"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 ...

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.

Designating a specific time frame for the first time, the plan calls for starting with debris removal from reactor No. 2.

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

Since leaders first started talking about tackling the problem of climate change, the world has spewed more heat-trapping gases, gotten hotter and suffered hundreds of extreme weather disasters. Fires have burned, ice has melted and seas have grown. The first United Nations diplomatic conference to ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Napoli's decision to fine its players for abandoning an in-season training camp ordered by the club is being contested by world players' union FIFPro. The training camp was called for by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis following a 1-1 draw at home with Salzburg in ...

The Swiss government says it will produce a 20 franc silver coin with Roger Federer's image on it. The government says it's the first time it has dedicated a commemorative coin to a living person. A 50 franc gold coin with Federer's image on it will ...

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. ...

Coach Doc Rivers called the first play of the game for Paul George and he hit a 3-pointer. His teammates found him the rest of the way. Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points, George added 31, and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled past undermanned Washington 150-125 on ...

Arsenal started life after Unai Emery with a 2-2 draw at Norwich in the Premier League on Sunday that extended the Gunners' winless run to eight games in all competitions. Interim manager Freddie Ljungberg insisted he would try and put smiles on the faces of ...

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 ...

World champion Lewis Hamilton's 11th victory in another dominant season proved so easy that the driver who finished way back in second place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix joked he should have eased up a bit. Hamilton's 84th career win saw him finishing around ...

Mikaela Shiffrin's winning margins in World Cup slaloms just get more remarkable. One weekend after finishing 1.78 seconds ahead of her opponents in Finland, Shiffrin was a massive 2.29 seconds clear of her biggest rival, Petra Vlhova, in the United States on Sunday. Shiffrin's success for ...

Neither rain, wind nor the San Francisco 49ers' top-ranked defense could prevent Lamar Jackson from guiding the Baltimore Ravens to their franchise-record eighth straight win. Jackson weathered miserable conditions to run for 101 yards and Justin Tucker kicked a tiebreaking 49-yard field goal as time ...