Although the term "hikikomori," which describes people who shun social contact and seek extreme degrees of isolation, has been in common use for several decades, it has taken on a more sinister cast recently as the media has come to view it as a ...

In 1983, Time magazine looked at Japan and saw, to its astonishment, a "land without lawyers." "Most Japanese," said its report, "live — and die — without ever having seen a lawyer." Was this a country, or a mystic brotherhood? In the U.S. there ...

Twenty-one-year-old Yuka Takaoka stabbed a man in an apartment in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in late May, leaving him in a critical condition. During questioning, Takaoka reportedly told police that she stabbed the man because she loved him so much she just couldn’t help it. ...

In 1837 famine raged: In Europe, socialist consciousness was dawning, but in Japan, shut tight for two centuries against the outside world, revolt against the established order was Confucian.

Ready or not Osaka, here it comes. The Group of 20 Summit, that is. In less than two weeks, one of the world's largest gatherings of world leaders outside the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York takes place in Osaka. About 30,000 people, ...

Hong Kong's embattled chief executive, Carrie Lam, on Saturday said a divisive bill that would allow extraditions to China will be "suspended" indefinitely — a major climb-down by her government after a week of unprecedented protests. Lam has come under huge pressure to abandon the ...

Group of 20 nations’ environment and energy ministers gather to search for innovative ways to combat emissions-driven climate change and eliminate plastic waste.

China has acknowledged its fishing vessel hit a Filipino boat in the disputed South China Sea in an incident that prompted an outcry in the Philippines but denies the collision was intentional. The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest after Filipino fishermen said a Chinese ...

Kyushu Electric Power Co. will be forced to halt a Kagoshima Prefecture nuclear reactor next March due to a delay in the construction of a facility meant to prepare for possible terrorist attacks, company officials said. The No. 1 reactor at the Fukuoka-based company's Sendai ...

After the French automaker expresses discontent with envisioned governance reforms, Nissan Motor Co. considers giving alliance partner Renault SA some seats on planned oversight committees.

Japan "resolutely denounces" attacks on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of who is responsible for them, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday after speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone. Abe, who returned to Tokyo in the morning from a ...

Sure, it would be better if no one smoked any nicotine products, but the CDC's repetition of that message blurs important distinctions.

Like the ubiquitous neon signs and abundant convenience stores scattered throughout Tokyo, departure melodies at train stations are probably something many residents don't give much thought to as they travel around the city each day. And yet so much thought has been put into the ...

Koichi Takada grew up a stone's throw from the scenic banks of Japan's Tama River, learning to appreciate the beauty of nature, something that now resonates in the work of his architectural company in Australia.

A surprisingly difficult dish to master, omurice (rice omelette) is a beloved — and tasty — dish of the yōshoku (European-style Japanese cuisine) canon.

Luke Armstrong recently took over the kitchen at Signature at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo and has introduced a new menu to the classic dining room.

Kyoto's newly opened Ramen no Bonbo may be owned by two of the youngest ramen chefs in the city, but they're no amateurs in the kitchen.

Higuma Doughnuts and Coffee Wrights are collaborating to offer a new line of citrusy summer doughnuts.

The epic tale of Yasuke, Japan's first foreign-born samurai has hit bookshelves, giving readers a comprehensive picture of a man who witnessed great moments of history, but whose story has largely been overlooked in official accounts.

Author and poet Kenji Miyazawa's fantastical worldbuilding, poignant text and progressive morals laid the foundations of modern Japanese children's literature.

After four no-shows at high-capacity stadiums in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area and just one Kanto appearance last October in Kawasaki, Andres Iniesta finally stood on a pitch in the capital in front of over 38,000 fans. Even Saturday's persistent rain stopped to take in ...

Takahiro Araki tied the game with a ninth-inning, pinch-hit RBI single, helping the Tokyo Yakult Swallows overturn a late deficit in their 6-5 interleague victory over the Seibu Lions on Saturday. The Swallows salvaged a win by beating Lions closer Tatsushi Masuda (3-1) after blowing ...

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite has received an official reprimand and one demerit point for showing dissent to an umpire's decision during a Cricket World Cup match against England, the International Cricket Council said on Saturday. Brathwaite showed his displeasure after he was adjudged caught ...

Caster Semenya was invited on Friday to run in an 800-meter race in Morocco on Sunday — after previously saying she had been denied the right to participate in the event — but the invitation came too late for her to get there, her ...

The next year and a half will arguably be the most important period in the history of Japanese basketball with the 2019 FIBA World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the horizon. But this country is also looking beyond that, trying to develop up-and-coming stars ...

The Japan Racing Association said Saturday it would exclude 156 horses from racing this weekend, an unprecedented number, after finding a prohibited substance in their feed additives. The JRA held its races as scheduled on Saturday, and will do likewise on Sunday with the remaining ...

Japan captain Michael Leitch warned that the Brave Blossoms will fear no one at this year's World Cup as the hosts target a place in the knockout stage for the first time. The New Zealand-born flanker shot to fame four years ago when Japan won ...

Coach Asako Takakura insisted there is more to come from her young team after Nadeshiko Japan gave its Women’s World Cup campaign a shot in the arm by beating Scotland 2-1 on Friday. Forward Mana Iwabuchi and Yuika Sugasawa scored first-half goals as the team ...