Japan will donate about 6,500 cherry trees to Britain as a symbol of their bilateral friendship, with a ceremony planned to plant some in Regent's Park in central London on Wednesday. The event was attended by various dignitaries and others including Prince Richard, Japanese Ambassador ...

East Japan Railway Co. is looking to introduce walk-through ticket gates at stations that will enable passengers to access gates via a specialized smartphone application instead of carrying physical prepaid commuter passes, sources familiar with the plan said Wednesday. The company, also known as JR ...

The long-term detainment of foreign nationals at immigration centers in Japan is an infringement upon human rights and it's a growing problem, the country's bar association warned Wednesday. Confinements for over six months were on the rise at the Omura Immigration Center in Nagasaki Prefecture ...

Twelve percent of Japanese people age 10 to 29 play smartphone and video games for six hours or more on their days off school or work, a survey showed Wednesday. The survey also found that those who play games for long periods tend to show ...

Alpine animals and plants in 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures, such as Hokkaido, are likely to lose habitats within the country by the end of the 21st century as global warming worsens, a Japanese research team reported Wednesday. As temperatures in their living environments gradually ...

The KyoAni arson suspect, who suffered burns on 90 percent of his body, has become the first person to undergo surgery after such extensive damage without the use of donor skin.

The No. 2 unit of Tohoku Electric Power’s Onagawa plant received the green light after the addition of disaster prevention measures, including a towering seawall.

The government is considering incorporating more part-timers into the employee pension program by requiring companies with smaller workforces to participate, according to government sources. Currently, companies with 501 or more employees must enroll in the kōsei nenkin program. Under the plan being considered, that threshold ...

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang has drafted a bill to set up a foundation to settle the current wartime labor dispute with Japan, Yonhap news said.

A year after the dramatic arrest of Carlos Ghosn, his wife, Carole, said the fallen auto titan should face trial in France because he won't be given a fair hearing in Tokyo. Japan has a "hostage justice system" that considers those who are charged "guilty ...

A TikTok post by a young woman pretending to give eyelash curling advice while actually condemning China's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang has gone viral on the Chinese-owned app, which has been accused of censoring anti-Beijing content. The clip by U.S. teen Feroza Aziz, who ...

Every year since 1952, the prime minister, via taxpayer funds, has hosted one of the nation's largest cherry blossom-viewing parties. But with allegations of cronyism and favoritism surrounding the selection of invitees by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his administration, next year's party has been ...

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai suggested Tuesday that he would not necessarily oppose ascension to the throne by the children of imperial family women. A similar view was expressed on television Sunday by the ruling party's tax panel chief, Akira Amari, who is close ...

A research team has confirmed in animal testing that mutated influenza viruses resistant to baloxavir marboxil, an antiflu drug sold as Xofluza, can cause infections and symptoms to a degree comparable to regular influenza viruses. The team, led by University of Tokyo professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka, ...

Since reshuffling his Cabinet in September, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has seen two ministers resign in close succession amid scandal, the thwarting of an educational reform plan at the Diet, and debate about a referendum law key to constitutional revision grind to a halt. To ...

KDDI Corp. and Facebook Inc. said Wednesday they will collaborate on offering new shopping experiences through next-generation, ultrafast 5G communications networks. The major mobile phone carrier and social media giant's Japanese unit will open a pop-up store next spring in Tokyo that will allow customers ...

The government and ruling bloc are discussing plans to allow the issuing of new licenses for the production of sake meant for export amid the growing popularity of the drink overseas, according to informed sources. New entries are effectively not allowed at present, but the ...

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Central) has unveiled the inside of a tunnel under construction in Gifu Prefecture for use as part of its ultrafast maglev train line, scheduled to go into service in 2027. A section of the Hiyoshi tunnel that is currently being ...

Getting a large, cross-party group of lawmakers to act in unison may sound like a challenge, but during a Lower House earthquake drill on Tuesday, Diet members moved en mass, reaching under their seats to retrieve white, foldable helmets. Toshihiro Nikai (center right), secretary-general of ...

You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but a Nagoya organization is hoping you can still find it a new home. Dog Duca, a nonprofit organization, has started an initiative to match aging, abandoned dogs with older, hopeful dog owners. The ...

Hwang Hyeon-dong lives in a 6.6-square-meter (71-square-foot) cubicle near his university campus in Seoul, which comes with a shared bathroom and kitchen plus all the rice he can eat, that he rents for 350,000 won ($302) a month. The sparsely furnished rooms, in premises called ...

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi voiced concern Tuesday over China's treatment of Muslim Uighurs and other minorities in the far west Xinjiang region. China uses a system of mass surveillance and predictive-policing to round up "suspicious persons" to be sent to internment camps, according to internal ...

A 26-year-old Kurdish man sued the government Tuesday, claiming he was left untreated for cancer while in a detention center northeast of Tokyo. The man is seeking about ¥8 million in damages in a lawsuit, in which he claims the East Japan Immigration Control Center ...

Inside an arts center in one of London's most multicultural districts, Jeremy Corbyn declared anti-Semitism "vile and wrong." Outside, the slogans emblazoned on two red vans were equally blunt. "A vote for Labour is a vote for racism," declared one. The other said simply: ...

Xerox said Tuesday it would take its hostile takeover offer for HP to shareholders after the computer and printer maker rejected the $33 billion offer. The copy machine pioneer said it would make its case to shareholders because the HP board "continues to obfuscate and ...

Babe Ruth is poised to hit another home run, only this time on the sports memorabilia market when the bat he used to slug No. 500 nearly a century ago hits the auction block on Wednesday. Known as the "Sultan of Swat" during a storied ...

President Donald Trump offered lukewarm support to Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters Tuesday, saying he trusts President Xi Jinping to resolve the crisis, as U.S.-Chinese trade talks enter their "final throes." "We're with them," Trump said of the protesters who delivered a landslide victory for pro-democracy ...

Volkswagen on Tuesday defended its car plant in Xinjiang, after leaked documents shed light on Chinese detention camps in the region holding over a million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Volkswagen said in a statement it was "aware of the situation in the region" and ...

Canada's longest railroad strike in a decade ended on Tuesday as Canadian National Railway Co., the country's biggest railroad, reached a tentative agreement with workers that would help restore grain exports and transportation of chemicals and heating fuel. Shippers celebrated the end of the eight-day ...

A car bomb killed at least 17 people and wounded 20 others in the Turkish-controlled region of northern Syria on Tuesday, Turkey's defense ministry said. The attack took place in the Tal Halaf village west of the city of Ras al-Ayn, which is now controlled ...

The decision to hand back Okinawa, one of the few times in history when land seized in war was returned peacefully — was reached over the course of several steps.

Tomoe Sawa, the first person to legally sing in Japanese in South Korea after the Second World War, hopes to improve ties between the two countries with her bilingual concerts and recordings

At school, Ryonosuke Shimomura conceived art techniques that led one teacher to think he was color blind. Yet his unusual approach led him to become a principal of the Pan Real Art Association — Japan's influential avant-garde Japanese-style painting groups.

Dec. 4-March 16, 2020 To celebrate 150 years of Japan-Hungary diplomatic relations, two of Hungary's largest museums — the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest and the Hungarian National Gallery — are bringing works to Japan for the first time in 25 years. Comprising 130 masterpieces, this ...

Nov. 30-Feb. 9, 2020 A graduate of a crafts and design high school in Tokyo in 1928, Takumi Shinagawa (1908-2009) first continued his studies under a Japanese goldsmith. In 1935, he began to learn printmaking from Koshiro Onchi (1891-1955), later experimenting in techniques, including photograms and ...

Nov. 23-Feb. 24, 2020 Since his first solo exhibition in 1981, Kenjiro Okazaki has pursued various genres, including sculpture, painting, film, media arts, architecture, textiles, scenography, picture books and even drawing using robotic art. As a follow-up to his 2017 show, "Abstract Art as Impact" at ...

Popular former outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who has announced on social media that he wishes to resume playing professional baseball, officially unretired on Wednesday when he was listed as a free agent eligible to sign with any club. The 47-year-old played for the Hanshin Tigers, New ...

Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita said Wednesday the JOC is planning to invite athletes who missed out on the 1980 Moscow Olympics, due to Japan's boycott, to next year's Tokyo Olympics. Speaking at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Yamashita revealed the JOC ...

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Haruki Nishikawa would like to move to the majors as early as the 2021 season, the 27-year-old said Wednesday. Appearing at the Fighters' team office in Sapporo to sign his contract for next season, Nishikawa is entering the second year ...

A panel of outside experts responsible for selecting new directors for the All Japan Taekwondo Association decided Wednesday not to reappoint President Noboru Kanehara amid a dispute with athletes over training policies. The panel, which has been conducting interviews with AJTA members and athletes since ...

Sumo's popularity abroad has increased massively over the past few years. A huge section of the fan base is now composed of people who have come to the sport relatively recently. That larger audience has been a boon for those of us working in sports media, ...

Hayato Sakamoto is the one who stayed. In the midst of an era of increased player movement and Japanese stars departing for the major leagues, Sakamoto is one of biggest names, among the age group making the jump, to seemingly decide the grass is actually ...

The dramatic three-way race for the J. League first-division title between Yokohama F. Marinos, FC Tokyo and Kashima Antlers is shaping up to be the latest in the league's long history of photo finishes. Yet for avid followers of the J1, these chases are often ...

With her love of wheelchair racing still driving her to compete at the highest level, 17-time Paralympic track and field medalist Tatyana McFadden is hungry for multiple medals at the Tokyo Games next summer. "I love racing. I really, really do love it. It's hard ...

Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle penned an apology to World Rugby over the behavior of some members of the Wallabies entourage, led by coach Michael Cheika, at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, a report said Wednesday. The Sydney Morning Herald said she fired off the ...