National | FOCUS Sep 5, 2021

As the Tokyo Games come to a close, the real test for Japan is yet to come

With a tinge of autumn in the air, the Tokyo Games are nearing an end. For Japan, however, the real test may still await.

National Sep 3, 2018

Asian Games combed for tips ahead of 2020 Games

Japanese officials have been busy over the past two weeks observing operations in and around the Asian Games venues in Indonesia to learn things that could help Tokyo put on a successful Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. The priorities they focused on during the 16-day ...

National / Social Issues Jun 27, 2018

Tokyo-raised American Chessy Prout fights for rights of sexual assault victims

Chessy Prout, an American teenager who spent most of her childhood in Japan, initially felt a sense of powerlessness as the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault gained steam last year. About four years before the movement evolved into a global force, Prout, now ...

National / Politics Dec 28, 2017

LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai invites Xi to visit Tokyo next year amid warming ties with Beijing

A ruling party heavyweight has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Tokyo next year, as the two countries show promising signs of strengthening their sometimes strained relations. The invitation was made on Thursday by Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, during his ...

Asia Pacific Apr 30, 2017

North Korea's avoidance of nuclear test could herald a return to diplomacy

North Korea's decision not to carry out a sixth nuclear test or a major missile launch in connection with its key anniversaries in April, contrary to widespread predictions, could herald a return to behind-the-scenes diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has ...

Film Dec 24, 2016

Japanese movies may set ties with China in motion in 2017

Japanese movies have the potential to give fresh impetus to efforts by Tokyo and Beijing to warm political relations in 2017, as evidenced by the recent smash-hit animation "Your Name." in China. Yoji Yamada, a prominent Japanese film director whose latest comedy's remake is to ...

Asia Pacific / Politics Dec 10, 2015

China says visit by popular North Korean band is important

China sees a six-day visit by North Korea's most popular all-female band as important, an ambassador said Wednesday, as the ensemble left Pyongyang for its first concerts abroad. In the latest sign of warming relations between China and North Korea, the Moranbong Band and some ...

National Sep 30, 2015

Japanese falls from favor at elite Pyongyang university amid ongoing diplomatic tensions

Until a decade ago or so, Japanese was one of the most popular languages studied by elite students in North Korea, even though the two countries have never had good relations, diplomatic or otherwise. But today the situation is very different. At the only North ...

National Sep 10, 2015

North Korea says fresh probe into Japan abductees almost done

North Korea has nearly completed a fresh investigation it promised Japan last year into the fates of Japanese citizens allegedly abducted by the country decades ago, according to a senior North Korean diplomat. "What is obvious is that (North Korea) has conducted the investigation in ...

National Sep 4, 2015

Chinese skip military parade, head to Japan

China staged a massive military parade Thursday celebrating with fanfare the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II, but not all Chinese were glued to the spectacle: Many had fled, for Japan. Japan was one of the most popular overseas destinations for Chinese ...