When the government raised the consumption tax from 5 percent to 8 percent in April 2014, Japan suffered a recession. One possible indicator if such a downturn will happen prior to next month's long-delayed hike to 10 percent is how much people are spending ...

Progress: good, or bad? Bad, thought Confucius, who for hundreds of years taught Japan to seek its ideals in the ancient past. Good, thought 19th-century modernizers, who redirected the nation's gaze to the future. Prominent among modernizers was Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901), for whom civilization and ...

For elementary school children in Japan, their weeks-long summer vacation isn't entirely a time for leisure. Instead, it's overshadowed by a stack of homework that features, among other things, an assignment known as jiyū kenkyū (independent project). As the name suggests, jiyū kenkyū is an ...

Protesters burned a Chinese flag and police fired pepper spray during a march Saturday in an outlying district of Hong Kong in renewed clashes over anti-government grievances. Police accused protesters of spraying water at officers during the march by several thousand people in Tuen Mun ...

China and the Solomon Islands on Saturday signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties after the Pacific island nation ditched relations with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a Chinese province and seeks to cut off from the international community. The Chinese government's top diplomat, State ...

A day after millions marched to urge world leaders to act on climate change, thousands of activists fanned out across beaches and rivers throughout Asia on Saturday, picking up garbage and drawing attention to the amount of trash that is dumped worldwide. The volunteers turned ...

Typhoon Tapah, the season’s 17th typhoon, strengthens and threatens to bring heavy rain and winds to wide areas of Japan over the weekend, the Meteorological Agency said.

Masses of children skipped school to join a global strike against climate change that teen activist Greta Thunberg said was "only the beginning," ahead of a U.N. youth summit she will participate in Saturday. Some 4 million people filled city streets around the world, organizers ...

U.S. President Donald Trump has declared the federal government is done with five decades of letting California police its own air quality. But the state is now taking the federal government to court, and judges will have the last word. Some law professors doubt Trump ...

Family members of a mother and her daughter who were killed after being struck by a car driven by an 88-year-old man in Tokyo in April have submitted a petition to prosecutors seeking the driver’s indictment.

The Tokyo District Court is expected to hold the first hearing for former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn on April 21 on charges he underreported his remuneration by around ¥9 billion over eight years.

Supposedly outdated content formats like LPs and print allow consumers — and marketers — to go beyond the masses.

Since 2006, Ginpachi has been raising bees on the rooftops of Ginza, creating a local hive-to-table network of apiaries and bee gardens, prooving nature is never far from daily life.

Public speaking coach Lipschutz has a plenty to say about taking command of language in a foreign country.

The third UNESCO-commended washi paper, Hosokawa-shi from Saitama Prefecture, was once used to keep records and accounts but is now used to make art prints and to preserve and restore cultural properties.

After cooking in Italy, Australia and Denmark for over a decade, kaiseki chef Taka Nishimura returned to Kyoto to open Yanagi Koji Taka, a small, local joint with a menu of perfectly executed bar food.

At Cafe Y, "Toast Lady" Chisato Kijima has been serving airline personnel, students and local families massive, homestyle meals for 43 years and counting.

Although the dorayaki pancake is almost always on convenience store shelves, Lawson, Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart have each rolled out new flavors for the fall.

Japanologist and product designer Zacher on Japanese design, gadgets and university scholarships.

The oldest surviving quarter of Toba, Mie Prefecture, pins its hopes on crafts and small businesses to stay afloat.

Author William Plomer came to Japan during the 1920s following the publication of "Turbott Wolfe." Hugely inspired by the country, in his later life he persuaded Benjamin Britten to watch a noh performance, inspiring him to write the opera "Curlew River," and publisher Jonathan ...

"Japanese Linguistics" is a broad-spectrum primer on Japanese, covering everything from grammar to the social context of the language, for the undergraduate student or avid polyglot alike.

Set in the early 17th century, "The Swords of Silence" focuses on the plight of Japan's hidden Christians and the closing of Japan to foreign trade and relations — with a fantasy twist.

Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara wrapped an arm about Shinnosuke Abe, one of his longest-serving veterans, as they walked toward the left-field stands at Yokohama Stadium, where their fans were waiting to greet them with rapturous applause. The pair, who have been through so many ...

Naomi Osaka beat Elise Mertens of Belgium on Saturday to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, thrilling her Japanese fans in the city of her birth. Top seed Osaka dispatched No. 9 seed Mertens 6-4, 6-1 to reach her first final since winning ...

Three wrestlers head into the final day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament tied for the lead, with sekiwake duo Takakeisho and Mitakeumi winning on Saturday to set up a showdown with surprise rank-and-filer Okinoumi. The two wrestlers at sumo's third-highest rank will battle for ...

One of the side effects of having Hakuho, the greatest rikishi of all time, succeed another legend in Asashoryu at the top of the sumo pile, is that fans in recent years have become accustomed to seeing dominant championship performances. There have been 24 perfect ...

Kaho Minagawa on Friday secured Japan one of the 21 Tokyo Olympic berths up for grabs at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships. The top 16 individuals from the all-around final and the best five teams in group exercises earn their national federations the right to ...

Freddie Freeman didn't care that his eyes kept tearing up from all the beer and champagne soakings. It seemed like every teammate stopped by to blast him, and he loved every minute of it. "This is the first step of hopefully a few celebrations to come," ...

Antonio Brown was released by the New England Patriots on Friday after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct. New England is the third team in seven months to tire of the off-field behavior that has overshadowed his accomplishments as one of the ...

Kei Nishikori announced Saturday that he will skip the upcoming Rakuten Japan Open and Shanghai Masters due to pain in his right arm and elbow. "I have some good news and some bad news. These past days I sat down with my medical team to ...