Japanese whaling fleets set sail Monday to hunt whales commercially for the first time in 31 years, a day after Tokyo formally left the International Whaling Commission. As an IWC member, Japan halted commercial whaling in 1988. But it continued hunting whales for what it ...

Anti-government protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament building late Monday after successfully smashing their way through reinforced glass windows and prizing open metal shutters that were blocking their way. Footage broadcast live on i-Cable News showed dozens of masked protesters, many carrying makeshift shields, swarming into ...

Ibaraki Prefecture has became the first prefecture to officially recognize same-sex couples in the same way it deals with married ones. Under the system, LGBT couples who submit "partnership oaths" will be treated in a manner similar to that for a husband and wife, such ...

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. and FamilyMart Co. have started their own smartphone payment services. Both major convenience store chains launched their services on Monday. They are expected to further intensify competition among similar services that already involve tech and financial companies. Seven-Eleven Japan President Fumihiko Nagamatsu said ...

For almost 30 years they passed as quirky eccentrics, diligently setting up their insect traps in the Rhine countryside to collect tens of millions of bugs and creepy crawlers. Now the group of German entomology enthusiasts can boast a world-class scientific treasure: evidence of what ...

It was a good few days to be an authoritarian leader. At the Group of 20 gathering in Japan, leaders who can find themselves shunned at such multilateral summits were the focus of U.S. President Donald Trump's attention, humor and respect across Friday and Saturday. Turkish ...

As many as half of China's breeding pigs have either died from African swine fever or have been slaughtered because of the spreading disease, twice as many as officially acknowledged, according to the estimates of four people who supply large farms. While other estimates are ...

Like the broader movement of which it is a part, the black LGBTQ community is celebrating advances since the historic Stonewall riots in New York — while continuing to face serious discrimination and ill treatment. Some 15,000 people took part in Saturday's Harlem Pride parade, ...

Japan expects the latest meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to move forward stalled denuclearization negotiations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday. "Japan has supported the U.S.-North Korea process since the two countries' (first) summit in Singapore (in ...

It's a weekday morning and a steady stream of customers is entering a Workman store in Tokyo's industrial Ota Ward, mostly blue-collar workers looking for ¥99 rubber gloves, ¥3,500 safety shoes and other gear they need before heading to construction sites. The clientele markedly shifts ...

Municipal and prefectural governments across Japan are launching campaigns urging foreign visitors to buy travel insurance as a surge in unpaid medical bills puts pressure on hospitals' budgets. If uninsured travelers get injured or sick in Japan, they have to foot the bill for all ...

Sony Corp. opened an exhibition Monday in Tokyo's bustling Ginza district to mark the 40th anniversary of its signature Walkman. The handheld audio player debuted on July 1, 1979, offering portable music to ears across the world. In the years that followed, over 400 million ...

The mayor of Musashimurayama tells the health minister he is OK with the plan.

A new law targeting smoking took effect Monday banning people from lighting up indoors on government agency, school and hospital premises, with more establishments like bars and restaurants to face similar rule changes next year. Under the revised Health Promotion Law, fines of up to ...

The move is in response to South Korean court orders for Japanese companies to pay compensation over forced wartime labor.

Analysts say all signs point to the October increase going ahead as planned.

Heavy rains prompted an evacuation order for some 6,000 residents in 2,859 households in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Monday morning, as well as an evacuation advisory issued to more than 1.21 million people in 550,000 households in Miyazaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures as the ...

Japan's energy policies are at a big turning point. Due to the unforeseeable future of the energy business, utility companies have yet to embark on drastic reform. Despite the fact that irreversible, inevitable and diverse social change is underway simultaneously, the government has been ...

The leaders of major political parties faced off in a debate Sunday over the planned consumption tax hike and the pacifist Constitution, ahead of the start of official campaigning this week for the Upper House election. In response to criticism from all five opposition party ...

Kyoto's kimono-loving mayor sent a letter to American pop culture icon Kim Kardashian West asking her to reconsider trademarking "kimono" as the name of her new underwear brand, the ancient capital said Monday. "Kimono is a traditional ethnic dress fostered in our rich nature and ...

As information technology giants come under increased regulatory pressure, the Japan unit of Facebook Inc. said Monday it has joined the country's most powerful business lobby. Joining Keidanren, also known as the Japan Business Federation, is seen as an attempt by Facebook to build ties ...

Land prices have risen for the fourth straight year, reflecting strong demand in major cities and tourist spots driven by increasing numbers of visitors from overseas and a recovering economy, according to National Tax Agency data released Monday. Brisk demand for hotels and offices pushed ...

A deal hatched among several key European leaders to award a former Dutch foreign minister the post of EU chief executive broke down at an emergency summit Sunday after eastern European and center-right European leaders rejected the plan. Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans had appeared the ...

Should the third but potentially only symbolic U.S.-North Korea summit eclipse the significance of the Osaka G20 summit?

The nation cannot afford to postpone any longer discussion of how to ensure the stability of imperial succession amid a dearth of male heirs.

Make sure you know your "chōjō" from your "fumoto," and which trail is right for you on Japan's most famous landmark.

When you're out of breath, losing your temper or can't stand the tension in the room, the verb "kireru" can help describe the situation.

Read an article on parental leave and pick up some vocabulary related to raising kids in the modern world.

Read an article on a school in Mie Prefecture that is attempting to modify its school lunches and have a discussion about what makes a healthy lunch.

Jubilo Iwata on Monday named head coach Hideto Suzuki as the new manager of the struggling J. League first-division club, replacing Hiroshi Nanami, who announced his resignation the previous day. Suzuki, a 44-year-old former Japan international, will take the reins at the Yahama Stadium resident, ...

Japan goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt will leave Vegalta Sendai for Sint-Truiden in the Belgian top flight, the clubs said Monday. The 27-year-old will play his final J. League first-division match for Vegalta at home against Kashima Antlers on July 13. Schmidt, who was born in the United ...

His demeanor already stood out before the race. While other sprinters came in and headed to their own starting blocks twice as quickly moments before the men’s 100-meter final — the main event of the four-day competition — Abdul Hakim Sani Brown walked in leisurely ...

B. League Final MVP Yudai Baba is returning to the United States just a few weeks after attending a Dallas Mavericks minicamp. The Alvark Tokyo shooting guard was invited to play for Dallas at the upcoming NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Mavericks assistant coach Mike ...

Red Bull's Max Verstappen survived a stewards' investigation to keep his win in the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, giving the team's Japanese engine manufacturer Honda its first Formula One victory in 13 years. With two laps to go, Dutchman Verstappen made a pass on ...