The epic tale of Yasuke, Japan's first foreign-born samurai has hit bookshelves, giving readers a comprehensive picture of a man who witnessed great moments of history, but whose story has largely been overlooked in official accounts.

A British woman whose family has had close connections to the imperial family described her "great honor" recently at having hosted a party for Emperor Naruhito, then a prince, while he was studying at Oxford University in 1984. Lady Nadine Bonsor, 70, was asked by ...

As Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne Wednesday, the man who was entrusted with his care while he was studying in the U.K. wished the emperor every success in his new role. Col. Tom Hall, his wife, Mariette, and their children hosted the then prince for ...

Naoko Abe's "'Cherry' Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan's Blossoms," an enchanting story about an Englishman's attempts to preserve Japan's rich cherry tree heritage in the face of rapid modernization, is due to hit bookshelves across the world in March.

Japan's marine life could see "unprecedented changes" if carbon dioxide emissions keep increasing, a team of British, Japanese and Italian scientists warned in a recently published study. The academics have been studying the effects of higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere upon marine fauna and ...

No request is ever too much for Toru Machida, who prides himself on fulfilling the needs of guests at one of the world's most famous five-star hotels. Machida, originally from Tokyo, is the head concierge at The Savoy, the grand London inn that has played ...

Japan's response to the Gulf War in 1990 was "too little, too late" and made the economic superpower look like a "political pygmy," according to a critical assessment by Britain's ambassador to Japan in recently declassified files. Writing in March 1991, John Whitehead said Tokyo's ...

A new play based on the abduction of Japanese citizens to North Korea has been captivating and educating audiences at the National Theatre in London. "The Great Wave," which tells the fictional story of one family's fight to find out what happened to their missing ...

Japanese men are showing a "softer" side at work and in the home but some of their traditional masculine attitudes are still prevailing, according to new research by Cambridge University. Graduates and academics have produced a book looking at how Japanese men are slowly changing ...

Japan's soft power has been boosted immeasurably by its decades-long policy of recruiting foreign graduates to come and teach in the country, according to a study by a British-based researcher. Sharleen Estampador-Hughson, from the University of Sheffield, argues that the experience of living in the ...