The prime minister said the virus battle would be a long one, especially if people drop their guard, but pledged economic relief surpassing that for the 2008 financial crisis.

Haneda Airport’s new flight paths commence despite concerns from aviation experts and public opposition.

On March 12, the Sankei Shimbun ran an editorial urging the media to refrain from criticizing the government for its handling of the coronavirus emergency. The Sankei Shimbun was elaborating on a complaint made by former TV announcer Yoshiko Sakurai that the press was ...

What’s happening in Japan is written all over our faces — our blank, expressionless, masked faces. Never before, it seems safe to say, have so many people gone about masked. Thus we confront the microbes that assault us. Are the microbes disconcerted? It seems not. “As self-protection, ...

It was only a matter of time before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to change tack. After months of speculation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday night that the games would be postponed until 2021. Online media in Japan and ...

About 79 percent of the public approves of Tuesday's decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics by about a year in light of the coronavirus pandemic, a survey found Saturday. The three-day nationwide telephone poll from Thursday to Saturday found that 78.7 percent say the delay ...

Japan wants to develop a stealth fighter domestically, rejecting designs from Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. in the United States and Britain's BAE Systems PLC, three sources with knowledge of the program said. That would put Japan's leading defense contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in ...

The damage being inflicted on the airline industry by the virus is exceeding anything it has seen in the past.

Local supporters of former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai have been questioned by prosecutors on suspicion they received cash from him in connection with last summer's Upper House election, which saw his wife, Anri Kawai, win a seat, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday. Members ...

Jam-packed trains and streets have vanished, revealing a surreal but more spacious version of the capital.

Prime Minister Abe’s team is working on steps to save jobs and spark a v-shaped recovery, but is money all it takes?

What would happen if British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's case of coronavirus — so far he has "mild symptoms" — were to become more serious or even incapacitate him and his team? Under Britain's uncodified constitution, the answer is unclear. Johnson and Health Secretary Matt ...

Toyota Motor Corp.'s idled manufacturing facilities in the U.S. will make much-needed face shields and masks, and the auto giant is also closing in on deals with makers of medical devices to help them boost production. The carmaker said Friday it will start mass production ...

It was supposed to be a smooth transition for Nomura Holdings Inc.'s new boss. Then the coronavirus struck. Thanks to the pandemic, Kentaro Okuda, 56, takes the reins of Japan's biggest brokerage on Wednesday with the prospect of deals drying up as bankers keep away ...

Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults said they have been laid off or furloughed during the coronavirus outbreak, yet a bipartisan majority of Americans wants businesses to remain closed to slow the spread of the deadly virus despite its impact on the economy, according ...

Senagajima Umikaji Terrace, a Mediterranean-esque shopping mall located near the west coast of Senaga Island in Okinawa Prefecture, usually sees crowds of tourists and lines of buses and rentals cars. Starting in around mid-February this year, however, the number of tour group from overseas ...

There is not yet an ironclad scientific consensus on exactly how the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is spreading, but experts are getting a pretty good sense of it. That understanding needs to be central to our strategy of combatting the virus with minimal ...

As the snow melts and spring approaches, sansai (mountain vegetables) start to flourish. These greens are the true harbingers of Japanese spring, offering a refreshingly bitter counterpart to the typically mild vegetality of other spring vegetables such as peas and asparagus. Without exception, when ...

As executive director of the Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC), Mitsukuni Baba plays an integral role in introducing Japan to the people of Chicago in terms of business, politics, education and culture.

Wagashi designer Shiho Sakamoto is embracing technology, using Instagram, video and even 3D printing to introduce wagashi sweets to new generations around the world.

Chocolate-covered potato chips aren’t a new idea. It’s a tried-and-true combination that has proven to be a delight over the years. How do you improve on that? Supermarket chain Seiyu thinks bringing a third flavor into the mix can up the tastiness even more. It’s ...

Joseph Everett shares what he's learned as a YouTuber

Oedo Antique Market En garde: Most of these sword guards, each kept in its own wooden box and sold at the Oedo Antique Market by Kensuke Tansho, were crafted during the Edo Period (1603-1868). Those with a sharp eye for antiques vouch for the high quality ...

Part of Aso-Kuju National Park, Mount Kuju comprises a number of lofty peaks. But at 1,791 meters, Nakadake is the highest, and a worthwhile spot for any hiking enthusiast. It is also a must for those seeking the unusual and the unique.

With the current upheaval caused by COVID-19, Tokyoites have been advised from going outside to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But Tokyo apartments are cramped and constricting, and a solo sojourn in nature can do wonders to alleviate the anxiety the virus is ...

As coronavirus news floods our social feeds, it's important to take care of our mental well-being as well as our physical conditions.

Set in Japan, Clarissa Goenawan's eagerly anticipated second novel, "The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida," has a winsome tone, harkening to the early works of Banana Yoshimoto.

On the surface, sports and haiku are an incongruous mix but, as Nagamura notes in the introduction, "Writing good haiku involves the same attention to grace, balance, strength, bravery, restraint and observation that propels athletes to their peak."

Alongside its humor, Michael Howard's recent memoir, "The Salaryman," provides an insightful look at Japan's corporate workforce. In 2008, Howard was a 32-year-old product manager at a small LA software startup who suddenly landed a high-paying job with a Japanese corporation of over ...

Members of the Hiroshima Carp voiced concerns on Saturday about the wisdom of starting the season on April 24 while the coronavirus outbreak remains unchecked. The club resumed practicing at Mazda Stadium two days after it sent players and staff home upon hearing Thursday that ...

After the B. League announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign due to the COVID-19 outbreak on Friday, some players shared their mixed emotions about this season, which ended abruptly. Shigehiro Taguchi, a Chiba Jets Funabashi shooting guard, exchanged his opinions, ...

With rugby seemingly done for the season, it is time to look back on a crazy few months that have seen Japanese rugby go from the highs of the 2019 Rugby World Cup to a state of confusion in which even a former Brave ...

The German Cup semifinals scheduled for late next month have been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, the German Football Association said Friday. Eintracht Frankfurt, featuring Makoto Hasebe and Daichi Kamada, were due to face Bayern Munich away in the first semifinal on April 21, ...

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said Friday the next athletics world championships, slated for August 2021 in Oregon, could be moved to 2022 following the postponement of this summer's Olympic Games for about a year amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Nobody saw this problem (with the ...