Privatization of public enterprises is a core tenet of neoliberalism, and probably the most representative domestic development in this regard was the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1987. The resulting rail companies, distinguished primarily by region, have demonstrated differing degrees of success. ...

Welcome one and all to Big in Japan, the Reiwa version. During the just-ended 10-day Golden Week holiday, only one general weekly magazine — Aera (May 13) — went to press, giving it the distinction of being the first publication out of the starting ...

As the relaxed vibe of the recent 10-day Golden Week holiday slowly fades, many commuters in Tokyo appeared to struggle last week to return to the rat race. The longer than usual holiday offered people an opportunity to travel abroad or chill out at ...

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Friday agreed that the two countries will cooperate at every level in responding to North Korea's firing of short-range ballistic missiles. During their meeting in Washington, Suga asked for U.S. cooperation for an ...

Nissan Motor Co. plans to cut its sales target under its six-year business plan, as the company seeks to focus more on profitability than on chasing volume pursued under the leadership of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, a source close to the matter said Friday. The ...

Plans are in place to raise water levels in reservoirs serving Tokyo and surrounding areas in a bid to meet demand during next year’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly touted the halt of North Korean missile tests as one of his top foreign policy achievements, has played down the significance of leader Kim Jong Un's recent decision to test short-range missiles. The North's second missile launch in ...

The top diplomats of Japan and Russia say there is a way to go before their countries can resolve a long-standing dispute over the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga calls North Korea’s abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s a “global challenge” and seeks an early resolution to the issue.

The public's top pick to become the next prime minister says the country is not ready for the scale of change he thinks it needs. Shinjiro Koizumi, the 38-year-old son of popular former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, consistently leads polls asking who should succeed long-serving ...

Following the latest round of tariff hikes on Chinese products, Japan is wary of the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration will adopt a hard line in bilateral trade talks.

There are days when Makiko Ishikawa can barely breathe. Indeed, the 62-year-old Tokyoite has been short of breath for decades. In the early 1970s, she began feeling the effects of the miasma of vehicle exhaust along Shin-Ome Road, which ran by her home in ...

Whether good or bad, propelled by fate or duty, the director of arts and culture for the New Zealand-Japan Society of Auckland believes no experience is a wasted one.

Tokyo is in the middle of a "tapioca boom," and there are plenty of bubble tea options across the capital. Here's where to go for the best bubble tea concoctions — just in time for summer.

Hideo Furusawa talks about why he became a chef, his admiration of Alain Ducasse and food sustainability.

At Yard Coffee & Craft Chocolate, father and son team up to bring bean-to-bar chocolate desserts and specialty coffee to Osaka's Tennoji neighborhood.

In collaboration with brewery Tatenokawa, Inc., rock band Phoenix has released the Phoenix Sake Collection to celebrate the group's 20th anniversary.

FamilyMart recently unveiled a tapioca tea latte kakigōri (shaved ice), transforming trendy bubble tea into a fully fledged dessert.

Kobe — the cosmopolitan capital of Hyogo Prefecture with a population of 1.5 million — has a rich history as one of Japan's most important ports for foreign trade, and international influences are evident in everything from its architecture and design to its food ...

After a decade of visits to annual deer culls in Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park, photographer Takashi Homma has recently released a photo book, "Trails," about the project.

James Heisig's "Much Ado About Nothingness" strives to link the philosophies of Kirato Nishida and Hajime Tanabe with broader intellectual and artistic themes.

One part Ainu cookbook and three parts a cultural record of Ainu values and beliefs, Tomoko Keira's "The Spirit of Huci" offers, for the first time, the voices of Ainu women in English.

Spanish midfielder Isaac Cuenca gave a man-of-the-match performance as last-place Sagan Tosu secured just their second win of the season by beating fellow strugglers Gamba Osaka 3-1 in the J. League first-division on Saturday. Cuenca headed in the opening goal from a corner in the ...

Yuya Yanagi went eight innings without allowing a run to help lead the Chunichi Dragons to a 5-1 win over the Hanshin Tigers on Saturday. Yanagi (3-1) fanned 12 at Koshien Stadium, including six straight in the third and fourth innings, while Randy Messenger (2-3) ...

On the talented Alvark Tokyo team, youngster Yudai Baba has been more like a sidekick who comes off the bench to provide the team with the spark it needs. But in Saturday's B. League final, the 23-year-old rose to the occasion as one of the ...

The B. League and Korean Basketball League have agreed to a partnership looking to develop their player development as well as improving their products on and off the court. The commissioners of the two men's professional circuits officially signed the agreement before the B. League ...

A year ago, the Alvark Tokyo built a 10-point cushion by halftime, then overwhelmed the Chiba Jets Funabashi in the second half of the B. League Championship Final, winning by 25 points. Saturday's showdown was a two-point game at the break. This time, Tokyo's 19-point lead ...