Hokkaido announced its first COVID-19 death on Wednesday, as the prefectural education board urged local authorities to temporarily close all public elementary and junior high schools in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The prefectural government said an elderly person from Hakodate ...

A health ministry panel approved the production and sales of a gene therapy for treating spinal muscular atrophy, a rare incurable disease that destroys muscle function.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato was put on the defensive Wednesday as he drew heavy flak from opposition lawmakers over the government’s response to the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak.

As outbreaks of COVID-19 continue to spread in Japan, so too does speculation that they could force the cancellation or postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Major advertising agency Dentsu Group Inc. imposed an emergency workplace protocol Wednesday, ordering about 5,000 staffers at its headquarters in Tokyo to work from home after an employee was confirmed to have the COVID-19 coronavirus Monday. The employee, in his 50s, is hospitalized but not ...

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday rejected a damages suit filed by four people arguing that a national law forcing couples to use the same surname after marriage is unconstitutional. Yoshihisa Aono, the 48-year-old president of software development firm Cybozu Inc., and three others had ...

A nuclear reactor in Miyagi Prefecture damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster formally cleared screening by a national nuclear watchdog on Wednesday, paving the way for it to restart after anti-disaster measures are completed by the end of March next year. The No. ...

Some medical institutions in Japan have been rejecting possible COVID-19 patients under the strict but ambiguous testing guidelines currently in place, leaving many patients shunted from hospital to hospital. Experts point out that the vague criteria have caused confusion among medical staff. According to the health ...

In the midst of a surge in demand as more people shop online, the parcel delivery sector is struggling to keep up due to a chronic shortage of drivers. Meanwhile, restaurants are struggling to find ways to reduce waste in an industry notorious for ...

The Philippines said Tuesday that the number of its citizens who had tested positive for the coronavirus on a cruise ship docked in a Japanese port had risen to 80, as more than 400 others arrived back home. The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said ...

Foreign diplomats in Japan have toured a sake brewery near Tokyo to study how the beverage is made in a project the government and the sake industry hope will promote the traditional rice wine overseas. The National Tax Agency, which co-hosted the project with the ...

Britain wants the European Union to show the same respect for legal autonomy it afforded countries such as Canada and Japan when signing trade deals with them, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said on Tuesday. Johnson's office said Britain was determined to protect its legal ...

Surging front-runner Bernie Sanders will be in the hot seat at the Democratic debate in South Carolina on Tuesday, when his six presidential rivals try to derail his growing momentum before the next big round of nominating contests. Free-spending billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who had a ...

U.S. President Donald Trump's longtime friend Roger Stone will urge a federal judge on Tuesday to grant him a new trial, after she sentenced him last week to serve more than three years in prison in a case that angered Trump and rattled the ...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no country was trying to help him win the November election, after a top intelligence official told lawmakers Russia was interfering in the 2020 presidential vote to help Trump win a second term. "I want no help ...

Japan has no other practical choice except to maintain the security alliance with the U.S.

A degree of fear isn't out of place if it encourages people to adopt behaviors that will limit the outbreak.

With fears over the COVID-19 outbreak increasing, a slew of overseas artists have cancelled live shows in Japan, while others are determined that the show must go on.

Shamisen player Hiromitsu Agatsuma teams up with singer and musician Akiko Yano for a new album which sees both depart from their previous styles and genres.

The Abbey Collection takes viewers through a modern history of bamboo crafting, from its late recognition as fine art in the 19th century to the elaborate artistic creations of today.

The CEO of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said Wednesday the Olympic torch relay could be downsized in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. "Bringing spectators together in large numbers increases the risk of infection. Downsizing is among the approaches we can ...

Nippon Professional Baseball announced Wednesday it will hold all 72 of its remaining preseason games behind closed doors, becoming the latest Japanese sporting body to take drastic steps to address the spiraling coronavirus crisis. It follows an announcement by the Japan Rugby Football Union earlier ...

The B. League made the difficult decision to put its regular season on hold from this weekend through March 11 amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the pro basketball circuit announced Wednesday. As a result, 99 games in the first and second divisions will not take ...

Mitsuru Murai knows a thing or two about tough decisions. After all, they've defined his tenure as J. League chairman over the last six years. Tuesday was the latest such example, as Murai announced that the league would suspend its competitions for the next three weeks ...

The Japan Sumo Association is essentially a reactive, rather than proactive, organization. Through the ups, downs and various scandals of the last few years, the JSA's standard modus operandi has been to avoid making moves until public pressure essentially forced its hand. Even then, measures taken ...

The Japan Rugby Football Union said Wednesday it will postpone a total of 16 games across two rounds of the 2020 Top League season due to the growing alarm over the spiraling coronavirus crisis. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to result in canceled events and ...

Rui Hachimura's impact on Japanese basketball extends far beyond the court. The Washington Wizards rookie forward's No. 8 is the top-selling NBA jersey in Japan, it was announced by the NBA on Tuesday. Jersey sales for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Golden State Warriors ...