Not too long ago, domestic media organizations would rarely have anything negative to say about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but as the actual games draw nearer, there's been a greater willingness to find fault with preparations and even raise a bit of alarm. Everything ...

How we hate each other. The pertinent Japanese word is kireru, suggestive of a sudden outburst of uncontrollable rage. The Asahi Shimbun last month described a kireyasui shakai (a society in which it's easy to lose your temper). Surveying 1,586 individuals at random, it found ...

An object that appeared to be a drone spotted flying near Osaka's Kansai International Airport led to the temporary closure of the major hub on Saturday evening, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism said. The airport's two runways were halted for about 40 minutes ...

There has been plenty wrong with conversations on social media over the past decade and yet it’s hard to argue that online platforms are anything other than essential in an emergency. This was almost certainly the case when Typhoon Hagibis made landfall on mainland Japan ...

We must know, "that a haiku does not express ideas but that it puts forward images reflecting intuitions." — Daisetsu T. Suzuki

Disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs) have been deployed to areas in Japan where medical institutions were severely damaged by massive Typhoon Hagibis last weekend. According to the health ministry, a total of 29 medical institutions in Fukushima, Tochigi and other prefectures were flooded, and seven ...

Some of Japan's eastern and northeastern regions were bracing for the chance of more floods and landslides, as heavy rain threatened to drench areas that are still reeling from the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in decades a week ago. In Chiba Prefecture, ...

Japanese and South Korean officials held an unofficial meeting in Monaco on Friday over Seoul's claim that the Sea of Japan, which lies between the two countries, should be called the East Sea, the South Korean government said Saturday. The Monaco meeting, presided over by ...

Amid the threat of rain Saturday, 16 Extinction Rebellion protesters gathered in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park to call for action on climate change. The protest follows a climate march in Tokyo in September that attracted 2,800 students and environmental activists. "We hope the protest raises awareness of ...

South Korean police detained 19 students on Friday after several climbed over the wall into the grounds of the U.S. ambassador's residence in Seoul in protest against the U.S. troop presence in the country. The group, which identifies itself as a coalition of progressive university ...

Some 400 foreign VIPs are slated to attend Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony in Tokyo on Tuesday, the government said Friday. The foreign guests include Britain's Prince Charles, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the government's secretariat ...

Past cases have involved civilians, making the latest incident involving a national university professor, equivalent to a public servant, the first of its kind.

Concerns related to money laundering and illicit finance have cast a shadow on Facebook Inc.’s plan to launch its Libra currency next year.

A key hurdle to extending a landmark nuclear treaty between the U.S. and Russia isn't Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin. It is China. The New START treaty, the last major arms control accord between the world's two nuclear superpowers, is set to expire in early ...

U.S. astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir on Friday became the first female pairing to carry out a spacewalk — a historic milestone as NASA prepares to send the first woman to the moon. "It symbolizes exploration by all that dare to dream and work ...

The government released video footage Friday showing last week's collision between a Fisheries Agency patrol ship and a North Korean fishing vessel in an effort to demonstrate that Japan took appropriate action. The 13-minute video shows that the North Korean vessel sank after colliding with ...

An audit board has urged the Defense Ministry to negotiate with the U.S. so that such delays will be resolved as soon as possible.

Some 4,000 people were still being forced to live in evacuation centers in 10 of the nation's 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, as of Friday, about a week after Typhoon Hagibis laid waste to central and eastern sections of the archipelago. With landslides still a danger ...

With obesity rates soaring, countries like Singapore and Malaysia are weighing aggressive interventions.

Albert Kuwano Bakonyvari beckons me inside his factory's steam chamber, where hundreds of plump, white, crescent-shaped gyōza dumplings are neatly lined on stacks of trays fitted in steel racks, waiting to be sent to the freezer. "Want to try one? I bet you haven't eaten ...

Lotus root may be fairly bland on its own, but adding a mustard-miso filling gives it a pop of flavor — and maybe some additional health benefits, too.

Shifting from a background in political science to studying languages and then training as a chef, Sekine says he only serves a menu degustation at his Paris restaurant Dersou because, "I want to be free, actually ... from everything."

Juttoku offers the opportunity to indulge in a unique medium of self-expression by creating your very own incense.

For more than a decade, Tama has been the place to come for one of Tokyo's more unusual menus, a unique and stylish hybrid that it calls Ryukyu-Chinese. It's a blend of Okinawa specialties, such as ashitebichi (pig's trotter) and chanpurū (stir-fried tofu, meat ...

Starbucks Coffee Japan's new trio of treats brings the Halloween spirit with blood-red berries.

Now showcasing an impressive 300 designers and brands in over 100 locations, Designart Tokyo 2019 has branched out to include two new areas to it venues list — Shinjuku and Ginza — and introduces a slew of high-profile participants.

Despite living in the country for over 30 years, Pico Iyer is a self-described "Japan beginner." His new book, "A Beginner's Guide to Japan," is full of often contradictory musings and vignettes that invite readers to expand or refute.

Naoko Takeuchi's "Sailor Moon" is one of the most popular manga for girls of all time, and "beautiful guardian warriors" remains a global trend across a wide spectrum of adolescent literature today.

Kodai Senga gave the Yomiuri Giants chances early on as he worked his way into Game 1 of this year's Japan Series. Once the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ace finally got going, however, the Giants' hopes faded with each retired batter. Senga outdueled Shun Yamaguchi in a ...

Two-time defending champion New Zealand cruised into a Rugby World Cup semifinal matchup against England after dismantling Ireland 46-14 on Saturday night. Ireland had beaten the All Blacks in two of their previous three encounters heading into their quarterfinal at Tokyo Stadium, but New Zealand ...

England stormed into the Rugby World Cup final four with a convincing 40-16 win over Australia in the quarterfinals before a crowd of 36,954 at Oita Stadium on Saturday. The Europeans, who experienced the humiliation of being eliminated in the pool phase at the tourney's ...

FC Tokyo drew even with J. League first division leader Kashima Antlers on 56 points with a 3-1 rout at Vissel Kobe on Saturday. Yojiro Takahagi, Arthur Silva and Kento Hashimoto all delivered vital goals for the second-place club, which now trails Kashima on goal ...

The Utsunomiya Brex overcame SeaHorses Mikawa newcomer Davante Gardner's game-high 40 points to earn a 92-86 series-opening home win on Saturday. Ryan Rossiter paced the Brex (4-2) with 20 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Five teammates also scored in double figures: Makoto Hiejima, ...

Japan's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa on Sunday could well end up being determined by which coach is the better poker player. At first glance, it would appear Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has made his intentions very clear by packing his bench with ...

MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will eye his 10th win of the season after snatching pole position on Saturday for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Honda rider clocked 1 minute, 45.763 seconds for his first pole start in the premier class at Twin Ring Motegi, ...

While Japan's first-ever quarterfinal match at the Rugby World Cup will be remembered as a new page in the sport's history, it will also serve as a time to revisit the accomplishments of former playmaker and coach Seiji Hirao who helped lay the foundation ...

NBA rookie star Zion Williamson is expected to miss a span of weeks at the start of the season with a sore right knee, according to multiple reports Friday. The New Orleans Pelicans newcomer, the top pick in June's NBA Draft, was already benched for ...