Although bilateral ties between Beijing and Tokyo are on the mend, a new survey has found that a record high 85 percent of Japanese have unfavorable views of China — a stunning contrast with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's talk of creating a "new era" ...

Organizers of a shuttered art exhibition that included a "comfort woman" statue agreed Monday with the hosts of the Nagoya arts festival of which it was part to reopen the collection to visitors, in a high-profile case that highlights freedom of expression. Having reached the ...

Hyogo Prefecture, which is suffering from poor catches of some fish, has decided to allow greater quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater discharged into the Seto Inland Sea, after deeming its water too clean for fish to live in, officials said Monday. The prefecture ...

China has quietly more than doubled its deployment of mainland security forces in Hong Kong, according to foreign envoys and security analysts, in the most dramatic move yet by Beijing to prepare for a potential worsening of unrest in the global financial center. Last month, ...

Having been handed the defense portfolio in the Sept. 11 Cabinet reshuffle, Defense Minister Taro Kono is now under a spotlight as observers watch for him to prove his credentials as a potential successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Formerly foreign minister, Kono is now ...

Half a century after their debut, Japan's pager services will finally cease on Tuesday, bringing an end to what was once considered a must-have communications tool by high school girls before the advent of mobile phones. Tokyo Telemessage Inc., the nation's sole remaining pager provider, ...

Japan Post Holdings Co.'s top executive vowed Monday to restore public trust after thousands of customers were missold insurance policies. Chief Executive Officer Masatsugu Nagato made the remarks after bowing in apology at a news conference in Tokyo. In an interim report, Japan Post said it ...

Two days after rallying 7 million protesters across the world by invoking the threat of climate change, Greta Thunberg got credit for motivating voters to re-draw the political landscape in Austria. After being frozen out of Parliament just two years ago, the Alpine country's Greens ...

SoftBank Group Corp. is tapping Marcelo Claure to help turn around WeWork after ousting co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Adam Neumann from the corner office last week. Masayoshi Son, the head of SoftBank, WeWork's largest investor, has asked the former chief executive officer of Sprint ...

As Washington and Beijing increasingly clash over global primacy, Japan’s own ties with communist-ruled China have experienced an upswing — at least on the surface — ahead of Tuesday’s 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic.

The move remains unpopular among the public, and only time will tell whether the economy will suffer a deep impact.

Bank of Japan policymakers discussed the potential for further easing at their latest meeting, with one member suggesting another cut to short-term interest rates amid rising expectations for additional stimulus, a summary of their opinions showed Monday. Lingering concerns over the global economic outlook and ...

Forever 21 Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection, adding another big fashion merchant to the tally of retailers who couldn't cope with high rents and heavy competition. Court papers filed in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware show Forever 21 has estimated liabilities ...

Tourists from overseas at a popular sightseeing spot in Kyoto are being reminded of etiquette via their smartphones in a pilot project that began Monday, after local residents complained about behavior such as taking pictures of geisha and their apprentice maiko without permission. The test ...

Starbucks has emerged as the latest brand to fall foul of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters after a family member of the local restaurant chain that owns the local franchise spoke out against demonstrators. Multiple branches were covered with graffiti over the weekend as the city ...

Industrial output shrank more than expected in August, the latest warning that the economy and its manufacturers are facing intensifying pressure amid the bitter U.S.-China trade war. Retail sales, however, expanded at a faster than expected pace, signaling strength in private spending ahead of the ...

The trial of a neo-Nazi "terrorist" cell accused of plotting violent political upheaval in Germany opens Monday amid reports the country's far-right scene is growing more armed and radical. Eight members of the so-called Revolution Chemnitz group aged between 21 and 32 will answer to ...

The Swedish Embassy in Japan hosted an event Sunday to increase the number of articles on women in the online collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia, with the aim of narrowing the gender gap on the internet. According to the embassy, only 17 percent of the individuals given ...

They received money and goods from a former deputy mayor of a town that hosted a Kepco nuclear plant.

Boris Johnson hoped to use his Conservative Party's annual convention to launch his campaign to win the next British general election. Instead, he is fighting for his credibility as prime minister as he faces allegations of sexual impropriety and plots to oust him. After two ...

Naomi Osaka poked fun on Sunday at a Japanese comedy duo's reported comments that the Japanese and Haitian tennis star needed to pick up some "bleach." The relatively unknown female comedy pairing "A Masso" reportedly suggested last week that Osaka needed "bleach," and said the ...

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Democrats are trying to derail the economy with an impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump because they know that otherwise, he'll win re-election in 2020. Ross said economic indicators through August were headed in the right direction before House ...

Nasdaq Inc. is cracking down on initial public offerings (IPOs) of small Chinese companies by tightening restrictions and slowing down their approval, according to regulatory filings, corporate executives and investment bankers. Nasdaq's attempt to limit these stock market flotations comes as a growing number of ...

Five people were injured in a fire that broke out at a new high-speed train station in Saudi Arabia's western city of Jeddah on Sunday, state television reported, with huge palls of smoke seen rising into the air. The station serves the main Haramain High ...

On Friday, newly appointed Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai promised to reform his ministry, including a pledge to more stringently enforce laws and regulations related to immigration. Kawai said the increase of the foreign worker quota under a new visa program that took effect in April ...

Protesters blocked several main roads in the Lebanese capital, some setting tires and rubbish bins on fire, as several hundred people gathered in the heart of the city on Sunday to protest corruption and deteriorating economic conditions. Demonstrators carrying signs and flags marched along a ...

Boeing Co. engineers working on the 737 Max passenger plane's flight-control system omitted safeguards included in an earlier version of the system used on a military tanker jet, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. The engineers who created ...

A fire broke out on Sunday at a container inside a crowded refugee camp on the eastern Greek island of Lesbos close to Turkey and then the refugees clashed with police, the emergency services said. Thick smoke could be seen rising over the Moria camp, ...

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake, which measured shindo 3 on the Japanese intensity scale, was detected at a depth of 60 km in northern Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday at 1:02 a.m. There is currently no tsunami warning in effect. As a precaution, those near coastal areas are ...

What is truly at stake now is the future of democracy in South Korea.

The Abe administration has sacrificed so much to cooperate with the re-election of Trump.

Some people will tell you to watch TV to improve your Japanese, but the real classroom is a karaoke box.

There's no one way to count in Japanese, it just depends on what you're counting. The most standard comes with a "tsu" on the end.

For the first time in 38 years a pope is visiting Japan. Read about his plans in Japanese.

An English-language article looks at the damage done from a typhoon and introduces new vocabulary to talk about it.

A joke about her skin hasn't bothered Naomi Osaka, but there are broader ramifications from such kind of comedy.

The Hanshin Tigers beat the Chunichi Dragons 3-0 on Monday in their final regular-season game to edge the Hiroshima Carp out of third place in the Central League and clinch a spot in the Climax Series. The Tigers recorded their fourth shutout in five games ...

The Rugby World Cup Pool C clash between France and the United States will be held as scheduled despite an earlier announcement that an approaching typhoon could disrupt the schedule, organizers said Monday. On Sunday, World Cup organizers warned both sides that Wednesday's game in ...

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has appealed to rival coaches and pundits to lay off referees at the Rugby World Cup as match officials continue to face strident criticism. Even the sport's controlling body lambasted referees in a public statement after the first weekend, complaining ...

Midfielder Ritsu Doan came off the bench in the second half to score his first goal for PSV Eindhoven in Sunday's 4-0 thrashing of PEC Zwolle in the Dutch first division. Doan entered the game six minutes after the break and found the net in ...

Entering the 2019-20 season, the Alvark Tokyo recalibrated their roster in order to set off on an ambitious quest for a third consecutive B. League title. The Alvark took a positive step in pursuit of their goals on Sunday in Bangkok, winning the FIBA Asia ...

England's Joe Marler put on a clinic in the art of international diplomacy at the Rugby World Cup on Monday, laying down the law on Japan's bathing etiquette. The Harlequins prop rebuked English journalists for "offending Japanese culture" by wearing trunks in an "onsen" — ...

Takehiko Orimo, who at 49 years of age is the oldest basketball player in the B. League, will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 season, his club Levanga Hokkaido said Monday. Orimo, who will enter his 27th career season, will announce his retirement at ...

Uruguay notched its biggest win at the Rugby World Cup with an opening-game upset of Fiji in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture on Wednesday, a result that has made the team a hot topic back home. "I think that our game against Fiji has given a big ...

For nearly 20 years Shinnosuke Abe's go-to phrase during hero interviews, following some heroic feat on the baseball diamond, has been "saikō desu" (the best). He'd be asked a question and would often shout the phrase as his response as the crowd ate it ...

The Japan Rugby Football Union has started negotiations over a contract extension for Brave Blossoms head coach Jamie Joseph as Rugby World Cup fever sweeps across the host nation, sources familiar with the matter said Monday. According to sources, the JRFU and Joseph are discussing ...

Step aside Beauden Barrett, Owen Farrell and Siya Kolisi — the real MVP of the 2019 Rugby World Cup so far is "Bak-san." Japan's scantily clad superfan — real name Hiroshi Moriyama — has become a global social media sensation since the tournament began on ...

Wales super-sub Rhys Patchell hailed his team's kicking prowess after beating Australia on Sunday, claiming "tries don't win World Cups." The Welsh held off a fierce second-half fightback from the Wallabies to claim a 29-25 win at Tokyo Stadium, taking control of Pool D with ...