A lawmaker with severe physical disabilities attended his first parliamentary interpellation Thursday since being elected in July and became the first lawmaker in Japan to use an electronically generated voice during a Diet session. In the session of the education, culture and science committee, Yasuhiko ...

A snow crab caught off Tottori Prefecture sold for a record ¥5 million ($46,000) at auction, the local fisheries association said Thursday. The gourmet itsukiboshi (five shining stars) crab, weighing 1,240 grams and with a 14.6-cm (5.7-inch) shell, was caught after the fishing season opened ...

The movement to create safe environments for sexual minorities at universities is gaining traction across Japan, with alumni groups and faculty promoting initiatives to deepen understanding and provide support for the LGBT community. "I want to make my alma mater a place where sexual minorities ...

For the full year to March 2020, Toyota maintained its outlook and said it expected a group net profit of ¥2.15 trillion, up 14.2 percent.

The debate was held as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pursues his goal of achieving the first-ever amendment to the pacifist supreme law.

A week after a fire gutted the historic Shuri Castle in Okinawa, Gov. Denny Tamaki said Thursday that the local government will set up a panel of experts from various fields and a task force dedicated to drafting a restoration plan by 2022. The panel ...

Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it will team up with the University of Tokyo to nurture specialists in artificial intelligence as part of efforts to secure talent in the hot next-generation technology. The electronics giant aims to nearly triple its AI engineers to 2,000 by March ...

Pokemon Go maker Niantic on Wednesday moved closer to turning the world into a giant game board. San Francisco-based Niantic opened the door for outside developers to build titles to add to its lineup of mobile games, which include Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite ...

As Netflix Inc. prepares for a bruising battle against the Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc. for streaming subscribers, it's playing a card that may deliver enough of an edge to fend them off in Asia: Japanese anime. Although Netflix has featured animation for years, ...

Procter & Gamble Japan K.K. will release a dishwashing liquid in a bottle made from marine plastic waste collected from the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture. Joy Ocean Plastic will be the nation's first daily-use product to use the waste, the Kobe-based unit of U.S. consumer ...

HP Inc. has confirmed that Xerox Holdings Corp. made a takeover offer — a potential deal between two iconic names that would reshape the printing industry. "We have had conversations with Xerox Holdings Corporation from time to time about a potential business combination," the Palo ...

Masayoshi Son wants investors to believe that a record loss from investments in money-losing startups WeWork and Uber Technologies Inc. is but a bump in the road. Some aren't buying it. SoftBank Group Corp.'s shares fell as much as 4.2 percent in Tokyo trading on ...

Subscription-based businesses are growing slower in Japan than in other big economies partly due to regulatory barriers, but the number of firms drawn to the model is on the rise as consumers search for personalized and more cost-effective ways to use products that have ...

A Chinese court on Thursday imprisoned nine people, one whom got a suspended death sentence, on charges of smuggling fentanyl into the United States, in the first such case the two countries had worked on together. China has faced U.S. criticism for not doing enough ...

It may sound like science fiction, but in a few short years the family dinner table may be laden with steak from a printer and other proteins produced from air, methane or volcanic microbes. With the explosive success of vegan beef and burger substitutes developed ...

The Pentagon on Thursday pushed back against North Korean criticism of joint U.S. military exercises with South Korea scheduled for next month. "We don't scale or conduct our exercises based off North Korea's anger," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn told The Japan Times. "Our ...

When Mario Draghi ended his term as European Central Bank president last week with a call for government policies to be "mutually aligned" with those of his institution, the message came with an unspoken caveat — it might not be enough. Japan has been attempting ...

Former entertainer Masashi Tashiro was arrested Wednesday for alleged possession of illegal stimulants in Tokyo and Miyagi Prefecture earlier this year, police have said. Tashiro is suspected of having the drugs at the lodging facility where he was staying in Shiogama, Miyagi, on Aug. 23 ...

The plan is expected to be approved at a Cabinet meeting within this year and be submitted to the Diet next year.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday the government will consider measures to address inequalities in opportunities for students taking private-sector English tests under a planned unified university entrance examination system. At a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, Abe said the government will develop a ...

Australia will offer farmers hurt by drought up to 1 billion Australian dollars ($690 million) in cheap loans, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, as the government seeks to curb rising discontent from rural voters. Farmers across Australia's east coast have been battling drought ...

Former Japanese Olympic snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo was arrested Wednesday for allegedly smuggling cannabis from the United States for profit. The narcotics control department of the Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare also searched his home the same day. According to the department, Kokubo, 31, a ...

The nine American women and children killed in northern Mexico were victims of a territorial dispute between an arm of the Sinaloa Cartel and a rival gang, officials said on Wednesday, and may have been used to lure one side into a firefight. Members of ...

Heavy rains and floods have killed more than 50 people and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes across East Africa as researchers warn warming oceans are causing unpredictable weather patterns in the region. South Sudan declared a national emergency last week after ...

The Election Administration Commission hopes to minimize the impact from the election on the quadrennial sporting event, sources said.

Suspension of water supplies at Terminal 2 of Haneda Airport in Tokyo continued on Thursday after supply was cut off Wednesday, according to the operator of the terminal buildings. Disruptions to the water supply began around 9 a.m. Wednesday in two domestic terminals, affecting restaurants ...

Lufthansa said Wednesday it was scrapping 1,300 flights as German cabin crew pressed ahead with a two-day strike, plunging passengers into travel chaos amid an escalating row over pay and conditions. "As a result of the strike, around 180,000 passengers will be affected by 1,300 ...

California revealed for the first time an 18-month investigation into Facebook Inc's privacy practices and accused the social media giant in a court filing on Wednesday of hampering the investigation. Revelation of the probe is the latest bad news for Facebook, which is already under ...

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have resumed operations alongside the global coalition fighting Islamic State, a sign that ties between the U.S. and the Kurds are mending after Turkey sent forces across the border to establish a safe zone in northeastern Syria. The SDF is ...

SoftBank Group Corp. on Wednesday reported its first quarterly operating loss in 14 years — ¥704.4 billion (about $6.5 billion) — after writing down the value of a string of marquee investments, including WeWork and Uber Technologies Inc. The investment powerhouse also saw its group ...

The New York Times said Wednesday that profits slipped in the third quarter as declines in advertising revenues offset gains in its digital subscription efforts. The prestigious U.S. daily said it now has more than 4 million "digital only" subscribers and a total subscriber base ...

Each community has its own registration process, cutting into time that could be used for doing the actual volunteer work.

Menstruation rarely plays a central role in feature films, which makes Shunsuke Shinada's latest feature, which involves a giant period mascot harassing women, something of an anomaly.

A documentary tells the story of Yayoi Kusama's battles with racism, sexism and mental illness during her 70-plus years of creating art.

Kazuya Shiraishi's latest tells the story of three siblings whose mother kills their abusive father and then abandons them for 15 years, before returning to check on their progress in life

What makes a good mascot? It used to be that being cute was enough, but "yuru-kyara" in the 2010s needed storylines and Instagram followings if they want to make a mark.

What do hamster behinds, a handsome gorilla and cats running train stations have in common? Hours of social media gold!

French actress Catherine Deneuve, 76, was admitted to hospital in Paris after suffering a "limited" stroke, French media reported. "Catherine Deneuve has suffered a very limited and therefore reversible ischemic stroke. Happily, her motor control has not been affected. She will need a few days' ...

Japanese prodigy Naoya Inoue was a heavy favorite coming into the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight final on Thursday night. The undefeated king known as “The Monster” won, but it was an unexpected struggle. Inoue (19-0, 16 knockouts) defeated future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire by ...

Papa Massata Diack, the son of former world athletics supremo Lamine Diack, has been questioned in his native Senegal about accusations he and his father covered up Russian doping for payment, a source told AFP Wednesday. Papa Massata Diack, who handled valuable marketing rights for ...

Online sumo games have a small but loyal following. For some players, choosing and managing a squad of rikishi in Bench Sumo or Sekitori Quadrumvirate brings an extra layer of excitement to their fandom. For others, it is a good complement to the action in ...

Although he retired a quarter century ago and made just 18 appearances for Nagoya Grampus Eight, Gary Lineker remains one of the names most closely associated with Japanese soccer among foreign fans. The England international's strike rate here was well below a career average that ...

Tomoki Hiwatashi had a very respectable showing in his senior Grand Prix debut last weekend with a fifth-place finish at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble. Last season's world junior champion roared back from a poor short program that saw him in 10th place, to ...

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was a full participant in practice on Wednesday for the first time since dislocating his right kneecap last month. Coach Andy Reid said before practice that Mahomes would be more involved, but added the reigning league MVP wouldn't play ...

In the 13th year of his pro career, Henry Walker's longevity is a testament to his fierce determination. Speaking a few weeks before Thanksgiving, a quintessential American holiday, the Shiga Lakestars forward expressed gratitude for the chance to keep plying his craft despite numerous injury ...

Tokyo Games organizing committee chief Yoshiro Mori said Thursday he expects to see big changes to the men's marathon schedule following the International Olympic Committee's decision to move the road races to Sapporo. "It's impossible (to hold the men's marathon on Aug. 9) as there ...

Former Japan international Keisuke Honda has joined Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch first division on a contract running until the end of the season, the club said Wednesday. Honda, who parted ways with Australian side Melbourne Victory at the end of last season, had been ...

Seiya Suzuki belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the third, while starter Rei Takahashi threw six innings of one-hit ball, as Japan overpowered Puerto Rico 4-0 in the WBSC Premier12 opening round on Wednesday. Samurai Japan made it two wins in a row ...