National Jan 14, 2021

Decision on holding Tokyo Olympics ‘could go either way,’ says Kono

Taro Kono, administrative and regulatory reform minister, said, "We need to do the best we can to prepare for the games at this moment."

National Nov 19, 2020

U.S. Navy commander in Asia welcomes Japan-Australia military pact

A senior U.S. Navy commander in Asia welcomed on Thursday an agreement by Japan and Australia to tighten military cooperation that will bolster the United States in a region where China's influence is growing. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian leader Scott Morrison on Tuesday ...

Business / Corporate Nov 19, 2020

Nissan’s U.K. arm tough to sustain without Brexit deal, chief says

The Japanese carmaker says the U.K. provided reassurances in 2016 that Brexit would not affect its competitiveness, when the firm announced a plan to expand operations in the country.

National Jul 30, 2020

As Japan mulls missile defense, Raytheon lobbies for Lockheed’s radar deal

Under Abe, the nation has strengthened its military to deter threats from neighbors, including North Korea and China.

Business / Tech Jul 19, 2020

Japanese robot to clock in at a convenience store in test of retail automation

FamilyMart hopes to have robots working in 20 stores around Tokyo by 2022.

Food & Drink Jul 7, 2020

Sushi meets AI: Japanese inventor's app scopes out choice tuna cuts

Grading software promises to make life easier for buyers of tuna worldwide.

National Mar 28, 2020

Japan rejecting foreign suitors in favor of homegrown stealth jet, sources say

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 ...

Business / Tech Feb 6, 2020

Japan's robot bartenders: Last call for human service?

Japan's first robot bartender has begun serving up drinks in a Tokyo pub in a test that could usher in a wave of automation in restaurants and shops struggling to hire staff in an aging society. The repurposed industrial robot serves drinks in its own ...

National / Social Issues Nov 1, 2019

Japan's shrine meant to celebrate Hokkaido's Ainu divides them

On a wooded lake shore in southwest Hokkaido, the government is building a modernist shrine that has divided the indigenous Ainu community whose vanishing culture it was designed to celebrate. At a cost so far of ¥20 billion, the Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony is ...

Business / Corporate May 23, 2019

Toyota's committee-designed Japan Taxi becomes pricey symbol of Olympic budget-busting

Toyota Motor's Japan Taxi, born in a government committee and designed to be an all-things-to-all-people cab, has become a high-priced icon of Tokyo's budget-busting 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Launched in 2017, the indigo car is the realization of a government project to put a ...