Last month, the Diet enacted legislation to pay ¥3.2 million to each person who was sterilized as part of the Eugenic Protection Law passed in 1948. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also said he will apologize to the roughly 25,000 victims on behalf of ...

"Heartbreaking accidents have continued to occur although measures have been taken," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said ruefully at a meeting of government officials on May 21. Specifically, Abe was referring to two recent traffic incidents that occurred less than three weeks apart. He hopes someone ...

Chiitan the otter was riding high this spring. After becoming one of the most popular characters in the country thanks to its chaotic online behavior, Chiitan started appearing everywhere in the media. Chiitan’s star dimmed somewhat after the city of Susaki, Kochi Prefecture, attempted ...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Japanese business leaders to increase their investment in the United States while saying Japan has a substantial edge on trade that negotiators are trying to even out. Trump arrived in Japan on Saturday for a largely ceremonial visit ...

Officials and experts say the top priority for President Donald Trump’s during his state visit is to show off his friendship with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and highlight a strong Japan-U.S. alliance.

There is growing speculation that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could be forced to postpone the planned sales tax hike in October due to concern about the economy.

Huge lines of climbers forming near the summit of Mount Everest have vexed organizers in recent days as the death doll on the world's highest mountain hit 10 for the week. The deaths of an Irish and a British climber were reported over the weekend. "A ...

China on Friday accused U.S. officials of lying to the public about their trade war, as rising tensions between the world's two largest economies kept financial markets in a state of unease. Talks to end the trade dispute collapsed earlier this month, with the two ...

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan had a message for the next generation of naval officers Friday: What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Speaking at the U.S. Naval Academy's commencement ceremony in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday, Shanahan encouraged new graduates to embrace the ...

Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg urged European politicians on Friday to focus on a climate crisis instead of "bickering," as children walked out of classes around the world to back her demands for urgent action to curb carbon emissions. Thunberg, 16, said the threat of ...

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Saturday that North Korea's recent missile launches violated a U.N. Security Council resolution and urged leader Kim Jong Un to return to denuclearization talks. It was the first time a senior U.S. official has described the tests ...

Japanese police have arrested 15 suspects transported from Bangkok in connection with a large-scale phone scam involving what is believed to be hundreds victims. The 15 Japanese men in their 20s to 50s arrested Friday are suspected of having called people across Japan from a ...

For European leaders watching Theresa May's political death throes, a sense of inevitability has been replaced by one of fear. Rather than break the deadlock over Brexit, the departure of the British prime minister raises the prospect of what they've long considered their worst nightmare: ...

Last week the kilogram got a new definition — one that rests on a quantity of light. The old kilogram was defined by a platinum cylinder kept in a vault in Paris, and at first glance, that system might seem more intuitive, but it ...

It was around 3 p.m. on a chilly day in December. The sky was overcast and the scent of rain hung in the air when Rina Kambayashi happened upon a creature she had never seen before. Opening the front door to her family's gracefully ...

Avant-garde artist Yoshiko Chuma challenges the conventions of dance, traversing disciplines, nations and causes.

Through its farmer's market, cafe-supermarket and community events, Eat Local Kobe is building a sustainable and robust network to support the region's small organic farmers.

Lorimer has gained a following with foreign visitors to Kyoto. But Japanese customers come in droves too. And why wouldn't they? This is an authentic and innovative Japanese breakfast you'll certainly remember.

One of Japan's emerging leaders in the sake world talks about the delight of discovering Japan's renowned beverage.

To introduce our readers to this special subsection of Japanese literature, for the next 12 months, we'll be featuring one children's writer or illustrator on these pages each month.

As a fulcrum of exchange, the Ryukyu archipelago was multilingual and multicultural from its earliest days.

A product of postwar Japan and virtually unknown internationally, Zainichi literature often explores the nature of exile and the conflict of identity between homes.

Olympic and Paralympic athletes participated in a walk with some 4,600 people near the venues of the Tokyo Games on Saturday in a bid to set the mood for next year's competition. The participants walked a route near Tokyo Bay, where many of the 2020 ...

Left-hander Kris Johnson pitched into the eighth inning and drove in a run to help the Hiroshima Carp extend their winning streak to 11 games by beating the Yomiuri Giants 7-5 on Saturday. The Carp are now one victory shy of the franchise record for ...

Kanoa Igarashi became the first Japanese surfer to win an elite World Surf League's Championship Tour event on Saturday, when he topped the men's competition at the Corona Bali Protected. Igarashi, a medal hopeful at next year's Tokyo Olympics, earned 15.10 points in his final ...

Bruno Mendes' 78th-minute header ended FC Tokyo's unbeaten record on Saturday as Cerezo Osaka held off the league leader 1-0 at home. A long stretch of prolonged pressure on the visitors' goal finally paid dividends when Mendes met Riku Matsuda's cross from the right ...

Rank-and-filer Asanoyama clinched his maiden championship on Saturday by beating ozeki Goeido with one day remaining at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. In addition to the Emperor's Cup, the No. 8 maegashira Asanoyama will receive a trophy from U.S. President Donald Trump, who will attend ...

An earthquake jolted the stands at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground on Saturday, but it was the Melbourne Rebels who did the moving and shaking on the field in a 52-7 win over the Sunwolves, who dropped to 2-11 on the season. The visitors showed ...

It's been 10 months since a woman other than Naomi Osaka hoisted a Grand Slam singles trophy, but if the star is to make it three majors in a row she's going to have to do something she hasn't done at any level as ...

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant is unlikely to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday against either the Toronto Raptors or Milwaukee Bucks. Durant has missed the past five games with a right calf injury and he told reporters on Friday ...

Nasa Hataoka fired a second-round 67 to position herself two shots behind a trio of leaders at the midway point of the 72-hole Pure Silk Championship on Friday. At 7-under 135, Hataoka, who shot a bogey-free round, is tied for sixth place with two others. ...