The labor ministry plans to urge companies from April 2021 to ensure jobs are available for workers until the age of 70, it was learned Wednesday. The ministry will also require large companies with over 300 workers to publish the number of mid-career hires on ...

The city of Chiba said Tuesday that it will not seek to host a casino resort, citing its priority on reconstruction following natural disasters. The central government plans to open "integrated resorts" at up to three locations and Chiba was considering a bid. "Campaigning to host ...

The decision to cancel the visit came after Iran launched missiles targeting Iraqi bases hosting American troops in response to the U.S. killing last week of a top Iranian general.

The 65-year-old former chairman of Nissan Motor, accused of financial wrongdoings, is expected to denounce Nissan as well as the Japanese legal system in a bid gain public sympathy.

Iran's launching of more than a dozen missiles at American-led forces in Iraq on Wednesday came after years of preparing for a confrontation with its superpower foe, whose forces are vastly larger and more advanced. The Persian Gulf country has more than 500,000 active-duty personnel, ...

Satoshi Uematsu, 29, admitted at his first court hearing to the charges against him of carrying out the stabbing rampage that left 19 disabled people dead.

Iran struck back at the United States early Wednesday for killing a top Revolutionary Guard commander, firing a series of ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq that house American troops in a major escalation between the two longtime foes. It was Iran's most ...

Elon Musk was apparently excited enough about Tesla Inc.'s prospects in China that he was moved to dance, just as shares of the maker of electric cars hit new highs. The chief executive officer awkwardly waltzed across a stage at Tesla's new factory outside of ...

Most Japanese media organizations have been denied access to fugitive automotive executive Carlos Ghosn's news conference, set to be held in Beirut later Wednesday. More than 100 reporters from nearly 50 news organizations have been invited to the closely watched event, but most are from ...

Fallen auto executive Carlos Ghosn almost bumped into Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at an upscale Tokyo hotel as he set out on a daring escape from a looming trial for financial misconduct, according to reports by Japanese media. Public broadcaster NHK showed a map of ...

The Okinawa Prefectural Government plans to cull more than 1,800 pigs at the farm in the city of Uruma and another farm where infection is suspected.

Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez declared a state of emergency Tuesday after a series of earthquakes killed at least one person, toppled buildings and knocked out power to nearly the entire island of more than 3 million people. The largest of the quakes in the ...

Tokyo stocks sank Wednesday, with the Nikkei index briefly falling over 600 points to below the 23,000 line for the first time since November, as Middle East tensions escalated after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases that host U.S. troops. The 225-issue Nikkei average ended ...

Information technology giants such as Google LLC and Amazon.com Inc. are striving to reassure consumers of their commitment to privacy and security, emphasizing related features while rolling out new products at the CES electronics trade show in Las Vegas. Google announced Tuesday that it had ...

NASA's planet-hunter satellite TESS has discovered an Earth-size world within its star's habitable zone, where liquid water could be present. Another first for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is its discovery of a world orbiting two stars, evoking the planet Tatooine from "Star Wars" but ...

As TikTok catches fire among the younger set, world leaders and politicians have kept their distance amid national security concerns about the Chinese-owned app. The vacuum is leaving room for impersonators to roam free. And TikTok's efforts to dissuade such fake or misleading accounts are ...

A key member of the planning team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics set to be held this summer has resigned over a power harassment claim, it was learned Tuesday. The organizing committee of the games revealed that Kaoru ...

On Christmas Eve, Carlos Ghosn walked into his lawyers' modest office in central Tokyo to speak to his wife, Carole, for only the second time since April. During his long odyssey through the Japanese legal system — several arrests, more than 100 days in ...

A volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands has sent up another ash cloud that could threaten aircraft, the Alaska Volcano Observatory announced. Shishaldin Volcano erupted at 5 a.m. Tuesday, said Hans Schwaiger, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, one of the agencies that make up ...

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged a major donor to President Donald Trump's inaugural committee with obstructing a federal investigation into whether foreign nationals unlawfully contributed to the inaugural celebrations. The donor, Imaad Zuberi, recently pleaded guilty in a separate case in Los Angeles to campaign ...

Paris and Washington have set a two-week deadline to end a row over a French proposal to tax multinational tech giants, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday. President Donald Trump last month unveiled sky-high retaliatory duties on $2.4 billion of French products from ...

America's trade deficit continued to tumble in November, hitting its lowest level in three years as imports of crude oil, computers and industrial supplies fell off sharply, the government reported Tuesday. That put the United States on track for the first drop in the annual ...

Boeing Co. said on Tuesday it was recommending that airline pilots undergo simulator training before they resume flying the 737 Max, a shift from its previous position that pilots only needed computer-based training on new software following two fatal crashes. "This recommendation takes into account ...

Britain moved a step closer to leaving the European Union on Tuesday when Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought his Brexit deal back to Parliament, with MPs finally set to approve it after years of division and delay. The House of Commons began three days of ...

U.S. researchers who conducted the largest study yet into whether applying powder to the genitals increases a woman's risk of ovarian cancer were unable to definitively put to rest the issue that has prompted thousands of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other companies. Overall, ...

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she would work closely with Beijing's top official in the Asian financial hub to get it back on "the right path" after more than six months of pro-democracy protests. The appointment of a new head of ...

Struggling Italian carrier Alitalia is burning through its cash resources at the pace of around €300 million ($334 million) a year, its new temporary administrator, Giuseppe Leogrande, told members of a parliamentary committee. In November, after months of talks, railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, U.S. ...

Ikea has agreed to pay $46 million to the parents of a 2-year-old boy who was killed when a chest of drawers tipped over on him, the family's lawyer said Tuesday. Jozef Dudek died in May 2017 at his home in California when a Malm ...

Trump is acting tough in hope that a show of determination will deter Iran, but hope is not a strategy.

Soleimani's death may force a change in the calculus involving Syria, Iran and Turkey.

The future will be warmer, stormier and more extreme.

If I had to identify one event in the Carlos Ghosn case indicitave of concern for foreign perceptions of Japan's criminal justice system, it would be the decision to grant him bail.

Over the past couple of decades, the influence of the worldwide spread of information has raised questions and concerns about how globalization could lead to a homogenized world.

Jan. 11-Feb. 23 After graduating from Tokyo Polytechnic University with a degree in design, Akiko Ando began her career as an illustrator. She has contributed to shop displays at the Lumine department store in Ikebukuro, illustrated books and created designs for CD sleeves. Combining bright watercolors ...

Jan. 10-March 29 Ko-Imari and Nabeshima porcelain items have both been highly valued by powerful historical leaders. Characterized by a gold-painted style called kinrande (gold brocade), Ko-Imari was perfected during the Genroku Era (1688-1704). Its popularity quickly spread throughout Japan and it became a style coveted ...

Japanese comedian Yuriko Kotani journeys back from her adopted U.K. for a series of live shows, in which she discusses the quirks of the British and their language.

Dumb Type's thought-provoking performances and installations explore the influence of technology on humankind.

Spain advanced to the quarterfinals of the ATP Cup even before Rafael Nadal stepped on the court Wednesday at the Perth Arena. Spain, which won the Davis Cup in Madrid with a victory in the final over Canada, stayed in the hunt for its second ...

Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki prolonged their one-time-only doubles partnership Wednesday when they advanced to the semifinals of the ASB Classic. Playing together for the first time in their careers, Williams and Wozniacki beat top-seeded Johanna Larsson and Caroline Dolehide 6-2, 6-1. The pair will not ...

David Tepper is entrusting Baylor's Matt Rhule to lead the Carolina Panthers out of what he views as a cycle of "long term mediocrity." The Panthers owner hired the 44-year-old Rhule on Tuesday to become the team's next head coach. He replaces Ron Rivera, who ...

Major League Baseball says it will investigate allegations the Boston Red Sox illegally used their video replay room to steal signs between opposing pitchers and catchers during their 2018 World Series championship season. The claims were made Tuesday in a report by The Athletic. The ...

The Los Angeles Lakers gathered around Anthony Davis while the six-time All-Star writhed in pain on the Staples Center floor. Another breezy blowout win had just become much less fun for the Lakers and their superstar big man, although it's too soon to say just ...

Nine Australian NBA stars have partnered with the league and the National Basketball Players Association Foundation to donate $750,000 towards relief and recovery efforts for Australia's bush fire disaster, the NBA said Tuesday. "We are heartbroken over the devastation these fires are causing all across ...

U.S. professional sports leagues struck out in their quest for a cut of sports betting money by claiming they needed payments to help protect the integrity of games. They also fumbled an attempt to claim a share of betting proceeds by saying the games are ...

The new National Stadium is open for business, having survived a December opening gala featuring J-pop icons Arashi and the 2019 Emperor's Cup final with a number of online grumbles but few out-and-out disasters. But is that enough to earn the $1.4 billion centerpiece of ...

The emergence of Rui Hachimura has absolutely been a catalyst for Japanese basketball and given younger Japanese players the inspiration to dream of one day reaching the NBA. High school hoopsters Ibu Yamazaki and Bruce Kanno are perhaps the best examples of this among the ...

Trailing 3-0 at home to their fierce local rivals in a cup semifinal, Manchester United's players were jeered by their own supporters as they traipsed off at halftime. It was — as United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attested afterward — the team's worst 45 minutes ...

Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova said the Brisbane International felt like "a second-hand event" with women relegated to outside courts to make way for men playing the inaugural ATP Cup. The WTA tournament is being run alongside the Brisbane leg of the men's new ...

A legal challenge by the United Arab Emirates soccer federation that threatens Qatar's 2019 Asian Cup title will be heard at sport's highest court. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Tuesday it will hear the UAE's appeal on March 12 in a case that ...

When Zion Williamson finished his first full-court, five-on-five work since returning to practice last week, he spent extra one-on-one time with assistant coach Fred Vinson on the free throw line. After all, the Pelicans are going to need Williamson to make free throws that matter ...

Having canceled a training camp in Qatar that was to have started this week, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter is optimistic his team will train in Doha at some point before that nation hosts the 2022 World Cup. The American men planned to train at the ...