South Korea's Constitutional Court declined Friday to rule on the validity of a 2015 diplomatic agreement with Japan that aimed to provide funds to the Korean "comfort women" but was deeply unpopular with the Korean public and may have fallen short of being an ...

Tucked into the tail end of the decade was Friday's release of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Zero Emission Tokyo Strategy," which unveils a blueprint for achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. In the strategy, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government states that it recognizes a ...

Japan Post Holdings CEO Masatsugu Nagato, Japan Post Insurance President Mitsuhiko Uehira and Japan Post President Kunio Yokoyama are all resigning over the scandal.

China has called on its biggest state firms to take a more active role in Hong Kong, including stepping up investment and asserting more control over companies in the financial hub, executives familiar with the matter said as Beijing attempts to calm months of ...

The “investigation and research” mission will send the destroyer Takanami into an area where tensions over Iran’s nuclear program are high and an attack could drag Japan into war.

Cheap and cheerful capsule hotels are forever expanding from their Japanese cradle, including now in Milan, where the tiny, stacked rooms are helping the Italian city cope with exploding tourist numbers. With no-fuss convenience for both the city and transport links, digital connectivity and a ...

Taiwan has forged a reputation as Asia's most progressive democracy, and it boasts a higher proportion of women in parliament than anywhere else in the region — yet misogynistic insults have littered its presidential race. The campaign for the Jan. 11 polls has exposed an ...

At the end of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army left a number of unexploded shells filled with poison gas used as munitions. In the 2000s, when such artillery shells were discovered and retrieved from the seabed off the coastal town of Kanda, ...

Industrial output slipped for the second straight month in November, raising the likelihood that the economy will contract in the fourth quarter due to slowing demand abroad and at home. Japan's economy has cooled in recent months due to a prolonged hit to exports from ...

Japan Display Inc. is considering selling a major plant in central Japan to Apple Inc. and Sharp Corp. in an apparent bid to improve its balance sheet, sources close to the matter said Friday. The struggling display-maker, also known as JDI, closed the plant in ...

All but the smallest civilian drones would have to broadcast radio tracking data to ensure greater safety and prevent terrorism under a sweeping proposal unveiled by U.S. regulators on Thursday. The long-awaited draft rules call for a massive new tracking network for everything from toys ...

One day in mid-November, instructors at the Miyagawa medical reformatory, which treats delinquent teenage boys with developmental disorders, in Ise, Mie Prefecture, experienced how people with the disabilities perceive the world by wearing virtual reality goggles and watching a video. "Oh, it's so bright I'm ...

The proximity of Okinawa Prefecture's Igei Ward in the town of Kin to a U.S. Marine Corps live shooting range puts residents at constant risk of stray bullets and other munitions landing on private property, ripping through roofs or even injuring civilians. In the latest ...

Lawson Inc. plans to allow some outlets to close during the New Year's holiday period on a trial basis, said Sadanobu Takemasu, president and chief executive officer of the convenience store chain, in a recent interview. Between Tuesday and Thursday, 102 stores across 25 prefectures ...

More and more unmanned cleaning robots are being used in Japan, mainly at public transportation facilities, amid severe labor shortages. Faced with difficulties securing enough workers, Central Japan Railway Co. started using four robots this year to clean Nagoya Station and other locations, hoping that ...

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. is cautious about allowing its franchise convenience stores to close, its president, Fumihiko Nagamatsu, indicated in a recent interview. "If some stores are closed, customers will be worried about whether others are open or not," Nagamatsu said. "Maintaining an image that Seven-Eleven ...

Tokyo Electric’s fourth delay is needed for more safety steps, including an enclosure for reactor No. 1 to prevent radioactive dust from spreading, the government said.

The government formally decided Friday to encourage male civil service workers from April to take paternity leave for a minimum of one month. Under the policy, the performance of managers will be evaluated partly on how easy they make it for subordinates to take paternity ...

Applicants across Japan have begun receiving notification that they were selected to run in the Japan leg of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay that will kick off on March 26 at the J-Village soccer facility in Fukushima Prefecture, where efforts to recover from ...

Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Thursday it will allow most of its regular workers to take casual side jobs from Jan. 1. At present, the unit of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. permits such side jobs to be taken only by re-employed workers over retirement age. The option ...

Japan Airlines Co. has said it will launch a campaign to offer free round-trip domestic flight tickets to up to 50,000 foreign nationals who visit Japan next summer. The initiative, announced Thursday, is partly aimed at encouraging those who visit for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ...

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha is confident that a civilian, pro-military government he formed in the middle of this year after five years of junta rule can complete its four-year term. But the former army chief and coup leader must deal with various veteran politicians in ...

The prime minister feared the public would “react negatively” if they found out 1970s abductees Minoru Tanaka and Tatsumitsu Kaneda were alive and well.

A family trip to Hokkaido made in 2018 by ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto, who was arrested Wednesday over bribery allegations, was apparently prompted by a request from a Sapporo tourism company that planned to launch a project to build a casino ...

Around 60 percent of local government buildings nationwide are not equipped with emergency power supplies that would last 72 hours, a crucial time frame for saving lives during a disaster, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Aggregated data for all 1,741 municipalities, released ...

A landmark ruling against the former French telecommunications monopoly could pave the way for similar collective procedures. The telecom group Orange and former CEO Didier Lombard were guilty of "moral harassment" that prompted a spate of suicides during a restructuring in the late 2000s, a ...

NHK published an erroneous report saying a missile from North Korea appeared to have fallen into the Pacific Ocean east of Hokkaido early Friday but quickly corrected it, saying the message was posted on its website by accident. Shortly after midnight Thursday, NHK posted an ...

A joint panel set up by Osaka's prefectural and municipal governments has approved a so-called Osaka metropolis plan to reorganize the city into four special wards governed directly by the prefecture in 2025. Following Thursday's approval, the city of Osaka is planning to hold a ...

Ruling party members now believe that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is even less likely to call a general election in the near future after the arrest of a former state minister for alleged bribery. The House of Representatives "won't be dissolved for a snap election ...

The death toll from Typhoon Phanfone's battering of the Philippines on Christmas Day has risen to 28, and will likely climb further, authorities said on Friday. The storm, with wind gusts of up to 200 kilometer per hour (124 mph), swept across remote villages and ...

NHK apologized Thursday for failing to check the identity of a program guest it had introduced as a customer of a shoe rental service at a hotel. The guest was actually an employee of sportswear firm Mizuno Corp., which provided the shoes to the ...

Turkey will send troops to Libya at the request of Tripoli as soon as next month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, putting the North African country's conflict at the center of wider regional frictions. Libya's internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in ...

Indians took to the streets again on Thursday in yet more protests against a citizenship law, a day after pro-government Hindu hardliners staged a show of force complete with horses, drums and batons. Two weeks of at times violent demonstrations have killed at least 27 ...

Abu Walid emptied a container of pistachio shells into the top of a heater in his living room in violence-plagued northwest Syria, where millions are bracing for a harsh winter. His three children huddled around the hand-made stove, the 35-year-old adjusted the heat with a ...

The operation to shore up fire-ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral is entering a risky stage as engineers resume preparations for the removal of scaffolding that could provoke a further collapse. The Paris landmark lost its roof and spire in the April 15 blaze, but the main bell ...

A federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday rejected a request by Turkey's state-owned Halkbank to put on hold a federal prosecution accusing it of helping Iran evade U.S. economic sanctions. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said Halkbank would not face irreparable harm if the case ...

Russian authorities raided the Moscow headquarters of opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Thursday, using power tools to gain entry before dragging Navalny out by force and confiscating technical equipment such as laptops. Navalny and his allies said the raid on his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) was ...

Japan is lagging behind many other countries when it comes to innovation.

The popularity of Chinese-owned TikTok raises concerns about security and values.

Last episode, we were bombarded with new roommates joining the house, and now it's time to see how Vivi, Tupas and Kai are settling in. It's clear that everyone loves Vivi, and who can blame them? Well, everyone but Hana, probably, because that ray ...

The year saw an array of original titles hit the shelves, alongside a selection of reboots of existing francihses

NHK's 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' New Year's Eve television song contest is embracing something a little different this year, with an international metal crossover act.

Hiroshima Carp infielder Ryosuke Kikuchi on Friday doubled down on his allegiance to the Central League club, giving up a bid to move to the majors while signing a four-year contract extension. Kikuchi, a seven-time Golden Glove winner, had until 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time ...

Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka shooting guard Shunto Murakami was fouled repeatedly in the fourth quarter of Friday's home game against the Nishinomiya Storks. Murakami capitalized on his visits to the free-throw line, nailing 12 of 14 fouls shots in the final quarter of Fukuoka's 84-83 victory. The ...

Russia has confirmed that it will appeal against its four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data. The Russian anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, sent a formal letter Friday disagreeing with the sanctions imposed earlier this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The case is now ...

With the bōnenkai (year-end party) season in full swing, it is time to look back at a special year of rugby in Japan while also trying to predict what the future holds. And what better way to do it than in traditional karaoke style with ...

Australia's pacemen struck twice to leave New Zealand vulnerable at 44 for two on the second day of the Boxing Day test after Travis Head scored a sparkling century to put the hosts firmly in command. Tom Latham was nine not out with Ross Taylor ...

Liverpool moved 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League after hammering its closest challenger, Leicester City, 4-0 at the King Power Stadium on Thursday with Roberto Firmino scoring twice. Carlo Ancelotti got off to a winning start as Everton manager, but new ...

Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn believes women aren't the only ones who should get engagement rings. So on Christmas Day she gave one to boyfriend P.K. Subban, the Canadian-born New Jersey Devils defenseman. "On our 2 year anniversary, in a 'non traditional' move, I asked ...