Last April, a female reporter from TV Asahi accused Junichi Fukuda, the top bureaucrat at the Finance Ministry, of sexual harassment. The woman recorded the conversation, excerpts of which were later published by weekly magazine Shukan Shincho. The magazine also released an edited audio clip said ...

The theme of the Nippon Television series "Shiawase! Bonbi Girl" (“Happy Poor Girls”) is one of the most resilient on Japanese television: People of limited means getting by. As the title indicates, the subject is young women and one of the regular segments, "Jokyo ...

"The human race, version 2" — a thought to inspire hope or fear, maybe a little (or a lot) of both. "We today," says Komazawa University economist Tomohiro Inoue, whose thought it is, "will soon be 'the former human race.'" The propulsion forward comes from ...

Twitter user @REIbahobahoanta had an ambitious dream: The 15-year-old junior high school student wanted to hitchhike across the United States. This wasn’t the teen’s first attempt at traveling around a region via another person’s car, as he has already traversed Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kyushu by ...

A robot modeled after Kannon Bodhisattva and designed to explain the teachings of Buddha in plain terms was unveiled to the media at Kodaiji Temple in the city of Kyoto on Saturday. In a dimly lit hall of the temple, the robot — named Mindar ...

The first of Tokyo Metro Co.'s new 2000 series trains went into service on the Marunouchi Line on Saturday, with cars that include designated areas for wheelchairs and strollers. The color scheme for the new cars was changed to red from silver, which was used ...

Recruiting pace a setback in prefecture’s efforts to showcase its recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

A Virgin Galactic rocket plane on Friday soared to the edge of space with a test passenger for the first time, nudging British billionaire Richard Branson's company closer to its goal of suborbital flights for space tourists. Virgin Galactic's chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses, who ...

Abe’s tenure, including his 12-month first term to September 2007, has reached 2,617 days, surpassing Shigeru Yoshida’s total of 2,616 days between 1946 and 1954.

Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump impersonators were held for questioning by Vietnamese police after they appeared in Hanoi, where the U.S. and North Korean leaders will meet next week for a second summit. Kim impersonator Howard X and Donald Trump lookalike Russell White staged ...

Celebrating his 59th birthday, Crown Prince Naruhito vows to follow in his parents’ footsteps when he takes the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1.

Innovations are more likely to arise from lone researchers or very small groups.

Jigokudani (Hell Valley) is a hidden labyrinth of about two-dozen small bars and restaurants near Noda Station in Osaka's Fukushima Ward.

From retro video games to avant-garde Comme des Garcons' fashion, moving to Japan became a calling for Corey Mah.

At Nami Kawahara's oden restaurant, Sho, she hasn't been afraid to depart from tradition in both decor and dishes, opting for simplicity and elegance over a rough-and-tumble vibe.

For his food truck, Sameya, owner-chef Takumi Takase has developed a delicious menu of dishes using shark meat from Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, providing a stable income for local fishermen.

Cafe de Paris has been a hit back in Seoul, particularly thanks to its Bon Bon series of sweets, which loads up on fresh fruit, layers of whipped cream and powdered sugar.

In her new novel, "Tokyo Ueno Station," writer Yu Miri connects Japan's modern past with the homeless in Ueno Park, giving faces and voices to the dispossessed.

First published in Japanese in 1985, "Nishida Kitaro: The Man and His Thought" brings together diverse essays about both Nishida and his philosophy of "absolute nothingness" written by his former pupil Keiji Nishitani (1900-90).

Filmmaker Mari Okada's own story, "From Truant to Anime Screen Writer," that of a child trapped in the prison of her hypersensitivity, is baldly and grimly told, a struggle against her demons of isolation, humiliation, and self-loathing.

R&B star R. Kelly was taken into custody by Chicago police Friday night after authorities announced multiple charges of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims — at least three of them between the ages of 13 and 17. The 52-year-old, whose real name is Robert ...

After winning two straight J. League first division championships, Kawasaki Frontale was favored by many to become just the second team in the league's 26-year history to pull down a third. The Kanagawa Prefecture club's quest to join Kashima Antlers in the history books got ...

The Sunwolves battled valiantly but ultimately suffered their second straight loss of the young Super Rugby season Saturday, defeated 31-30 by the New South Wales Waratahs in Tokyo. A last-gasp drop goal attempt by Hayden Parker was all that stood between the home team and ...

Ichiro Suzuki still felt the nerves of competition at age 45. Ihciro started what may be his final spring training with a two-run, two-out single in the third inning Friday of the Seattle Mariners' opening 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Batting seventh and playing left ...

Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, faces charges of soliciting a prostitute after he was twice videotaped in a sex act at a shopping-center massage parlor in Florida, police said Friday. The 77-year-old Kraft denied any wrongdoing. The case comes amid ...