A man filed an appeal Wednesday after he was handed a life sentence earlier this month for the 2018 murder of a 7-year-old girl in the city of Niigata, his lawyer said. The defense team for Haruka Kobayashi, 25, had requested a sentence with a ...

A former top bureaucrat at the farm ministry admitted Wednesday to killing his socially reclusive son, during the first day of his high-profile trial in Tokyo. Hideaki Kumazawa, 76, who once served as vice minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, is on ...

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi faced calls for Myanmar to "stop the genocide" of Rohingya Muslims as she personally led her country's defense at the U.N.'s top court on Tuesday. Myanmar's civilian leader sat through graphic accounts of mass murder and rape as ...

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday defended her country's treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority during testimony at the International Court of Justice, countering claims that they have been subjected to genocide. Suu Kyi said claims made the previous day at the ICJ ...

By sexual orientation, 2.8 percent of those polled said they were bisexual, 1.4 percent said they questioned their sexuality, while 0.9 percent described themselves each as either asexual or gay.

The confidence index covering firms capitalized at ¥1 billion or more stood at minus 6.2 in the fourth quarter of 2019, sharply down from 1.1 in the previous quarter.

The nation's nuclear watchdog approved a plan Wednesday to decommission two reactors in Fukui Prefecture, a move their operator decided to take rather than shoulder the high cost of implementing safety upgrades. Kansai Electric Power Co. will spend ¥118.7 billion to dismantle the Nos. 1 ...

The central government aims to stop net population inflows into the greater Tokyo area by fiscal 2024, it was learned Tuesday. The goal was included in a draft of the government's second five-year comprehensive strategy for regional revitalization, set to run from fiscal 2020. The government ...

The government leans toward reviewing its current plan to deploy the U.S.-developed Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system in the city of Akita due to strong local opposition.

Two hotels, with a total of more than 1,700 rooms, will be built in Tokyo at Haneda Airport, according to Sumitomo Realty and Development Co. Sumitomo said Tuesday a large-scale multipurpose development complex connected to the airport, comprising the hotels, shopping areas and an open-air ...

The Asian Development Bank expects slower growth than expected for developing nations on the continent this year and next, it said in a report Wednesday, citing weakening domestic investment due to external factors such as the U.S.-China trade war for its 5.2 percent expansion ...

China imprisoned at least 48 journalists in 2019, more than any other country, displacing Turkey as the most oppressive place for the profession, a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists report said on Wednesday. At least 250 journalists were imprisoned worldwide this year, according ...

The U.S. Army plans to fund construction of rare earths processing facilities, part of an urgent push by Washington to secure domestic supply of the minerals used to make military weapons and electronics, according to a government document seen by Reuters. The move would mark ...

The funeral of Tetsu Nakamura, the Japanese physician and devoted aid worker who was killed last week in Afghanistan, was held in his home prefecture of Fukuoka on Wednesday. "He was a great global figure the school was proud of," said Shunsuke Takenaka, 74, who ...

Bougainville has voted by a landslide for independence from Papua New Guinea, according to official referendum results released Wednesday, a major step toward creating the world's newest nation. Bertie Ahern, chairman of the Bougainville Referendum Commission, said 176,928 people — 98 percent of voters — ...

Increasing tremors on a volcanic island in New Zealand on Wednesday prevented the recovery of the bodies of eight people thought to be left on the island, two days after an eruption engulfed dozens of tourists in steam and hot ash. Six people were killed ...

An international panel of experts hired to advise Hong Kong on the police response to huge pro-democracy protests announced Wednesday they were quitting, saying the watchdog was not fit for purpose "in a society that values freedoms and rights." The group's damning conclusion is a ...

The retired lawmaker is in a stable condition after being shot by a suspect in his 80s, who immediately turned himself into police.

Sony Corp.'s U.S. unit has acquired Silvergate Media Holdings Ltd., the producer behind the "Peter Rabbit" TV series, for $195 million (¥21 billion) to enhance its content business for children, Sony said Wednesday. Under the deal with the London-based firm, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. has ...

Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso says Abe should not leave his successor the task of revising the supreme law, which proponents of revision say will clarify the status of the SDF.

China's once-in-a-generation car slump is hobbling carmakers around the globe that placed their bets on what is the world's biggest auto market. But one group is weathering the slowdown unscathed: Japanese automakers. Iconic car companies like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. are increasing ...

China said Tuesday that its investigative process has wrapped up for two Canadians detained in the communist country over vague espionage-related charges, hinting at the possibility of trials, exactly one year since they were first arrested. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor have ...

Scientist Akira Yoshino accepted the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Tuesday at a ceremony in Sweden for his contribution to the development of lithium-ion batteries. The 71-year-old received the medal and diploma from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf in the ceremony at the Stockholm Concert ...

U.S. President Donald Trump has days to decide whether to impose tariffs on nearly $160 billion in Chinese consumer goods just weeks before Christmas, a move that could be unwelcome in both the United States and China. The White House's top economic and trade advisers, ...

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday the Trump administration was "hopeful" North Korea will continue to work toward denuclearization and refrain from long-range missile tests, as Pyongyang's deadline for Washington to reconsider its approach to talks looms. Speaking at a joint news ...

A judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of Exxon Mobil Corp. in a lawsuit brought by New York state accusing the oil company of hiding from investors the true cost of addressing climate change. Justice Barry Ostrager in Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that the state ...

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared sympathetic to claims made by health insurers seeking $12 billion from the federal government under a program set up by the Obamacare law aimed at encouraging them to offer medical coverage to previously uninsured Americans. The justices heard ...

The melting of Greenland's massive ice sheet is happening much faster than expected and could put millions more people at risk by the end of the century, scientists warned Tuesday. Up to 3 km thick (2 miles) in some places, Greenland has lost 3.8 trillion ...

It wasn't the type of white powder that makes Christmas complete — American retail giant Walmart has withdrawn a festive sweater that celebrates cocaine. The sweater depicts Santa Claus with straw in hand, and three white lines laid out on a table before him. "Let it ...

The prime minister's leadership proved key to the broader evolution of the Japan-U.S. alliance.

The region is facing a host of shared challenges from maritime piracy and crime to heated territorial disputes.

Music historian Kato David Hopkins is using his Happy Hour event in Kyoto to educate people about some of the lesser-known bands of the Kansai underground scene of years gone by

Mina Perhonen's emotive approach to fashion highlights artisanship, eco-friendliness and our natural desire to connect and remember the past.

The International Paralympic Committee and Japan's public broadcaster NHK will team up to produce an official documentary film of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, the organizers said Wednesday. NHK, formally called Japan Broadcasting Corp., will first broadcast the documentary before the IPC releases it in ...

Mana Iwabuchi, Mina Tanaka and Mayu Ikejiri netted a pair of goals each as Nadeshiko Japan started the EAFF E-1 Women's Football Championship final round with a 9-0 rout of Taiwan on Wednesday. World No. 10 Japan dominated every facet of the game at Busan ...

Sunday's J. League Awards should have been an opportunity for the league and its promotional team to take a victory lap after a 2019 season that shattered attendance records and drew unprecedented interest from overseas. Instead, it demonstrated a stunning lapse in the league's understanding ...

For young men with Japanese nationality, joining sumo can be as easy as knocking on a stable door, sending an email, or picking up the phone. Sumo is very likely the only sport in the world where virtually anyone can try their hand at being ...

Members of Japan's men's national rugby team marched through Tokyo's Marunouchi Naka-dori street on Wednesday in a parade held to express appreciation for the support they received from fans during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Even though its been over a month since the end ...

Meditation may be one way to care for your mental health, but for those who would rather find their own version of peace and serenity through punches and kicks, a Tokyo gym owner might have the answer. Former world champion kickboxer Akeomi Nitta says that, ...

Teenage prodigy Ansu Fati became the youngest player to score a Champions League goal as a second-string Barcelona side beat Inter Milan 2-1 to send the Italians crashing out of the competition on Tuesday. The 17-year-old Guinea-Bissau-born attacker picked up a Luis Suarez cross to ...