Japan is making arrangements for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pledge about $8.55 billion at a U.N. meeting next month in New York as part of the country's contribution to attaining development goals set by the body, government sources said Tuesday. Of the total sum ...

Ever since a section of a public art exhibition in Nagoya was closed after coming under a barrage of complaints and threats, Japan has been in a state of introspection over its freedom of expression. Amid the intense debate, two fundamental questions remain: In the age ...

People who traveled in Japan by rail, air and road decreased from a year earlier during the Bon summer holidays due to a heavy storm. The six passenger service companies of the Japan Railways Group said 13.56 million people used bullet and other express trains ...

In a move to counter the ruling bloc, Yukio Edano and Yuichiro Tamaki agreed Tuesday to merge their kaiha parliamentary groups in both houses of the Diet.

A major cultural and technological complex to be built near Tokyo's Haneda airport has a name: Haneda Innovation City, or HICity for short. Haneda Future Development Co. announced plans in May 2018 for the complex, which will be located near the airport's international terminal. Some ...

The U.S. military has conducted a flight test of a type of missile banned for more than 30 years, under a treaty from which it bolted earlier this month, the Pentagon said Monday, in a move experts said was likely to have been closely ...

Crown Prince Akishino, Crown Princess Kiko and their 12-year-old son Prince Hisahito met Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Jetsun Pema on Monday and spent time together in the capital city of Thimphu. A classical Bhutanese dance was performed and a band ...

When Japan decided to pick a fight with South Korea last month, it dug deep into the supply chain to impose sanctions on three obscure materials made by a handful of Japanese companies few have ever heard of. The most powerful weapon in Tokyo's campaign ...

Twitter and Facebook have accused the Chinese government of backing a social media campaign to discredit Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and sow political discord in the city. The American tech giants announced Monday they had suspended nearly 1,000 active accounts linked to the campaign, while ...

A 43-year-old man was referred to prosecutors Tuesday for allegedly punching a man after forcing him to pull over on an expressway in Ibaraki Prefecture in a road-rage incident that has captured national attention. Fumio Miyazaki, a company executive from Osaka, has admitted to the ...

Planned Parenthood said Monday it is pulling out of the federal family planning program rather than abide by a new Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions. Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood's acting president and CEO, said the organization's nationwide network of ...

The plan to stop short of issuing a communique reflects the wide rift between the U.S. and Europe over issues such as free trade and climate change.

While organizers are striving to mitigate heat risks for visitors, it is also seen as necessary to plan for a large number of people requiring medical attention.

The operator of a global network of radioactivity sensors said Monday its two Russian sites closest to a mysterious explosion on Aug. 8 went offline two days after the blast, raising concern about possible tampering by Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry, which operates the two ...

At least eight pop stars from mainland China and one each from Taiwan and Hong Kong are publicly stating their support for Beijing's "One China" policy, eliciting a mixture of disappointment and understanding from fans. Many of the statements came after protesters opposed to Beijing's ...

By continuing to freeze the bilateral relationship, the two countries prevent themselves from pursuing policy issues that are critical to their futures, including the endgame for the denuclearization of North Korea.

As droughts become more frequent and severe, China's dam network gives it increasing leverage over downriver countries.

Yoshio Toyama and his wife, Keiko, have spent most of their lives as unofficial musical ambassadors between Japan and the American city of New Orleans. In New Orleans, Toyama, a trumpeter and singer, is known as the "Satchmo of Japan" for his skillful ability to ...

It's 100 years since the Bauhaus art and design school first opened in Weimar, Germany, and the new Muji flagship store in Ginza is as good a venue as any to hold an anniversary exhibition celebrating the values of simple, affordable modernist design.

Shogo Akiyama drove in two runs to give the Seibu Lions the lead in a 4-2 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday. Akiyama turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth on a bases-loaded single off ...

Olympic favorite Janja Garnbret defended her world title, while Akiyo Noguchi secured a spot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a runner-up finish in the women's combined event at the IFSC World Championships at Esforta Arena Hachioji on Tuesday. Garnbret, a 20-year-old Slovenian, secured the ...

Steve Hansen will not be wrapping his players in cotton wool ahead of the Rugby World Cup, with the All Blacks coach confirming he will give his core group a run against Tonga in their final match ahead of the global showpiece. The All Blacks, ...

South Africa released four players from a training camp in Bloemfontein Monday, effectively narrowing to 32 the contenders for the 31-man Rugby World Cup squad to be named next week. A South African Rugby Union Statement said props Lizo Gqoboka and Thomas du Toit, lock ...

Al Jackson, a tough left-hander who provided a rare glint of hope in the early days of the woebegone New York Mets, has died at 83. His death was announced by the Mets, for whom he worked for 50 years as a pitcher, major league ...

The Los Angeles Angels squandered a six-run lead and lost to the Texas Rangers in their first trip back to the Lone Star State since pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room last month, falling 8-7 in 11 innings on Monday. Isiah ...

Now is the time for accomplished junior Nana Araki to shine. The 17-year-old from Higashiura, Aichi Prefecture, will begin her third season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit on Thursday at the season-opening event in Courchevel, France. Araki, a senior in high school, has finished in ...

A special rugby shrine opened in the Marunouchi business district of central Tokyo on Tuesday, ahead of the Rugby World Cup starting in a month. Goal posts resembling a Shinto torii gateway and a bell shaped like a rugby ball to be rung by worshippers ...

What started as an innocuous conversation during a public event has evolved into a golf partnership between NBA star Stephen Curry and Howard University. The two-time NBA MVP announced Monday that he is helping Howard re-establish a golf program. Curry is providing a donation that ...

Paul Pogba pulled his jersey over his face when the final whistle sounded, his latest spot-kick failure costing Manchester United two points and casting doubt over the wisdom of the team rotating its penalty-takers. The France midfielder saw his 68th-minute attempt saved — his fourth ...

Jack Whitaker, whose Hall of Fame broadcasting career ranged from the first Super Bowl to Secretariat's Triple Crown to short essays from major sporting events, died Sunday morning, CBS reported. The network said Whitaker died of natural causes in his sleep in Devon, Pennsylvania. He ...

Japan winger Akihito Yamada said on Monday he is still targeting a spot on his country's Rugby World Cup squad after joining French club Lyon on loan. Yamada, 34, who started his nation's shock victory over South Africa at the tournament four years ago, signed ...