Land minister Keiichi Ishii said Friday that he has decided to nullify a move by the Okinawa Prefectural Government aimed at halting reclamation work for a planned U.S. base off the Henoko district in Nago. Last August, the prefectural government canceled the landfill approval made ...

International baseball star Ichiro Suzuki has turned down the nation's prestigious People's Honor Award for the third time, a government spokesperson said Friday. Ichiro, who retired from professional baseball last month, instructed his agent to notify the government of his intention to decline the award, ...

The deputy land minister boasted that he helped get funds for a highway project without Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and deputy Taro Aso having to tell him to.

The government formalized on Friday its decision to partially lift from next Wednesday a mandatory evacuation order for residents of a town that jointly hosts the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The town of Okuma — which saw all of its roughly 10,000 ...

Japan Post Holdings Co. said Thursday that it will sell up to 30 percent of its outstanding shares in subsidiary Japan Post Insurance Co. by the end of this month. The value of the sale of up to 185 million shares will reach ¥440 billion ...

Nomura Holdings Inc. said Thursday it will reduce the number of its sales outlets in Japan by at least 30, or 20 percent of its 156 domestic outlets, as part of structural reform measures. The brokerage giant aims to cut operating costs by a total ...

Blood pressure and stroke risk rise steadily the more alcohol people drink, and previous claims that one or two drinks a day might protect against stroke are not true, according to the results of a major genetic study. The research, which used data from a ...

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko wants the eight major chains to formulate action plans because the labor shortages are straining the 24-hour industry.

The number of people who plan to take advantage of this year's expanded Golden Week holiday period by traveling abroad is projected to rise 6.9 percent from the year before to a record 662,000, according to the latest report on travel trends by leading ...

European oil companies have started to address what they worry may one day be an existential threat to their business — the end of a century of oil demand growth in a low carbon world. The emergence of the electric vehicle and demand among investors ...

To effectively tackle global health issues it's crucial that the Group of 20 nations use their June summit to overcome the barriers that have traditionally separated health experts and policymakers from financial and economic leaders. Thus, the first-ever meeting between G20 health and finance ministers, ...

World No. 1 Naomi Osaka has agreed a deal with Nike, the sports apparel giant has announced. The Japanese tennis player, who had previously been tied to rival Adidas, will first wear Nike gear at the Stuttgart Grand Prix later this month, the U.S. sportswear-maker ...

If Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins this spring's general election, as is widely expected, it will also be another massive victory for the marketing machine created to amplify his brand into every Indian living room. Opinion polls regularly show Modi is India's most popular ...

The United States has decided not to send warships or senior military officers to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's People's Liberation Army Navy later this month, a snub by Washington even as U.S. allies Japan and South Korea are ...

Sacks of pungent animal feed cram the corridors of a Cyagen Biosciences Inc. center for laboratory mice in southern China, maximizing space for rodents that sell for as much as $17,000 a pair. Demand is skyrocketing in China for animals that mimic the diseases of ...

Thousands of firefighters and soldiers are starting to contain wildfires in South Korea on Friday which have killed one person and forced more than 4,000 people to flee their homes, the South Korean government said. The fires broke out in eastern Gangwon Province on Thursday ...

Pierre Taki, an actor and member of Japanese techno-pop duo Denki Groove, was released Thursday on bail of ¥4 million ($35,900) after he was indicted earlier this week on a charge of using cocaine. "Because of my anti-social behavior, I caused trouble and worry for ...

Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. have decided to join forces to develop standards for the development of self-driving cars. The three said in a statement they are collaborating with automotive industry group SAE International to establish autonomous vehicle "safety guiding ...

Australian Brenton Tarrant appeared in a New Zealand court on Friday where the suspected white supremacist was charged with an additional 49 counts of murder at two mosques last month. In an attack broadcast live on Facebook, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted ...

German drugmaker Bayer has contained a cyber attack it believes was hatched in China, the company said, highlighting the risk of data theft and disruption faced by big business. Bayer found the infectious software on its computer networks early last year, covertly monitored and analyzed ...

Juan Guaido, newly vulnerable to arrest, says he is prepared to be imprisoned by the autocratic regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and has a contingency plan for allies to continue the protest movement he leads. "In the event that they want to, or try ...

U.S. authorities gathered information about Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. through secret surveillance they plan to use in their case charging the Chinese telecom company with violating sanctions against Iran, prosecutors said Thursday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Solomon said at a hearing in federal court in ...

The former chairman is being hung out to dry over alleged misconduct allegations, but no one will come out of this saga looking like a hero.

Although the streets of Asakusa are familiar stomping grounds for tourists and locals alike, a ride on a jinrikisha (rickshaw) can bring a refreshing new perspective to the historic area, and even reveal a secret spot or two.

Hiromu Inada is by no means your average 86-year-old. Inada is the oldest triathlete to complete what many consider to be the most difficult race in the world — the ironman triathlon — at the world championships. But with his steely resolve, the Japanese senior ...

With a strong belief that her role is to connect the invisible with the visible world through art, contemporary artist Miwa Komatsu continues to depict otherworldly creatures. People can’t help but be intrigued by the powerful and colorful images of seemingly frightening, yet strangely ...

When a team scores three times as many points as its opponent at the free-throw line, it's usually a good sign for the team getting fouled repeatedly. Exhibit A: The Kawasaki Brave Thunders converted 21 of 24 foul shots in Friday's B. League series opener. The ...

Taisuke Yamaoka worked eight innings and rookie Yuma Tongu broke up a scoreless game with a fourth-inning RBI single as the Orix Buffaloes held on to beat the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 2-0 on Friday for their first win of the season. Yamaoka (1-0) yielded ...

Brazilian midfielder Leo Silva made an early bid for goal of the season as the Kashima Antlers came back to beat table-topping Nagoya Grampus 2-1 in the J. League on Friday night. The 33-year-old attacker struck the winner with nine minutes left at Kashima Stadium, ...

The Japanese Olympic Committee is set to name former Olympic judo gold medalist Yasuhiro Yamashita as successor to longtime president Tsunekazu Takeda, who is under investigation by French authorities for alleged bribery, a source said Friday. Takeda will retire at the end of his current ...

Fresh off their first win on Australian soil, the Sunwolves look to knock over the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday for their third win of the season, and set themselves up with a shot at reaching the playoffs. Tony Brown's side is currently fifth and last ...

During the past decade, Yuki Kawauchi has been perhaps Japan's most famous marathon runner. He's been known as the "Citizen Runner" or the "Civil Service Runner." But he no longer carries these catchphrases when he runs. Kawauchi became a professional runner on Monday, meaning he will ...

Japan's women's ice hockey team, Smile Japan, blanked France 3-0 behind goalie Nana Fujimoto's 25 saves in their opening game at the world championships in Espoo, Finland, on Thursday. Mei Miura opened the scoring for Japan when she netted a backhander from point-blank range in ...

Zeljko Pavlicevic has never been shy about accepting bold challenges. He embraced the pressure of high-profile coaching jobs in Yugoslavia, Greece and Spain before setting foot in Japan in 2003 to lead the men's national team and plant the seeds of success for the future ...