The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) published an article on June 17 that was critical of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), a lobbying organization made up of more than 1,300 of the country's biggest companies. The Nikkei has always been in Keidanren’s corner, so it ...

Freelance reporter Jumpei Yasuda gave a three-hour news conference at the Japan National Press Club on Nov. 2 about his hostage ordeal, describing in detail how he was kidnapped after entering Syria in 2015 and then held for more than three years. He also ...

On Oct. 15, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed during an extraordinary Cabinet meeting that the government would raise the consumption tax from 8 to 10 percent next Oct. 1. The tax hike has already been postponed twice owing to jitters over how it might ...

The education ministry last year announced it would change the common testing system for universities, starting in 2020. A major change is expected to be made to the English-language component of the exam. Applicants will be asked to take English tests developed by commercial ...

French director Mikhael Hers' family drama, "Amanda," was awarded the Grand Prix at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival on Friday. Edoardo De Angelis, meanwhile, took top directing honors for his emotional Italian drama "The Vice of Hope," a film that also won his wife, ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe receives a lot of grief from left-leaning pundits who consider his policies and outlook regressive, but right-leaning commentators aren't always enamored of the country’s leader either. They voice frustration at his refusal to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and find ...

The 31st Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off Thursday with a notable dearth of Hollywood stars, namely the two who star in the opening movie. Despite Lady Gaga's professed love of Japan, the American singer didn't show up as had been rumored to promote "A ...

On Sept. 4, the new presenters for Nippon TV's nightly news show, "News Zero," were introduced at a press conference in Tokyo. It's not unusual for TV stations to revamp current affairs shows, but the new version of "News Zero," which premiered Oct. 1, ...

The long-running American TV series "Grey's Anatomy" is popular because of the way it mixes standard medical drama with mushy romantic intrigue, but another part of its appeal is the makeup of its characters. The drama takes place in the surgical department of a ...

The 23rd edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opened Oct. 4 as Typhoon Kong-rey approached the South Korean port city. When the storm peaked on Saturday morning, some public events were cancelled, but the screenings continued and were still packed with press, ...