Over 500 public schools in Chiba Prefecture, or some 40 percent of the total in the area, have confirmed damaged due to Typhoon Faxai, which hit the region earlier this month, according to a Kyodo News tally based on local government data. Altogether, 548 public ...

The number of South Korean visitors to Japan tumbled 48.0 percent in August from a year earlier, to 308,700, government data showed Wednesday, amid escalating tensions between the two neighbors over wartime history and trade policy. The estimated number of visitors from overseas fell 2.2 ...

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Wednesday that Tokyo urgently demands Seoul eliminate “violations of international law” regarding wartime Korean labor issues.

How would you like to spend an afternoon dangling 450 meters above the ground in a metal basket with room for only two people? For Takuma Tachibana, it's just another day at the office. "I've always liked high places," says the 32-year-old, as he prepares for ...

New Defense Minister Taro Kono held back on Wednesday from saying that Iran was involved in last week's attack on Saudi Arabia's Aramco oil plants, highlighting how Japan's position on rising tensions in the Middle East differs from that of the United States. "Although the ...

The government plans to require mobile carriers KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Corp. to ensure that customers of their new discount plans will have their handsets unlocked for usage on any network immediately, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. The two companies unveiled the plans ...

The suspect in the deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in July, who is in hospital with severe burns, has recovered to the extent that he can practice speaking again, investigative sources said Wednesday. Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Shinji ...

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed her eagerness to promote active use of fifth-generation, or 5G, communications networks for rural areas. "I want to fully utilize the 5G technology ... in order for people to live safely and get high-quality welfare and ...

Toyota Motor Corp. rolled out a new model of the Corolla on Tuesday, making it the firm's first fully redesigned sedan in about seven years. Featuring a low center of gravity with a sportier design, the new sedan has a touch-screen display that can send ...

Electricity futures trading was launched on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) on Tuesday, with the expectation it will help new power companies achieve stable management and thus facilitate competition in the nation's electricity market. The futures market got off to a quiet start with low ...

FactCheck Initiative Japan, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that analyzes information provided by politicians, has found issues with a number of claims that were made in relation to the July 21 Upper House election. Of the 11 claims of false or misleading statements and information it ...

The change means that exports of some strategic goods to Japan will receive greater scrutiny than shipments to 28 other fast-track destinations, South Korea’s trade ministry said Wednesday.

All eight crew members of a fishing boat are missing after it capsized 600 kilometers off Hokkaido on Tuesday, the Japan Coast Guard said Wednesday. An overturned vessel found by a search aircraft east of Nemuro on Tuesday was confirmed to be the Keiei Maru ...

In last week's Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe replaced some of the key personnel responsible for handling the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals — again demonstrating his determination to resolve the decadeslong problem. Abe's final term as president of the ruling ...

Toyota Motor Corp. and one of its top suppliers will invest a combined $791 million (¥85.59 billion) in Texas to build next-generation pickups as part of a drive to boost output in the U.S. and ease trade tensions with the Trump administration. The announcement Toyota ...

The body of Ryosuke Shindo, 9, was found near stairs in his apartment building hours after his mother informed the police he had failed to return home from his English conversation school.

Attention is being paid to the course of crude oil prices following a surge stemming from Saturday's attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, with higher prices, if prolonged, seen as likely to affect firms and households in Japan. "Developments similar to those during the ...

At U.S. Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina, three brand-new Osprey tilt-rotor transporters are waiting to be deployed to Japan next March. The aircraft, emblazoned with the Japanese flag, are used for aircrew and maintenance training for troops sent from the Air ...

Hong Kong's government doesn't see any benefit in conceding to more demands from protesters, according to a top adviser to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, though the increasingly violent demonstrations are unlikely to stop anytime soon. Radical demonstrators — some of whom have lobbed gasoline bombs ...

The world faces a mounting threat of pandemics that could kill millions and wreak economic havoc, a international expert panel warns, saying governments should work to mitigate that risk. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, convened by the World Bank and the World Health Organization, said ...

Hong Kong democracy activists urged members of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to pass legislation to combat human rights abuses in the city, rejecting any suggestion that such a move would be inappropriate U.S. involvement in another country's affairs. "This is not a plea for ...

Facebook on Tuesday teamed up with the London police to help its artificial intelligence tools track livestreams of terror attacks such as the New Zealand mosque massacre. A self-professed white supremacist used a head-mounted camera in March to broadcast live footage on Facebook of him ...

At a variety of levels Saudi Arabia is deeply engaged economically with Japan, and in many areas beyond oil.

Russia's offer to sell air defense systems to Saudi Arabia is really a bid to replace the U.S. as the region's go-to problem solver.

I'm fine with playing the German to humor my Japanese acquaintances — just not one German in particular.

An internship at a Japanese office can teach you a lot about the country's business culture.

Does the name "Stromboli" elicit images of the volcanic island off the coast of Italy for you? How about the 1950 film starring Ingrid Bergman, or the delicious turnover? Well, the fine folks at ARK would like to introduce you to a new Stromboli, and ...

In the late 1980s, a group of Japanese women came together to form the country's first female rugby club, efforts that have been immortalized in a short film by Mackenzie Sheppard

Mackenzie Sheppard's short take on the birth of women's rugby in Japan is a lesson in inspiration, emotion and breaking down barriers

Mika Ninagawa's "No Longer Human" tells the story of celebrated Japanese author Osamu Dazai, with a particular focus on his turbulent love life

Tomohiko Ito's anime feature "Hello World" sees the breaking down of the borders between present and future, and the perils and pitfalls of comupter-generated worlds

Zach Neal allowed five hits over eight innings to win his 10th-straight decision as the Seibu Lions beat the Orix Buffaloes 5-0 in the Pacific League on Wednesday. The Seibu win and a loss by the second-place Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks dropped the Lions' magic number ...

Risako Kawai booked her spot in next year's Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday along with compatriot Hiroe Minagawa as both advanced to the finals of their weight classes at the world wrestling championships in the capital city of Kazakhstan. The 24-year-old Kawai, who defeated four-time Olympic ...

Defending champions Kashima Antlers exited the Asian Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday with a 1-1 home draw against China's Guangzhou Evergrande. The teams had played to a scoreless draw in the first leg and Guangzhou advanced to the semifinals on away goals. Needing to win at ...

There are many ways of classifying rikishi and discussing those groups' various merits. Who are the best yokozuna or ozeki of all time for example? Which stable has been most dominant in history? Name your top ten Mongolians. The possibilities are numerous. In the early 2000s, one ...

Takakeisho pulled off a big win at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday, defeating ozeki Tochinoshin to remain in a tie for the lead in his bid to get re-promoted and win a second top-division title. The young sekiwake earned his fourth-straight win of ...

After seven years of hard work, the J. League's vaunted "Asian Strategy" has resulted in some significant successes. Building on them will be an even bigger challenge. European stars such as Andres Iniesta and David Villa may be giving the J. League its long-awaited global exposure, ...

China has chosen its most iconic animal — the panda — to be the official mascot of the Beijing Olympics in 2022, the Winter Games organizing committee announced Tuesday. The mascot, named Bing Dwen Dwen, is a chubby giant panda wearing a suit of ice. The ...