South Korea on Wednesday observed its official "comfort women" memorial day for a second year, with a ceremony commemorating Korean women who worked in Japanese military's wartime brothels, including those who did so against their will. The memorial day was marked as relations with Japan ...

Shocking scenes of pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong's airport beating two men accused of being infiltrators have sparked soul-searching within the movement over whether a minority of radicals are undermining their cause. Debate has appeared on web forums used by protesters — and one group ...

U.S. President Donald Trump bowed to pressure from American businesses and concerns over the economic fallout of his trade war with China, delaying the imposition of new tariffs on a wide variety of consumer products including toys and laptops until December. Tuesday's move to at ...

Narita International Airport may find it hard to retain its standing as a pan-Asian transport hub after Delta Air Lines Inc. decided to leave. The U.S. airline plans to transfer all U.S.-Tokyo flights to Tokyo International Airport at Haneda in March 2020, when new routes ...

The world's No. 1 smartphone-maker Samsung Electronics Co. became the latest global brand to face criticism Wednesday for damaging China's "territorial integrity," with a Chinese K-pop star ending an endorsement contract. The row broke out after Chinese viewers noticed that the South Korean tech giant ...

Major drugstore chain Cocokara Fine Inc. said Wednesday it will enter merger negotiations with industry peer Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings Co. If the two giants merge, they would create an industry leader with sales of some ¥1 trillion. Amid intensifying competition, further realignment moves are likely to follow, ...

Core private-sector machinery orders saw the largest increase on record in June thanks to strong demand from the transport industry, government data showed Wednesday. The orders, which exclude ships and those placed by electric utilities due to their volatility, rose 13.9 percent from the previous ...

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are among dozens of companies that bought data detailing the job-hunting activities of potential hires, it was learned Tuesday. The data related to the probability of student job-hunters declining informal job offers. It was compiled by employment data ...

Japan and South Korea are planning to send senior officials to Guam later this week to discuss ways to de-escalate a dispute over trade and wartime history, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. The talks, expected to take place Friday and Saturday, are being arranged in an ...

Once the icon of the Japanese electronics industry and a must-have device, Sony's Walkman turned 40 this year and like its now middle-aged fans is clinging to its youth with high-tech updates. On July 1, 1979, as the global economy suffered through the second oil ...

For Kaori Nukui, who grows Japanese tea and log-grown shiitake mushrooms, farming is a creative endeavor that allows her to turn her agricultural yield into unique products with a playful twist. Two of the products created by the 41-year-old former public relations consultant from Saitama ...

Japan Post Co. will not require staff to meet sales targets for gifts marketed in its catalogs after those unable to meet the quota made up for the shortfall from their own pockets. The national post office operator has abolished the quotas for fiscal 2019, ...

China's Hong Kong liaison office said Wednesday that anti-government protesters were no different from "terrorists," and U.S. President Donald Trump said Chinese troops were moving to the border with Hong Kong and urged calm. The Beijing-based Hong Kong and Macao Affairs office Wednesday said extremely ...

The negative interest rate policy — an unconventional gambit once only considered by economies with chronically low inflation, such as Europe and Japan — is becoming a more attractive option for other central banks eager to counter unwelcome currency rises. In Asia, central banks in ...

Japan Airlines and Star Flyer separately said Tuesday that alcohol was found on the breath of male co-pilots at the two carriers in preflight tests, and that they were prevented from boarding their scheduled flights as a result. A 54-year-old JAL co-pilot claimed that he ...

Deaths were recorded in 20 prefectures outside the capital, while Tokyo had the highest number of people sent to hospitals at 1,465, followed by Saitama and Osaka prefectures.

Britain and the United States are discussing a partial trade accord that could take effect on Nov. 1, the day after Britain is due to leave the European Union, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday. During a visit to London, U.S. national security ...

Measles cases nearly tripled globally during the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2018, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, amid growing concern over public resistance to the vaccine. So far this year, 364,808 measles cases were reported around ...

Residents were frightened of the bear, which seemed accustomed to humans and was unafraid of patrol sirens. It was often spotted wandering into gardens and eating fruit.

An uptick in tourists visiting Japan to climb its magnificent mountains has led to a novel problem: an increase in the number of them getting lost. Japan's lofty peaks and upland trails are managed differently from those in many other countries, including lighter supervision when ...

The Foreign Ministry advised Japanese residents in South Korea and visitors to avoid areas in which Japan-related protests and gatherings are expected on Wednesday and Thursday.

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido warned President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday that any attempts to bring forward parliamentary elections would end in "disaster" for the government. Elections to renew the National Assembly, the only branch of government under opposition control, are set for December 2020. But ...

Prominent Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has rejected a proposal to secure her release from prison in exchange for a video statement denying reports she was tortured in custody, her family said on Tuesday. Hathloul, along with at least a dozen other women's rights ...

Hosting the games will call on the best of Japanese expertise, innovation and imagination to bring out the best in the athletes competing in very challenging conditions.

Current events in Asia echo the days of British rule.

The Sophia Refugee Support Group offers an opportunity to meet the locals in cafes and classes, and for those in detention centers they provide a sympathetic ear.

No food, lots of ID and a multitude of paperwork: There are lots of regulations when visiting people being held at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.

The Japanese debut performance of Korean pop group Stray Kids planned for next month should be an unquestionably good thing. The fledgling male outfit has been gaining steam since emerging in 2017, with its nine members having already played shows in Southeast Asia, Australia, ...

Last year, Shinichiro Ueda made Japanese film history with "One Cut of the Dead," a zombie comedy he scripted and directed. Opening in just two Tokyo theaters in June, 2018, the film ended up earning ¥3.21 billion — or more than 1,000 times its ...

The late Kirin Kiki maintained such an industrious work schedule that moviegoers have had multiple chances to pay their last respects since she passed away last September. "Cherry Blossoms and Demons" is her actual swan song, albeit one that all but the most ardent ...

Opera great Placido Domingo defended himself against multiple allegations of sexual harassment Tuesday, insisting that he believed all interactions and relationships throughout his long career "were always welcomed and consensual." In a report by AP, several accusers, one of whom was identified, accused Domingo of ...

Japan’s men’s national team was left with a bitter pill to swallow after a 104-87 loss against New Zealand on Wednesday in a warm-up game at Culttz Kawasaki for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China. The Akatsuki Five had defeated the same opponent 99-89 ...

Tetsuto Yamada and Keiji Obiki both bagged three-run homers in the first inning, opening the floodgates as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows blew away the Yokohama BayStars 15-2 in the Central League on Wednesday. With their offense clicking into gear from the outset, the last-place Swallows ...

Japanese skateboarder Yuto Horigome said Wednesday he is aiming to secure a 2020 Tokyo Olympics berth by finishing on the podium at the park world championships in Brazil next month. "With less than a year to go, the Olympics are coming up fast," the U.S.-based ...

For many, the words "training camp" and "summer" are synonymous with American football and particularly the NFL. Ever since George Plimpton's 1966 book "Paper Lion" first drew back the curtain on what takes place inside a professional football camp, sports fans have been fascinated by ...

The remaining days of one of the J. League's most tenacious managers may be numbered. This week's conclusion of the summer transfer window has been largely overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Shonan Bellmare boss Cho Kwi-jea and accusations of power harassment that could force him ...