Japan

“United by Emotion” revealed as Tokyo Olympic Games’ motto

United by Emotion" has been revealed as the motto for this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the games organizing committee said Monday. A committee comprised of former athletes and others…

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Japan reports first COVID-19 death to take global total to 1,710

Japan has announced its first death from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, taking the global total to 1,710. Health minister Katsunobu Kato said the victim was a woman in her 80s…

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More virus cases on cruise ship off Japan, Possible virus hot spot in Singapore

Ten more people on a quarantined cruise liner in Japan have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Thursday, as health experts stepped up efforts to find a vaccine for…

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Olympic organisers ‘seriously concerned’ by coronavirus spread

Olympic organisers are "seriously concerned" about the spread of coronavirus and the impact it could have on the Tokyo Games this summer. Several qualification events have already been impacted due…

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China virus toll nears 500, cases found on cruise ship in Japan

The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in China passed 490 on Wednesday, as two U.S. airlines suspended flights to Hong Kong following the first fatality there and 10 cases…

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Mitsubishi Electric data likely compromised in massive cyberattack blamed on Chinese group

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said Monday it has been targeted in a massive cyberattack, and that information regarding government agencies and other business partners may have been compromised, with a Chinese…

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Japan announces creation of space force in face of new threats

Japan's prime minister has announced his country will create a space defence force, in an effort to protect it from technological threats. Working closely with US President Donald Trump, the…

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Photo Story: Japanese Emperor Naruhito presents his opening address to parliament members

Japan's Emperor Naruhito attends the opening of a regular parliamentary session at the upper house of the Diet in Tokyo, Japan, 20 January 2020. Emperor Naruhito presented his opening address…

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Photo Story: The 25th anniversary of the Kobe earthquake in Japan remembered

Residents offer prayers for victims of the Great Hanshin (Kobe) Earthquake, in Kobe, western Japan, 17 January 2020. The event marked the 25th anniversary of the disaster, a 7.3 magnitude…

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Japan confirms first case of new China coronavirus strain

Japan has confirmed its first case of infection from the new China coronavirus that has killed one person and prompted a travel alert from the US state department. A…

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Photo Story: New Year ice water bathing ceremony in Tokyo

A man kisses a block of ice during an ice-cold water bathing ceremony at the Teppozu Inari Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, 12 January 2020. Men and women participants took part…

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Japanese royal couple’s New Year address to the country

(L-R) Japan's former Empress Michiko, former Emperor Akihito, his son and current Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Crown Prince Akishino greet well-wishers through a bullet-proof glass from a balcony…

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Boat with two human heads washes up on Japanese coast

A handout photo made available by Sado Coast Guard Office shows Korean letters written on the outside of a wooden boat that washed ashore on Sao Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.…

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Japan executes first foreigner in a decade

Japan on Thursday executed a 40-year-old Chinese man who was convicted of murdering a Japanese family in 2003. Justice Minister Masako Mori said she had ordered the execution of the…

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China, Japan and South Korea agree to work together to promote dialogue between the US and North Korea

China, Japan and South Korea have agreed to work together to promote dialogue between the United States and North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday following a…

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Photo Story – Santa Paws

A dog dressed in Christmas costume is seen at the Tokyo Great Santa Run 2019 in Tokyo, Japan, 22 December 2019. Some 3,500 people participated in the event to raise…

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Japan plans to send 270 sailors to Middle East to guard ships

Japan is working on a plan to send about 270 seamen to the Middle East to guard ships supplying Japan under a law that allows military deployments for research and…

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Gunmen kill head of Japan aid agency in Afghanistan

Gunmen killed six people, including the head of a Japanese aid agency, on Wednesday in an attack on their vehicle in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. The ambush comes…

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Nestlé Japan launches KitKat with cocoa fruit chocolate

Nestlé has just launched the KitKat Chocolatory Cacao Fruit Chocolate, the first product to use a unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit. The iconic crispy KitKat wafer is…

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Japan’s former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone dies aged 101

Japanese former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone speaks during a press conference for the 28th Praemium Imperiale award in Tokyo, Japan, 17 October 2016 (reissued 29 November 2019). Japan's NHK television…

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Japan and South Korea scramble planes to shadow Russian bombers

Japan and South Korea scrambled jets to shadow two Russian strategic bombers over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, Russian news agencies…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis in Japan

Pope Francis (R) gives his blessings to a baby as he arrives at Tokyo Dome prior to celebrating a Holy Mass in Tokyo, Japan, 25 November 2019. The pope is…

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Pope voices concern over future energy as he comforts victims of Fukushima disaster

Pope Francis expressed concern about future energy sources as he comforted victims of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster on Monday, noting a call by Japan’s Catholic bishops to abolish…

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Pope Francis visits Nagasaki in Japan

In a long-awaited speech in Nagasaki, Pope Francis strongly criticized the concept of nuclear deterrence and warned of arm races while calling on world leaders to instead use money and…

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Pope Francis to visit Japan from Saturday

Pope Francis ended his visit in Thailand and is set to arrive in Japan on Saturday to spread his message of peace. He will be the first head of the…

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Photo Story: 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau official release in Japan

People raise their glasses filled with 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau wine, as they bathe in a 'wine bath', coloured hot water, on the day of the Beaujolais Nouveau official release, at…

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Abe becomes Japan’s longest serving PM

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became Japan’s longest-serving premier on Wednesday, a remarkable feat for a leader who once quit in humiliation, but the day was marred by questions about possible…

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Placido Domingo won’t perform at Tokyo Olympics cultural events

The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said Friday opera legend Placido Domingo has said he won’t perform at pre-Olympics cultural events in Japan. The committee said in a statement that Domingo…

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Photo Story: Terminator: Dark Fate Japanese premiere

Cast members Austrian-US actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) hits a Japanese drum as US actress Linda Hamilton (L) and Colombian actress Natalia Reyes smile during the Japanese premiere of 'Terminator: Dark…

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Photo Story: Snow Crab sold for record price in Japan

A man holds a snow crab that was auctioned for five million yen (almost 46,000 US dollar) at Tottori port in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, Japan, 07 November 2019. The snow…

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South Africa win Rugby World Cup 2019

South African captain Siya Kolisi (C) holds the cup as the team celebrates winning the Rugby World Cup final match between England and South Africa at the International Stadium Yokohama,…

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Japanese, South Korean lawmakers agree to repair bilateral ties

Japanese and South Korean lawmakers agreed on Friday to work toward easing tensions and mending bilateral ties that have sunk to their lowest point in years due to a dispute…

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Second minister in a week resigns from Japan cabinet

Japan’s justice minister stepped down on Thursday - the second resignation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s newly formed cabinet in less than a week - after a media report that…

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Photo Story: Fire engulfs 500-year-old world heritage site in Japan

The main building of the Shuri Castle is seen on fire in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, southern Japan, early 31 October 2019. The fire started early Thursday at Shuri Castle in…

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Photo Story: Halloween parade in Kawasaki, Japan

Participants in costumes wait for the start of a Halloween parade in Kawasaki city, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on Sunday 27 October 2019. Some 2,000 participants dressed in costumes participated in…

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Torrential rain hits Chiba Prefecture in Japan

Torrential rain in the Chiba Prefecture, southeast of Tokyo on 25 October caused floods and landslides, leaving eight people dead and a further four missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just…

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Japan trade minister resigns

Japanese Trade Minister Isshu Sugawara resigned on Friday, following accusations of election law violations just a month after taking up the key post charged with handling a trade dispute with…

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Photo Story: Emperor Naruhito enthronement in Tokyo

Japanese Empress Masako (R) and Emperor Naruhito wave as they are on their way to the Imperial Palace for the court banquet in Tokyo, Japan. Some 400 guests from Japan…

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Japan all set for Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony

Visitors walk through the Imperial Palace outer garden in Tokyo, Japan, 21 October 2019, the day before Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony. Some 2,000 guests from Japan and over 180 countries…

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Dutch health minister calls for international strategy to combat dementia

The Dutch health minister has called for a global strategy to deal with dementia at a meeting of world experts in Japan. Hugo De Jonge likened the growth in this…

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Aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Japan

Scenes from the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Japan. According to media reports, at least 40 people died, more than 180 people were injured and at least 16 went missing…

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At least 35 people have died in Japan after one of the worst typhoons to hit the country

More than 110,000 people are taking part in search and rescue operations after Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan during the weekend. The typhoon - the worst storm to hit the country…

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Japan hit by 5.7 magnitude earthquake

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake has jolted the main island of Japan as Typhoon Hagibis, one of the strongest storms to hit in decades, continues to reap devastation throughout the central…

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Japan braces for what could be worst typhoon in 60 years

A powerful typhoon approached Japan, threatening to batter its capital with the heaviest rain and winds in 60 years, shutting down stores, factories and subway systems and disrupting a Formula…

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F1 cancels all Saturday running due to Typhoon Hagibis

Organizers of Japan’s Formula One Grand Prix have cancelled all practice and qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday due to the approach of Typhoon Hagibis. Originally scheduled to take place at…

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Japan braces for impact of Typhoon Hagibis, Rugby World Cup matches cancelled

A handout photo made available by NASA shows a visible image acquired from the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra Satellite of Typhoon Hagibis approaching the southeast coast of Japan, 09…

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North Korean fishing boat collides with Japanese patrol boat

A handout photo made available by the Japan Coast Guard shows Fisheries Agency patrol boat Okuni (R), which reportedly collided with a North Korean fishing boat, in waters locally known…

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French drugmaker Sanofi to cut around 200 jobs in Japan

French drugmaker Sanofi SA plans to cut around 200 jobs in Japan across sales, regulatory affairs and operations, a person familiar with the matter said, months after the company said…

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Japanese firms forced to rethink their British investments in case of disorderly Brexit

Japanese companies and investors would be forced to reassess their four-decade bet on the United Kingdom if there is a disorderly exit from the European Union that shattered supply chains…

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Pope Francis to visit Thailand and Japan in November

The Holy See Press Office announced Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Thailand and Japan from 19 to 26 November. He will be the second Pope to visit these two Asian…

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Exiting nuclear power unrealistic for Japan, minister says, disputing colleague

Exiting nuclear power in Japan is unrealistic, the country’s new industry minister said on Thursday, in comments that reiterated the government’s line but are at odds with those made earlier…

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Japan’s new environment minister says country should stop using nuclear power

Japan’s newly installed environment minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, wants the country to close nuclear reactors to avoid a repeat of the Fukushima catastrophe in 2011. The comments by the son of…

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Typhoon Faxai cuts power to 900,000 homes in Tokyo

More than 900,000 homes have been left without power after Typhoon Faxai made landfall near Tokyo. With winds of up to 210km/h, Faxai is one of the strongest typhoons to…

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Japan braces for Typhoon Faxai

Japan is braced for Typhoon Faxai on Sunday cancelling trains and flights in Tokyo with destructive winds of up to 216 kph and heavy rain expected to hit the region…

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New dinosaur species discovered in Japan

Hokkaido University professor Yoshitsugu Kobayashi (L) and Mukawa town mayor Yoshiyuki Takenaka (R) pose with a replica of the skeleton of the hadrosaurid dinosaur 'Kamuysaurus japonicus' at the National…

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Train crash in Japan’s second-largest city

An express train and a truck collided in Japan's second-largest city of Yokohama on Thursday, train operator Keikyu Corp said, with fire officials confirming that about 30 people were injured.…

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Japan commits itself to ease tension in the Middle East

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he plans to do everything he can to ease tension in the Middle East and wants to talk with Iranian President Hassan…

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