Earlier this month, four teachers at an elementary school in Kobe were accused of repeatedly bullying four other teachers, as well as mistreating students. The alleged bullies have been suspended and at least one of the victims has taken sick leave because of the ...

Decades of writing a column about the country's media industry has imparted me with a strong sense of familiarity with media personalities, companies, publications and sales channels. When they expire, it often hits me hard. In the past year alone, two monthly magazines that provided ...

Women in Japan have long been expected to handle the bulk of child care duties, whether it be feeding and bathing a child or dropping them off at day care in the morning and picking them up from the center later the same day. In ...

Powerful Typhoon Hagibis damaged 163 cultural assets in 22 prefectures, including a Tomioka Silk Mill building designated as a national treasure by the government, a Cultural Affairs Agency survey revealed Saturday. The agency is concerned that the number will rise further as more damage could ...

More than 100,000 people thronged the streets of Taiwan's capital Taipei on Saturday for East Asia's largest Pride march, months after the self-ruled island began formally allowing same-sex marriage, the first place in Asia to do so. Proudly democratic Taiwan is a bastion of liberal ...

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday called for improvements in Japan-China ties ahead of a planned visit to Japan by President Xi Jinping next spring. In the opening ceremony of the Tokyo-Beijing Forum held in Beijing, Wang said Xi's Japan trip ...

Damage caused to agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries by Typhoon Hagibis reached ¥102.73 billion as of Friday, the agriculture ministry said. The amount is based on reports from 38 prefectures that were hit by Hagibis, which struck eastern and central Japan on Oct. 12 to ...

SoftBank Group Corp. is teeing up investments for the successor to its gargantuan Vision Fund. It's in talks to back a pharmaceutical delivery startup, a company focused on robotic burger-making and a maker of lab-grown meat, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Vision ...

After abruptly pulling out U.S. troops who protected Kurdish fighters, President Donald Trump has identified protecting oil as the new goal in Syria. But experts question if the new strategy is realistic — or even legal. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday that U.S. troops ...

A high court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the government to compensate residents near U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture for aircraft noise, raising the damages to ¥735 million ($6.8 million). The Hiroshima High Court, however, dismissed plaintiffs' ...

Top U.S. military officer Gen. Mark Milley is considering visiting Japan and South Korea in mid-November, a source familiar with the matter has said. Milley, who became the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, is likely to confirm with his counterparts ...

The survey on elderly employment, released Friday, also showed that 61 percent of companies are able to offer part-time positions to such workers.

Google on Friday announced its "biggest leap forward" in years in its search algorithm, offering an unusually detailed public explanation of its secret formula. The world's most popular internet search engine said its latest refinement uses machine learning to improve how it handles conversationally phrased ...

The figure was up 3.6 percent from the end of last year as more technical interns and workers enter Japan amid a severe labor shortage.

The Solomon Islands government said a deal signed by one of its provinces to lease the entire island of Tulagi to a Chinese company is unlawful and should be terminated, a move applauded by United States on Friday. Details of the long-term lease between Solomons' ...

Early childhood education staff in Japan feel the least valued in society by children and parents among eight member countries of the OECD, according to a 2018 survey by the organization. The report, "Providing Quality Early Childhood Education and Care," released Friday by the Paris-based ...

A Hong Kong court has banned people from publishing a wide range of personal details about police officers and their families, including photos, in a bid to halt such actions by pro-democracy protesters. The temporary injunction, uploaded on government websites overnight, was criticized by some ...

The Australian government said on Saturday it is increasing the number of visas for skilled workers willing to migrate to the country's regions in a bid to ease pressure on major cities, where populations are growing twice as fast as elsewhere. The government will increase ...

America's budget deficit soared to nearly $1 trillion in the 2019 fiscal year as government borrowing swelled, the U.S. Treasury announced Friday. The fourth straight year of broadening budget gaps underscored a new tolerance for yawning fiscal imbalances in the current political era. Republican lawmakers' oft-stated ...

The environment minister reported holding no assets but the assets belonging to his wife, a freelance television presenter, include ¥150 million worth of Japanese government bonds.

Thanks to deadly heat waves, the Olympic marathon is moving from Tokyo to Sapporo next year. It's a sign of things to come.

At Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience in Omotesando, servers offer personalized service and seasonal blends in an elegant interpretation of the Urasenke tea ceremony tradition.

Miho Beck's encounter with some heavy metal fans in an English pub in Manchester provided the lightbulb moment that redefined the way she thought about travel, eventually leading to the start of her travel experience platform, TripJunction, some 25 years later. Along with co-founder Taejin ...

The combination of white renkkon (lotus root) pieces swimming in pickle juices next to vibrant red and yellow bell pepper slices makes the whole product look like an edible flower arrangement. The jarred product is the result of a marriage between a flower designer and ...

Eramasa's menu may be broad, but it's bolstered by some excellent sashimi and unusual varieties of fish courtesy of owner-chef and former punk rocker Hiroyuki Inoue.

Five of the best bars where you can cut loose in Kyoto.

Seven-Eleven's Koku Mune onion soy sauce ramen has been an online hit since its debut. Konbini Watch reviews whether it holds up to the hype.

Architectural designer Mieko Watanabe on how she designs an inviting hotel space, the challenges of owning her own firm and how everyone can be a little more eco-friendly at home.

Thousands of bibliophiles are expected to descend on Tokyo's Jinbocho neighborhood over the next week or so as the city celebrates the 60th anniversary of its largest secondhand book fair. Some even claim the Kanda Used Book Festival, which this year runs through Nov. 4, ...

Utamaro is justly remembered as one of the greatest ukiyo-e print designers of the 18th century. The Folio Society's reproduction of his "Studies from Nature" reminds us why.

In "The Decay of the Angel," Yukio Mishima concludes his "The Sea of Fertility" tetralogy with musings on modern Japan, the loss of beauty and old age.

In this surreal work by Taiyo Matsumoto, a small band of stray cats take refuge inside the attic of the Louvre. Their adventures and interactions with the humans of the Louvre unfold in connected chapters of "secrets."

Fans of the K-pop boy band Big Bang gathered on Saturday to see leader G-Dragon return to civilian life after his discharge from military service. G-Dragon, 31, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, completed almost two years of mandatory military service and was discharged at ...

England ended New Zealand's reign as Rugby World Cup champion in the semifinals on Saturday, beating the All Blacks 19-7 to reach the final for the first time since 2007. New Zealand was looking to win the tournament for an unprecedented third straight time this ...

The Chiba Jets Funabashi trailed by nine points after the opening quarter of Saturday's game against the visiting Shimane Susanoo Magic. The Jets changed the narrative in the second quarter, outscoring the Susanoo Magic 25-9. They remained in control the rest of the way in ...

Kawasaki Frontale claimed the Levain Cup with a penalty shootout win against Consadole Sapporo on Saturday following a late brace from captain Yu Kobayashi that kept the J. League champions alive after they were reduced to 10 men. Following three lead changes, the drama-filled final ...

Wales center Jonathan Davies may not be at his fittest because of a knee injury but the 31-year-old is confident he would be able to play Sunday's Rugby World Cup semifinal against South Africa. Davies said there were initial fears he would be ruled out ...

The Boston Red Sox have hired Tampa Bay Rays executive Chaim Bloom as their new chief baseball officer, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Major League Baseball doesn't like ...

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu dominated the men's short program on Friday at Skate Canada, while compatriot Rika Kihira seized the lead in the women's competition. Hanyu, who has yet to add a Skate Canada title to his impressive resume after three runner-up finishes, ...