A three-day conference on African development kicked off Wednesday in Yokohama, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to aggressively promote private-sector investment in Africa in his opening speech but failed to set a new numerical target on funds to be funneled to the continent. Facing ...

Tepco, Chubu Electric Power, Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. said Wednesday they have agreed to discuss potential collaboration on nuclear power, as the industry faces a challenging business environment following the 2011 Fukushima crisis. Amid lingering safety fears over nuclear plants, Tokyo Electric Power Company ...

A vice labor minister quit Wednesday amid allegations that he planned to solicit bribes from a temp agency in return for his help with speeding up visa procedures for foreign nationals the agency intended to dispatch to Japanese firms, labor minister Takumi Nemoto said. The ...

The Defense Ministry presented a detailed plan on Wednesday for new surveys at candidate sites for the deployment of the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system. The new surveys are being conducted because the ministry used flawed data when giving explanations to a local government ...

More than half a century has passed since the normalization of Japan-South Korea ties in 1965. Ahead of the 55th anniversary in 2020, the relationship between the two countries has hit rock bottom.

Government-mandated changes to the discounts mobile carriers can offer on handset devices starting in October could put an end to Apple’s dominant market share.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that the government will consider overhauling the public pension system to make sure it is sustainable in the long term, a day after the government projections showed that pension payouts would fall by nearly a fifth in ...

U.S. President Donald Trump may not mind North Korea’s repeated tests of short-range missiles, but his not-so-begrudging acceptance of the North’s actions is sending an unmistakable message to Asian allies.

South Korea on Wednesday slammed Japan for effectively downgrading Seoul's trade status and accused Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of treating the neighbor as an "adversary." The comments are the latest in a bitter tit-for-tat row stemming from a long-running diplomatic dispute over Japan's use of ...

Toyota will acquire 5 percent of Suzuki shares for about ¥96 billion, while Suzuki will get a smaller holding valued at about ¥48 billion in Japan’s biggest automaker.

Major credit card companies are considering deducting points earned during purchases from the balance requiring payment, under a government rebate program intended to cushion the impact of the consumption tax hike planned for October, it was learned Tuesday. Observers have suggested such a move would ...

From Sunday, visitors to Japan will be able to go cashless while traveling across the country, with major rail operators set to release new rechargeable prepaid transportation IC cards for tourists. The Welcome Suica cards, to be offered by East Japan Railway Co., or JR ...

Former Volkswagen boss Ferdinand Piech, who has died at 82, was the autocratic heir of a storied motoring dynasty who drove VW from the brink of bankruptcy to becoming a global empire. He was celebrated as a visionary corporate leader and brilliant engineer who knew ...

The government has effectively become the top shareholder of Shinsei Bank Ltd., with a stake of about 19 percent in terms of voting rights, replacing U.S. investment fund J.C. Flowers & Co. The fund has completed procedures to sell its stake in the major financial ...

The United States has expressed concern over South Korea's recent military drills on Sea of Japan islands claimed by Tokyo, a senior State Department official said Tuesday, adding that the U.S. hopes the row between the two allies does not worsen. Briefing reporters in Washington, ...

The fires tearing through the Amazon represent a "tipping point" for the health of the rainforest, the head of a top global forestry management body said Wednesday, urging the world to do more to save the trees. The situation in the Amazon is "very urgent," ...

U.S. startups focusing on care products and services for the elderly are tapping into the graying Japanese market, where more than 35 million people are over the age of 65. Seismic, a California-based apparel company, hopes to expand in Japan with its Powered Clothing, a ...

Tokyo Customs on Tuesday started to make electronic customs declaration gates at Narita International Airport available to foreign nationals visiting Japan. The move came in response to the increasing number of foreign visitors ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next summer. Previously, only Japanese ...

Uber Technologies Inc. said Tuesday it will start delivering Lawson Inc. convenience store items on a trial basis starting this week. In the U.S. ride-hailing giant's first delivery tie-up with a convenience store operator, Uber Eats will take orders for around 100 items, including cooked ...

On Tuesday police completed the process of releasing identities of all 35 victims in July's arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio, which took more than a month as they tried to negotiate consent with grieving family members. The same day, police made public ...

In Thailand, the ruling coalition and opposition lawmakers don't agree on much. Yet within both camps there's growing support for legalizing same-sex unions. Seven years of work has yielded a draft bill that is near the final stage of approval in parliament. If passed, Thailand ...

Exasperated with the government's unflinching attitude to escalating civil unrest, Jason Tse quit his job in Australia and jumped on a plane to join what he believes is a do-or-die fight for Hong Kong's future. The Chinese territory is grappling with its biggest crisis since ...

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and its owners, the Sackler family, are in discussion to settle more than 2,000 lawsuits against the company for $10 billion to $12 billion, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Purdue is among several drug-makers and distributors ...

A U.S. trade group representing major technology firms on Tuesday denounced an agreement on France's digital tax announced by Presidents Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron that leaves the levy in place until a new international taxation plan takes effect. The Computer & Communications Industry Association ...

A former top U.S. central banker leaped into the political fray on Tuesday, calling on the Federal Reserve to oppose President Donald Trump's reelection effort next year. Bill Dudley, the influential former president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, also said the Fed should ...

A Canadian appeals court on Tuesday ordered a new trial for two men accused of plotting to derail a passenger train traveling between Toronto and New York, citing errors in the jury selection. Tunisian national Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, a Canadian resident of Palestinian ...

Burundi said on Tuesday it would start repatriating 200,000 of its refugees from neighboring Tanzania in October, sparking fears of forced returns among those who have crossed the border to escape violence. Hundreds of Burundians have been killed in clashes with security forces since 2015, ...

Both Japan and South Korea must aim for objectivity and impartiality in their grasp of their history.

The failure of the government to address the problem stems from the electoral politics to which the protesters are so committed.

Deborah Grow reflects on her journey as a 'judo mom' and her son Sanshiro's dream to become an Olympian.

Oi Racecourse Flea Market is a mismatch of stalls and sellers that is a surprisingly exciting insight into a different side of Tokyo.

In a four-decade career, Haruhiko Arai has become an acclaimed scriptwriter with credits that include "Vibrator" (2003), "It's Only Talk" (2005) and "Kabukicho Love Hotel" (2014), three of the best films by his frequent collaborator, the director Ryuichi Hiroki. Arai also edits and publishes "Eiga ...

The seishun eiga (youth film) is not exclusive to Japan — plenty of films from elsewhere deal with the joys and agonies of adolescence — but this popular genre has acquired certain only-in-Japan quirks. For one thing, many seishun eiga directors are old enough to ...

Two things about "Ni no Kuni." 1) It features a protagonist who uses a wheelchair, an admirable display of diversity and inclusion in a medium that rarely features characters with disabilities. 2) There isn't much else to like about the film. "Ni no Kuni" hit ...

Takeya Nakamura homered twice and drove in five runs, while a costly error by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters paved the way for the Seibu Lions' 10-8 victory on Wednesday afternoon. In a game that was called on account of darkness with no outs in ...

France's Clarisse Agbegnenou survived a huge scare from Miku Tashiro to capture an emotional fourth world judo title Wednesday in a ferocious women's 63-kg final. Israel's Sagi Muki powered to a surprise victory in the men's 81-kg class at Tokyo's iconic Nippon Budokan, the venue ...

Naomi Osaka's rise to the top of women's tennis has been both rapid and historic, powered by a win at the U.S. Open last year to become Japan's first Grand Slam singles champion followed by an Australian Open triumph in January that made her ...

"It's not only boys who can practice and enjoy sumo. There are girls that like sumo too. I hope someday women can become pros." Those were the words of elementary school student Rie Ishibashi, on the day she made history by becoming the first-ever fifth ...

Former Japan men's basketball players Takehiko Orimo and Kei Igarashi are grateful the team's current iteration has raised its level in order to compete on the global level. Orimo, who at 49 years old continues to play for the B. League's Levanga Hokkaido, played for ...

After a night of pomp and circumstance, Fernando Torres' professional career came to a close on Friday as he played his last game wearing the neon blue and pink of Sagan Tosu. Across from him on the pitch were two players with whom he won ...

Japanese midfielder Ritsu Doan is set to transfer from FC Groningen to fellow Dutch first-division side PSV Eindhoven, the latter club announced Tuesday. The 21-year-old joined Groningen in 2017 from the J. League's Gamba Osaka and scored nine goals in his first season with the ...

French authorities investigating corruption in international sports believe a Swiss partner of Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Inc. played a "central and essential role" in deals used to embezzle sponsorship money and have asked Switzerland to raid its office and seize evidence, according to a ...