"One Team," Japan's slogan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was picked as buzzword of the year on Monday after the Brave Blossoms thrilled fans with their historic advance to the top eight. The annual awards are announced in early December, when the top buzzword ...

Owners of drones will be required to register their remote-controlled aircraft with the government so officials can quickly identify them after accidents, according to the land ministry. The government has yet to decide when to introduce the system, but it will include the necessary funding ...

Nomura Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Koji Nagai is resigning after seven years in the post, handing over to his deputy at a time when an overseas restructuring is starting to bear fruit. Co-Chief Operating Officer Kentaro Okuda will take the reins at Japan's biggest ...

The next Self-Defense Forces dispatch to the Middle East could get Cabinet approval by the end of the year.

A new three-way leadership structure is designed to avoid the mistakes made during the Carlos Ghosn era.

The government said Monday it has agreed to buy an uninhabited island in Kagoshima Prefecture with an eye to letting the U.S. military use it for takeoff and landing practice. The ¥16 billion ($146 million) acquisition of 8-sq.-km Mage Island will pave the way for ...

Yokohama began issuing certificates that recognize the partnerships of sexual minorities and common-law couples Monday. Yokohama is the third city in the nation to implement a recognition system for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, as well as common-law couples, according to the city. It will ...

The government is ready to approve a plan to sell duty-free goods in vending machines to address Japan's labor shortage, especially in areas outside of big cities, government sources said Monday. Duty-free items such as cosmetics, character goods and watches will be sold in vending ...

Former Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Masatsugu Asakawa has been selected as the new president of the Asian Development Bank, the organization said Monday. On Jan. 17, the former top currency diplomat will succeed Takehiko Nakao, who has led the ADB since April 2013. ...

Maritime Self-Defense Force Capt. Miho Otani on Monday became the first woman to take the helm of one of Japan's Aegis destroyers and pledged to set an example for other female sailors in the fleet. "I expect you to pursue our missions without hesitation," Otani, ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tells the Upper House that the shredding of the guest list was previously planned and had nothing to do with the disclosure request filed by an opposition lawmaker.

Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. have agreed to set up a new company to jointly develop advanced technologies for next-generation vehicles, according to sources familiar with the matter. The sources said Sunday the alliance wants to bolster cooperation after its leader, ...

The government is considering a plan to withhold taxes on winnings by nonresident foreigners at casino resorts, according to sources close to the matter. The government is studying the tax system because tracking down foreign nationals after they leave the country would be difficult, the ...

The Japanese and Chinese governments are looking to increase the number of flights linking Shanghai and Japanese cities to alleviate congestion and improve security, Japanese government and other sources said Monday. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the U.N.'s civil aviation agency that proposed the ...

Hong Kong protesters geared up for a week of lunchtime rallies Monday, a day after a mass demonstration showed the anti-government movement can still draw people to the streets even after sweeping recent gains by democrats in district elections. After a rare lull in demonstrations ...

Corporate sales fell for the first time in three years in the July-September quarter, pressured by China's economic downturn and dips in petroleum product prices, government data showed Monday. Combined sales of domestic companies dropped 2.6 percent from a year earlier to ¥349.50 trillion ($3.19 ...

Nintendo Co.'s Switch console is poised for its best holiday shopping season yet. The company will probably sell 9.46 million units of Switch hardware and 64.73 million units of software in the quarter ending in December, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. While the ...

President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday launched a gas pipeline that is the first of three ambitious projects intended to cement Moscow's role as top gas exporter. Putin and Xi inaugurated by video link-up the "Power of Siberia" pipeline, sending Siberian ...

A foundation proposed by South Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang to pay consolation money to Koreans who worked for Japanese companies during the war is unlikely to cover the former "comfort women," Yonhap news agency reported. The scale of the foundation, initially planned at ...

In early 2018, the founders of Chinese artificial intelligence startup SenseTime Group Ltd. flew to Tokyo to see billionaire investor Masayoshi Son. As they entered the offices, Chief Executive Officer Xu Li was hoping to persuade the head of SoftBank Group Corp. to invest ...

Global talks tasked with neutralizing the threat of global warming get under way in Madrid on Monday, but their narrow focus on rules and procedures remains out of sync with the world's climate-addled future. Mindful of this gap, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday ...

Australia on Monday launched a high-level intelligence task force to combat what officials say is rampant foreign interference in the country and after claims of bold Chinese spying operations Down Under. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new force would involve all the country's top ...

Top South Korean and Japanese diplomats will likely meet on the sidelines of a gathering of Asian and European foreign ministers later this month to discuss a resolution to a yearlong dispute, Yonhap news agency reported. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu ...

The White House told Democratic lawmakers Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump would not send legal counsel to participate in a congressional impeachment hearing this week, citing a lack of "fundamental fairness." The White House's decision was in response to the first of two ...

Chinese regulators have announced new rules governing video and audio content online, including a ban on the publishing and distribution of "fake news" created with technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Any use of AI or virtual reality also needs to be clearly ...

Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that he had formed a cross-party, celebrity-studded coalition to take on the cause of climate change and confront it "like a war." The initiative's launch coincides with the opening Monday of the COP25 international climate talks ...

The United States has formally requested the extradition of Michael Lynch, the British tech billionaire who sold his company to Hewlett Packard (HP) in an ill-fated $11.1 billion deal, to face charges including securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. The U.S. Embassy in London submitted ...

Pope Francis on Sunday urged people to resist the excesses of consumerism in the period leading up to Christmas, calling it a virus that attacks faith and offends the needy. "When you live for things, things are never enough, greed grows, other people become obstacles ...

Facebook Inc. removed seven Conservative Party social media ads on Sunday after the British Broadcasting Corp. complained they distorted the perception of the news service's impartiality. "We have removed this content following a valid intellectual property claim from the rights holder, the BBC," a Facebook ...

Luciano Benetton on Sunday denounced what he called a government "campaign" against his family since the 2018 collapse of the Genoa motorway bridge operated by a company in the Benetton business empire. "I find it necessary to clarify a major misunderstanding," he wrote in an ...

The crowdfunded Shenmue III is finally out; Pokemon Sword and Shield top the charts; and Capcom brings its best merch to Shibuya's Parco

As the year ends, Japan's fashion landscape finds itself facing big changes in street brands, department stores and sales tactics.

Lionel, who was featured in this space in March as one of the last of his siblings still waiting to be adopted, has at last found a new home with Fuka Fujimura and her father, Keisuke. Even before the Fujimuras lost their beloved Shiba at ...

Sultan "Sam" Vidhani operates Sam's Bar TalkEigo, a place in Fukuoka where you can participate in some language exchange with a cheeky drink.

Though relatively unheralded, Gkids scored the rights to U.S. re-releases of the work of anime giants — including Isao Takahata and Makoto Shinkai — by only showing them in cinemas.

Qatar forward Akram Afif and Japanese World Cup heroine Saki Kumagai were named Asia's men's and women's players of the year at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong on Monday. Afif, who made a record 10 assists in Qatar's shock run to the Asian Cup ...

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he will be torn between loyalty to Mercedes and the novelty of a new challenge at Ferrari when he considers his options for what is expected to be his last racing driver's contract in Formula One. The 34-year-old Briton had little ...

Joe Root could not hide his delight after a masterful 226 ended his run drought and gave England a much-needed boost in the second Test against New Zealand on Monday, as the visitor ended Day 4 believing they can square the series. It took a ...

The Chiba Lotte Marines have gotten a makeover. While the Marines may have missed out on the postseason this year (Lotte was fourth in the Pacific League), they haven't been idle during the offseason. There have been some changes to the team since the final out ...

Stars from the Japan national team and domestic legend Takehiko Orimo will headline the roster for the upcoming B. League All-Star Game in Sapporo, organizers revealed on Monday. Each side consists of five starters chosen through fan voting and six others selected by the league. ...

Defender Yuto Nagatomo salvaged a point for Galatasaray in the Turkish top flight on Sunday, scoring at the death to snatch a 1-1 draw at Trabzonspor. Nagatomo netted his first goal of the season in the 90th minute at Medical Park Stadium, pouncing on a ...

Toyota Verblitz announced Monday that former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has been appointed as director of rugby ahead of the next Top League season in Japan. Hansen joins former All Blacks captain Kieran Read in moving to the Top League team after guiding New ...