For Takuya Okamoto's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A British historian believes the sport was first played in Yokohama in 1871 — a year before American teacher Horace Wilson began teaching its rules to his students.
New digital technologies are enabling farmers to increase crop output and income without needing additional human labor.
Investor interest in the growth potential of some of Toshiba's businesses means the company is likely to face continued pressure to streamline its wide-ranging operations.
Nationwide core consumer prices, excluding volatile fresh food items, dropped for the seventh straight month after declining 0.6% in January.
An increasing number of people are gravitating toward reasonably priced functional garments and moving away from traditional business wear as working remotely becomes more common.
The drop is largely due to lower energy prices and the government's travel subsidy campaign, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Takeshi Hasuda wants his Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto to lessen the number of dangerous home births by offering women an anonymous service.
But the Bank of Japan is likely to take some years to decide whether to officially issue its digital currency, as are other major central banks.
Models in Japan were found to emit more carbon dioxide than gasoline engine vehicles until their driving distance reaches 111,511 kilometers.
Sales of outdoor leisure goods went up following the government's declaration of a state of emergency in April, an official of a camping product manufacturer said.
