Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has given up on reaching a broad agreement on a Japan-Russia peace treaty when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June amid persisting differences over how to settle a long-standing territorial dispute, a government source said Thursday. Instead, the ...

Yuko Nakajima says her job isn't as pretty as portrayed in "Departures," director Yojiro Takita's Oscar-winning 2008 film about Japanese ritual morticians. While the movie cast a tender light on the occupation, the 37-year-old says it can get messy and requires speed and nerves: The ...

Catholic worshippers feeling orphaned by the fire that ravaged part of Notre Dame will be welcomed in an "ephemeral cathedral" of wood in front of the Paris monument until it reopens, Notre Dame's chief priest said Thursday. Speaking to France's CNews television channel Monsignor Patrick ...

Nearly 80 percent of companies pay their foreign employees equal or higher wages compared with their Japanese staff, a think tank survey showed Wednesday. The Japan Research Institute said corporate managers generally welcome the new visa system to accept more foreigners staff — mostly for ...

Concerns have been raised that the tech groups are abusing their dominant position with regards to smaller companies using their platforms.

North Korea has demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed as Washington's top negotiator with Pyongyang, just hours after announcing the test-firing of a "new-type tactical guided weapon," the country's state-run media said Thursday. Both moves appeared to be an apparent bid ...

SoftBank Group Corp. leader Masayoshi Son has much bigger ambitions for transportation than simply seeing his investment in Uber Technologies Inc. turn into more than $13 billion when the company goes public next month. The Japanese entrepreneur is placing a $60 billion bet in more ...

The company is also considering accepting workers from overseas at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, officials said.

A close aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday hinted at the possibility that the planned consumption tax hike to 10 percent from 8 percent in October could be delayed, depending on a key economic indicator to be released for June. If the Bank ...

Alan Garcia was the charismatic chameleon of Peruvian politics, once popular enough to be elected president twice. But his terms were filled with ups and downs and he eventually became caught up in the Odebrecht bribery scandal that rocked Latin America. Garcia, 69, fatally shot ...

Of the five, four have maintained their level of visual acuity after the operations, while one experienced an improvement in their vision.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Grand Shrines of Ise in Mie Prefecture on Thursday to report his upcoming abdication to the ancestral deities of the Imperial family enshrined there. The couple have been on a three-day trip to Mie Prefecture since Wednesday. It ...

To move past the Heisei Era's economic malaise, Japan must invest in an education system that fosters people who can breed new ideas and launch new industries.

The effort should not only be to rebuild the cathedral, but also to protect and defend Europe's cultural and political legacy.

The banner image for "Vibe," the seventh edition of the Kyotographie International Photography Festival, is Scotsman Albert Watson's sepia-tinted portrait of Ryuichi Sakamoto, which was used for the musician's 1989 album "Beauty." It's an outrageously self-indulgent image, but so gorgeous, and the album itself ...

Last week, Japanese talent agency Yoshimoto Kogyo and South Korea's CJ E&M announced a new talent competition TV show for Japan, set to debut later this year. And it's not just another program to fill up the back end of 2019, but will be ...

Chihiro Kaneko returned to his pro baseball roots on Thursday, throwing five scoreless innings to earn the win as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Orix Buffaloes 7-3. Kaneko (1-1) had for years been Orix's ace pitcher but left last winter in a contract ...

The Sunwolves take on the Hurricanes on Friday in their first game in Tokyo since being told they will no longer be part of Super Rugby after the 2020 season. In the first evening game the team have played in the nation's capital, Tony Brown's ...

FC Barcelona will face English Premier League veteran Chelsea and the J. League's Vissel Kobe this July, adding to the list of star-studded club friendlies set to take place in Japan this summer. The Spanish first-division leader, which last October announced plans to visit Japan ...

Registration for the lottery will be possible from May 9 via the ticket sales website, where users can choose which Olympic events they wish to attend.

Mikko Rantanen's second goal of the game was the overtime winner as the Colorado Avalanche erased a two-goal deficit and beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 Wednesday night. The result put the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, Calgary, on the brink of elimination in the opening ...

With over 100 international caps and six seasons of service for women's soccer titan Olympique Lyonnais, defender Saki Kumagai is already recognized by those in the know as one of the sport's top players. Now the rest of the world will have a chance to ...

Tennis phenom and world No. 1 Naomi Osaka has been selected among the world's 100 Most Influential People of 2019 in a list released Wednesday by Time magazine. "Rookie Grand Slam tournament champs often fall short at their next major. All Naomi Osaka did was ...

More than two minutes into stoppage time, Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling slid across the field and puffed his chest to the crowd, roaring in elation. Tottenham players collapsed to the turf, some flat on their backs, forlorn and heartbroken. From the brink of Champions ...

Yuta Watanabe's blue-collar work ethic and perpetual desire to improve were defining characteristics of his rookie season. Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and the team's NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, Watanabe made positive impressions throughout the long season. The bulk of his playing time ...

It sounds like a match made in heaven. A promising young skater paired with the hottest choreographer in the business. The results could be dynamic. Top Japan junior Moa Iwano, known for her artistry and musicality at the tender age of 15, will work next season ...

Florida prosecutors on Wednesday said they intend to release videos that allegedly show New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men engaged in sexual acts at a massage parlor because they are required to by state law. In court documents filed by the Palm ...