the previous night. While no major damage was reported from the quake, which struck at 9:22 p.m. Thursday, more ...

Manufacturing activity contracted in February for the first time in 2½ years as domestic and export orders fell and factories cut output, a private business survey showed on Thursday. The survey also showed business confidence had soured for the first time in more than six ...

In June 2011, three months after savage tsunami devastated Japan's northeast coastline, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako were visiting Miyagi — one of the three hardest-hit prefectures — to get a firsthand look at the gut-wrenching aftermath of the disaster and commiserate ...

A devastating fire raced through densely packed buildings in a centuries-old shopping district in Bangladesh's capital, killing at least 70 people, officials and witnesses said Thursday. The fire in Dhaka's Chawkbazar area was mostly under control after more than 10 hours of frantic efforts. Some ...

The United States and China have started to outline commitments in principle on the stickiest issues in their trade dispute, marking the most significant progress yet toward ending a seven-month trade war, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The world's two largest economies have ...

Victims who were age 65 or older stood at 78.0 percent, underscoring the need to focus on senior citizens in taking preventive measures.

Taiwan's ruling party unveiled its latest attempt to create Asia's first same-sex marriage law on Thursday, a bill offering couples "permanent unions" as well as limited adoption rights, despite stiff opposition from conservatives. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has had a stuttering and troubled journey ...

A town in Iwate Prefecture on Wednesday completed the demolition of its former municipal office building — where its mayor and 27 other workers were killed in the tsunami triggered by the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 — even though some ...

The Toyosu wholesale market in Tokyo's Koto Ward has been struggling to attract visitors to watch tuna auctions even though a designated viewing area was opened about a month ago. The now-defunct Tsukiji market had been flooded with people looking to witness its tuna auctions, ...

The move comes as the country struggles with a labor crunch in the face of an aging population and falling birthrate.

The U.S. Department of Justice may announce as early as next week that special counsel Robert Mueller has given the attorney general his report on the federal Russia investigation, CNN said on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. After the expected announcement, U.S. Attorney General William Barr ...

The days when Japan and South Korea enjoyed mutual trust, each believing the other to be a friendly power, are coming to an end.

At the inaugural awards ceremony for The World Restaurant Awards (WRA) in Paris on Feb. 18, Tokyo-based Inua took home the Big Plate award for Arrival of the Year, a prize for new restaurants that opened between Sept. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018. ...

It was the groan heard 'round the internet. Back in September 2017, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions announced it had picked up the live-action rights to 2016 anime megahit "Your Name." Reaction from anime fans online was not exactly positive. To be fair, they had ...

At the time, the Japanese music scene of the 1970s felt pretty flat to Daisuke Hinata. "But (then) Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) and Plastics came out, and we thought the market would open up for more new sounds," the Los Angeles-based musician tells The ...

Japanese high jumper Naoto Tobe capped off a breakthrough IAAF World Indoor Tour with victory in the sixth and final meeting in Dusseldorf on Wednesday. The 26-year-old jumped 2.34 meters for his third straight victory on the monthlong tour. The jump was just a centimeter ...

Sunwolves acting head coach Scott Hansen resisted making wholesale changes Thursday as his side looks to put aside a disappointing start to the 2019 Super Rugby season. Following a flat 45-10 opening-round loss to the Sharks in Singapore, Hansen has made four changes and one ...

Breakdancing has been invited as a new sport by the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the head of the local organizing committee said Thursday. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, which have already been added to the program for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have been ...

The Japan Gymnastics Association announced Thursday it has submitted a bid to host the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Tokyo. The International Gymnastics Federation concluded a meeting of its executive committee Wednesday in Lausanne, Switzerland, where it also accepted a bid from Belgium to ...

The Japan High School Baseball Federation said Wednesday it will ask a local prefectural body to review its decision to implement the country's first pitch limits in high school baseball, which are aimed at preventing injuries to the arms of young players. The national federation ...

With half a year to go until the first-ever Rugby World Cup in Asia, organizing committee chief Akira Shimazu insisted that the hosts are focused on making the tournament in Japan a "ground-breaking" event. "The previous tournament in England in 2015, as you know, was ...