"Your mother is senile, senile, senile!" The family was dining at a restaurant. Mom had gone to the rest room and Dad, in anguish, faced his two grown children. Sawako Agawa — TV personality, journalist and author — recalls the scene for Bungei Shunju magazine ...

The Liberal Democratic Party's campaigns to encourage younger generations to take an interest in politics stirs media criticism.

While the internet can play a crucial role in pushing trends in Japan, it can be just as effective in turning people against the crazes it helps to hype. What’s the latest fad to find itself caught in the crosshairs of social media? Bubble tea. ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet but fail to reach any major breakthrough in the long-standing territorial dispute.

Hundreds of firefighters on Saturday fought to contain wildfires in southern France as a stifling heat wave brought record-breaking temperatures to parts of Europe. Deaths were reported in Spain, France and Italy. In the Gard region, where France's highest temperature on record — 45.9 degrees Celsius ...

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a new cease-fire Saturday in a yearlong trade war during their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, averting, at least for now, an escalation feared by financial markets and the ...

The Group of 20 summit concludes with promises to work toward trade and investment that is free, fair, nondiscriminatory, transparent, predictable, stable and for open markets.

Even on foreign soil, U.S. President Donald Trump — a notorious creature of habit — doesn't stray too far from his Saturday morning ritual: firing off tweets that routinely shake up the geopolitical order. Trump on Saturday continued this practice by extending an invitation via ...

G20 leaders reiterate their shared recognition that “gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable society and economic growth.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finds time for a radio interview by a member of the pop idol group Kanjani Eight, but not to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Group of 20 summit.

Japan's envoy to the United Nations joined forces with the head of UNICEF on Friday to push the world to make sure as many children as possible are vaccinated against potentially fatal diseases amid a rise in misinformation about immunization programs. "Ensuring and scaling up ...

In a stunning move employing the Twitter diplomacy that he has become famous for, U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet him at the border between the two Koreas over the weekend — a proposal the ...

Beware of interpretations posing as facts. And when explanations are incomplete, don't fall for the fallacy of "god of the gaps."

James Reynolds has his eyes on his camera's viewfinder, but also on the debris from a broken roof that's darting about in the wind as Typhoon Jebi leaves its mark on the city of Gobo, Wakayama Prefecture, in September 2018. The peak of the storm ...

With the end of Japan's decades-long government salt monopoly, the country's artisanal salt-makers are once again thriving.

Mina Ishihara, 43, first visited Ireland in 1995 when she was a student at Tezukayama Gakuin University in Osaka, her hometown, where she studied English and linguistics. On that trip she visited Galway, a lively cultural city on the west coast of Ireland, partly ...

With its pizzas and prime location, Il Veliero adds a taste of the Amalfi Coast to Hayama's little enclave of Italian gastronomy looking out on the Pacific.

For a small, coastal community, Hayama always feels like it punches well above its weight when it comes to good dining options. Now, here's another new name to bookmark for when you need a beach getaway: Cana.

Bio-S is an architectural statement absolutely in tune with the natural landscape. Looking at it, you can't help but wonder how this exquisite restaurant came to exist in such a stunning, yet remote, location.

Strawberry Fetish serves up a wide variety of sweets starring the titular fruit, including a couple of strawberry-centric drinks and strawberry ice cream.

Meet the man who has only used a toilet 14 times this century: "Poop soil master" Masana Izawa explains the philosophy behind his carefully perfomed outdoor bathroom habits.

"Gentle Black Giants" reveals a little-known chapter of Japanese baseball's early years and the impact that a collection of Negro Leagues players had on its development.

Cultural geographer Paul Waley adds to the slim body of academic work about Tokyo with an anthropologic take on the megacity's overlooked neighborhoods.

"Diva Nation" pays tribute to Japanese women through the ages who have found a way to triumph despite societal restrictions.

On Friday, former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn abruptly announced — and just as abruptly canceled — a press conference as his defense against charges of financial misconduct continued. On Saturday, the Nissan-owned Yokohama F. Marinos' defense seemed equally unwilling to show up at Tokyo's Ajinomoto ...

Asian Games men's 200-meter gold medalist Yuki Koike, 100-meter national record holder Abdul Hakim Sani Brown and Yoshihide Kiryu calmly qualified for the gold-medal race on Saturday evening at the 103rd Japan National Championships. Competing in the sprinkling rain, Koike led the entire pack with ...

Right-hander Keisuke Honda threw six innings, and Sosuke Genda had a big day at the plate to lead the Seibu Lions to a 7-0 Pacific League victory over the Orix Buffaloes on Saturday afternoon. On a rainy day, Honda (3-3) located and mixed his fastball ...

Japan coach Jamie Joseph hit back at criticism over his handling of the Sunwolves saying that from a national team's point of view things went well, though not necessarily the way they were initially intended to go. "I thought it was the perfect plan," he ...

Masahiro Tanaka said Friday he is "honored" to start the first MLB game held in Europe, when the New York Yankees face the Boston Red Sox in London this weekend. "It's going to be a historic day for Major League Baseball. I'm extremely honored to ...

Argentina's Jaguares continued a history-making season, beating the ACT Brumbies 39-7 on Friday to reach the Super Rugby final for the first time just four years after joining the Southern Hemisphere tournament. The Jaguares made a blistering start to the match, scoring two tries to ...