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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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!

The first thing Roland Emmerich should do after his latest movie "Midway" hits theaters is apologize. Apologize to the visual effects crew, the stuntmen, the carpenters, the costumers and artists. He has squandered their considerable visual skill in retelling the crucial World War II battle ...

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 ...

With captain Siya Kolisi telling ordinary South Africans that the victory and the spoils were for them, the Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks started a five-day tour on Thursday to take the trophy to people in big cities and poor townships. Kolisi, a product of one ...

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 ...

Nate McMillan wanted to see adjustments and quick, and the Indiana Pacers head coach saw what he was looking for in a 121-106 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. "We showed them tape (from Tuesday night's loss) of our shot selection, shooting the floaters, ...

The Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues are rolling again. Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and two assists and St. Louis remained atop the Western Conference standings, beating the second-place Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory. Jaden Schwartz, Robert Thomas, Tyler ...

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker had to fill in as an emergency goalkeeper to help preserve a 1-1 draw at Atalanta on Wednesday, as the Italian side earned its first point in the Champions League. Walker had to come off the bench and don the ...

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 ...

South Africa prop Tendai Mtawarira says he is retiring from international rugby following last weekend's Rugby World Cup victory. He made the announcement on Wednesday. The 34-year-old Mtawarira leaves as the Springboks' most capped prop with 117 test appearances, and as the Boks' third-most capped player ...

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 ...