To merge or not to merge? That is the question Osaka hopes to finally answer as the campaign for Osaka governor kicked off Thursday morning.

Following the global grounding of Boeing's 737 Max jets, U.S. and Canadian airlines that fly the roughly 175-seat aircraft face a fresh logistical challenge every day: which flights to cancel and which to cover with other planes. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines Group, the two ...

Tomomi Inada isn't trying to get Japan to legalize same-sex marriage or ban discrimination against gay citizens. The conservative lawmaker just wants to "promote understanding" of LGBT issues. Even that seems too much. The former defense minister said she's unsure she'll be able to introduce new ...

India's new ambassador to Japan believes the two countries can complement each other in terms of talent and technology, and that cooperation could lead to new innovations. "Indian software competence, married with Japanese hardware production ... if these two can merge together, you have embedded ...

Talent, not testosterone, is behind the success of intersex athletes such as Olympic champion Caster Semenya, scientists said on Wednesday, stepping into a toxic battle of the sexes over fairness in sport. Their editorial in the British Medical Journal flies counter to those who want ...

A recent spate of warning signs that the economy is headed for a downturn means the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may need to take corrective action sooner rather than later. Worsening conditions — and upcoming elections — could push Abe to beef up ...

Google was fined €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) on Wednesday for blocking rival online search advertisers, in the third large European Union antitrust penalty for the Alphabet business in two only years. The European Commission, which said the fine accounted for 1.29 percent of Google's turnover ...

The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it sent two B-52 bombers over the East China Sea for training with the U.S. Navy and Air Self-Defense Force near Okinawa Prefecture, the latest mission in the waterway that is home to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. The training ...

The cherry blossom season officially arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after officials from the Meteorological Agency confirmed that more than five blossoms had opened on a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda Ward. Most Somei Yoshino cherry trees in Tokyo are now expected ...

The operation to take Islamic State's last enclave in eastern Syria looked close to an end on Wednesday, with no sign of clashes as U.S.-backed fighters said they were combing the area for hidden jihadis. Reuters reporters overlooking Baghouz from a hill on the bank ...

Abe and Trump are also expected to affirm that the international community will coordinate in maintaining sanctions on Pyongyang until it achieves complete denuclearization.

And if they aren't, what should liberal and democratic political parties in Thailand do?

Five years of international sanctions and Western attempts to isolate Russia have had no effect on the Kremlin's control of Crimea.

Springtime is picnic time. In Japan, that means finding a relaxing spot to view the sakura cherry blossoms — and this spring, The Peninsula Tokyo has prepared a variety of sakura-themed amenities to help its guests get a true taste of the flowery season. Through ...

Last year proved to be a pivotal one for streaming music in Japan. According to a report by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, 2018 saw plays via platforms such as YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify overtake digital downloads. This would be a great piece ...

Like so many authors of cult movies, Macoto Tezka didn't set out to make a commercial bomb. His debut feature, "The Legend of the Stardust Brothers" ("Hoshikuzu Kyodai no Densetsu"), was widely lambasted upon its release in 1985, but over the years it has ...

Maybe the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's thought that if they kept playing, Ichiro Suzuki couldn't leave baseball. The game had to end at some point, however, and it was the Mariners who provided the final blow. Seattle scored the tiebreaking run in the 12th when ...

Defending world champion Nathan Chen secured a huge lead with a stellar short program on Thursday night at the world championships. The 19-year-old student at Yale University was the final skater of the evening and rose to the occasion, combining strong jumps with fine artistry ...

Oppressive actions such as corporal punishment and verbal abuse of athletes by coaches and those who have positions of authority have clearly been a major issue in Japanese sports in recent years. The Japan Basketball Association has recently formed an "integrity committee" to bring healthy ...

Sumo has no shortage of legends. From titanic yokozuna that dominated in the ring, to plucky underdogs that achieved far more than a lack of size would have seemed to allow, the sport has never lacked stars and celebrities. Indeed, yokozuna Hakuho, the man leading the ...

Yokozuna Hakuho defeated ozeki Tochinoshin on Wednesday to retain his lead at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament with 12 straight wins. Hakuho faced little challenge from the struggling Tochinoshin (6-6), who has only beaten the 41-time top-division champion once in 28 matchups. Hakuho hemmed up Tochinoshin ...

We're following the action of the Men's Short Program at the 2019 ISU World Championships, being held at the Saitama Super Arena.

The 2019 ISU World Championships opened at Saitama Super Arena on Wednesday. Here's a selection of photos from the women's short program.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is seeking to suppress video evidence that authorities assert support the solicitation of prostitution charges filed against him, ESPN reported Wednesday. ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn said a motion filed Wednesday by Kraft's attorneys is intended to make sure ...