The Pacific island states have never been at the center of geopolitical discussion. The names of the 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) — nations such as Fiji, Kiribati, Palau and Samoa — may evoke a romanticized image of a remote paradise in ...

The meeting was being closely watched for hints on whether the Asian neighbors can break the stalemate and repair ties at a crucial time for regional security.

Russia on Tuesday released five Japanese fishing boats seized in waters near Russian-held, Japan-claimed islands in mid-December. The release came after the crews of the boats paid a fine of some 6.4 million rubles (¥11 million) ordered by a Russian court Monday for violating regulations ...

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9 percent this year to fewer than 900,000, the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, the welfare ministry said Tuesday. The dwindling number of births will put more strain on welfare ...

A panel of experts under the industry ministry published a draft report Monday recommending that major convenience store chains allow stores to have flexible operations amid a severe labor shortage. The draft report said major chains should review their around-the-clock operations due to a changing ...

By allowing local governments and firms to build networks in rural areas, where construction by major carriers will be delayed, Japan expects 5G usage to begin quickly.

Meeting in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, Abe, Li and Moon also discussed closer economic cooperation, agreeing to accelerate negotiations on a three-way free trade agreement.

Sprawled across a spent volcano on the remote edge of the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia, the Mount Weld mine seems a world away from the U.S.-China trade war. But the dispute has been a lucrative one for Lynas Corp., Mount Weld's Australian owner. ...

A science ministry committee on Monday approved a research program to grow human organs, such as the pancreas, inside the bodies of pigs for use in medical transplantation. The study will be carried out by a team including Hiroshi Nagashima, professor at Meiji University, and ...

SoftBank Group Corp.'s talks to secure $3 billion (about ¥328 billion) from the nation's three biggest banks have stalled as the lenders have hit internal lending limits to the firm, two people said, complicating a $9.5 billion rescue package for WeWork. The technology conglomerate is ...

For the first time in more than 200 years, worshippers will not be able to celebrate Christmas Mass at Notre Dame cathedral, still being restored after a devastating fire. "There won't be a midnight Mass at Notre Dame. The last time this happened was during ...

Boeing Co.'s incoming boss David Calhoun faces a daunting task when he takes over as chief executive officer next year: rescuing the 737 Max while mending the company's fractured relationship with U.S. regulators. But that's just the first of the hurdles awaiting him. Calhoun, who ...

The physical performance of children in Japan deteriorated dramatically in fiscal 2019 from the previous year, a survey by the Sports Agency showed Monday. The overall performance score for boys in the fifth year of elementary school was the lowest since the survey started in ...

It's been a good year for Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani. The Indian tycoon added almost $18 billion to his wealth — the most in Asia — taking his net worth to $61.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. In comparison, Alibaba Group Holding ...

The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, plans to call on member companies to consider devising steps to develop high value-added products and services in a bid to improve labor productivity. The policy, to be included in the top business lobby's management-side guidelines for next year's ...

A colorful cast of political novices who won Hong Kong's local elections are attending cramming courses and trading tips on how to take the fight to the city's pro-Beijing establishment in their own neighborhoods. Last month's landslide victory for the city's pro-democracy camp was a ...

A court sentenced a Chinese man on Monday to 14 months in prison, suspended for three years, for intruding into the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo and damaging a drape by throwing ink on it earlier this year. Hu Daping, a 54-year-old self-proclaimed writer, had ...

Around February last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the mass production of vehicles used for transporting and launching missiles including intercontinental ballistic missiles, Kyodo News has learned. To cover the expense of acquiring parts for around 70 so-called transporter-erector-launchers, or TELs, from ...

The move is apparently in response to recent international pressure over the tax-saving measures of technology giants.

A man accused of killing 19 residents and injuring dozens more at a care home for people with mental disabilities in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2016 said Monday he will admit to charges of murder and attempted murder at his trial, which is slated to ...

It is "more important than anything" to keep up the momentum for talks between the United States and North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday. North Korea has set a year-end deadline for the United States ...

Russia completed a series of tests on Monday checking that its internet services could function if the country were to get cut off from the worldwide web, Deputy Communications Minister Aleksei Sokolov said. The review, conducted over the course of several days on specially designated ...

Turkey lashed out on Monday at a Saudi court's "scandalous" verdict over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying those responsible for the murder had been granted immunity. Five people were sentenced to death and others were handed jail terms but two top figures ...

Boeing on Monday replaced its embattled chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, as it attempts to pivot from a protracted crisis surrounding the grounding of its top-selling 737 Max after two deadly crashes. More than nine months after the Max was grounded and a week after halting ...

Share price index-linked products are generally good long-term investment tools.

If only 107,000 votes in three Rust Belt states had shifted to the left, Donald Trump would not be president.

If you want to give gifts at Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's Eve, then get the language of giving and receiving down pat

The word "motomoto" conveys a sense of "originally," but it can also be used to express that you have nothing to lose in a given situation.

In the not-so-distant past, TV viewers were forced to wait a week for the next installment of their favorite shows, parceled out by networks in half-hour or hour-long increments. Fast forward to 2019, when media and tech companies are subverting that schedule and the majority ...

Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle ligament injury in Saturday's Club World Cup final, manager Jurgen Klopp said on Tuesday. The midfielder landed awkwardly on his ankle during the 1-0 win over Flamengo and was substituted ...

The latest racism row engulfing English soccer took a fresh turn Monday amid reports Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min and Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger had been abused by spectators during Sunday's fractious London derby. Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw referee Anthony Taylor ...

Summer Basho winner Asanoyama will fight as a sekiwake for the first time at next month's New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, the latest rankings released by the Japan Sumo Association on Tuesday showed. The 25-year-old rising star earned promotion to sumo's third-highest rank after going ...

Kai Toews' promising college career has come to an end. The University of North Carolina Wilmington sophomore point guard is leaving school to pursue a career in pro basketball, it was announced on Monday. According to a UNCW athletics news release, Toews told the team's coaching ...