Japan Urges China to Reduce Pollution

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan made energy and environmental issues the centerpiece of his visit to China.

89-year-old woman dies after 30 hospitals refuse to accept her in Osaka

The Osaka Municipal Fire Department said Friday that an 89-year-old woman died after 30 hospitals refused to accept her in Tondabayashi and neighboring cities in the prefecture on Christmas Day.

Fukuda tells Chinese Japan will 'look squarely' into wartime history

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told a Chinese audience on Friday his country will "look squarely" into its wartime militarism and pass it on to its children and grandchildren, saying he believes that is the only way to ensure mistakes are not repeated.

Japan Textbooks to Restore Reference to Wartime Suicides

Faced with protests, the education ministry said that high school textbooks would acknowledge the military’s “involvement” in the mass suicides during World War II.

Tatsuzo Shimaoka, 88, Master of Pottery, Is Dead

Mr. Shimaoka was designated a “living national treasure” in Japan for his mastery of his craft.

Under Pressure, Japan Delays Plan to Hunt the Humpback

Under pressure from the U.S. and Australia, Japan is delaying plans to kill 50 humpback whales as part of its already-contentious annual whale harvest near Antarctica.

Japan: It’s O.K. to Fire on Godzilla, Official Says

The minister of defense caused a media squall after joking about invasions by space aliens and movie monsters.

Japan’s First Encounter With Westerners

The West as seen through Japanese eyes, in an ambitious show at the Seattle Art Museum.

Excerpts From Interview With Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi

Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi, a 100-year-old Buddhist Zen master of the Rinzai school, does not often meet with the press. But during a visit in November, from his main California temple, to the fall training retreat at his Bodhi Manda Zen Center in Jemez Springs, N.M., Joshu Roshi — known to followers as Roshi, or “venerable teacher” — sat for interviews, through a Japanese interpreter, with Ralph Blumenthal of The New York Times. Following are excerpts of the interview, as recorded by The New York Times.

In Japan, Rural Economies Wane as Cities Thrive

Since the 1990s, a growing economic disparity has emerged between prosperous cities and depressed rural areas.

Japan starts fingerprinting foreigners

Nov. 20 - The new anti-terrorism measure is largely accepted by travellers, but criticised by foreign residents in Japan.

Immigrations procedures upon entering Japan have been tightened in a move the government says is part of its fight against global terrorism.

Automatic fingerprint reading machines and digital photo taking computers have been introduced into international airports and ports across Japan aimed at collecting data of all incoming foreigners.

Stem cell breakthrough in Japan

Nov 23 - Japanese scientists have succeeded in creating embryonic stem cells without using embryos.

The bio-team from Kyoto University announced their discovery on 20th. Nov, 2007 along with another team from the University of Wisconsin in the U.S. who'd made the same breakthough during separate research.

It's expected this development will clear a major ethical roadblock to the medical use of the technology.

Japan Hunts the Humpback. Now Comes the Backlash.

The Japanese ritual of killing whales in the name of scientific research may inspire new protest with the targeting of the endangered species.

Japanese Shift Cash Out of U.S. Investments

Many Japanese investors are quitting American investments, in a move that is altering global capital flows and helping to weaken the dollar.

New Japanese Immigration Controls Worry Foreigners

Japan is about to impose strict immigration controls that many fear could deter visitors and discourage businesses from locating in the country.

Tokyo Seeking a Top Niche in Global Finance

As Japan’s focus on manufacturing wanes, planners are trying to reverse engineer another source of the United States’ economic strength: Wall Street.

Gates Urges More Japanese Action on Global Security

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates pressed pacifist Japan today to play a more significant role in international security.

Recent Dings Don’t Dent Toyota Profit

Toyota said that net profit from July through September rose 11 percent from the period a year earlier, to 450.9 billion yen (nearly $4 billion).

Forced to Run Straight, a River Must Now Twist

For decades, Japan pursued economic development at all costs, but in an effort to protect the environment it is aiming to reverse destruction along the Kushiro River.

As Japan Ages, Prisons Adapt to Going Gray

With one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies, Japan is confronting a sharp increase in older prisoners.

Japan Ends Afghan Naval Mission

The refueling mission, while largely symbolic, provided important diplomatic support for Washington.

Paul W. Tibbets Jr., Pilot of Enola Gay, Dies at 92

General Tibbets commanded the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in World War II.

Wait, Don’t Eat That: Candy Scandal Stuns Japan

Scandals involving the freshness of products by popular confectioners have shaken Japanese consumers.

Specialty Beers on the Rise in the Land of Sake

There’s hope brewing in Japan. The country has produced craft brewers that can hold their own with the best that the United States and Europe have to offer.

A Font of Commentary Amid Japan’s Taciturn Royals

A cousin of the emperor, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa has never shied away from offering his personal opinions and publicly sharing his thoughts on the burdens of royalty.

Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

Japanese fashion designers are devising a variety of novel solutions that they hope will ease growing fears of crime.

Japan Wrings Its Hands Over Sumo’s Latest Woes

A debate over whether, and how, the ancient sport of sumo should change is rooted in a quintessentially Japanese conflict between tradition and modernity.

Toyota Loses Top Spot in Reliability Rankings

Consumer Reports said “bug-ridden redesigns” were behind the automaker’s fall from first to third place in the magazine’s annual “Best & Worst New Cars” survey.

Death Reveals Harsh Side of a ‘Model’ in Japan

The starvation of a welfare recipient whose benefits were cut has turned attention to a system touted as a model.

Safe Food for Japan

Washington has begun to study Japan’s tough system for ensuring the quality and safety of Chinese imports, particularly food.

Unlike U.S., Japanese Push Fiber Over Profit

Japan is a broadband paradise with the world’s fastest and cheapest Internet connections, but some analysts wonder if the country’s push to install fiber is worth the effort.

Fukuda New Japan PM

The 71-year-old moderate, Japan's oldest new premier in 16 years, follows Shinzo Abe, the youngest prime minister in post-War history, who abruptly announced his resignation plans September 12.

Veteran Lawmaker Chosen as Japan’s Prime Minister

Yasuo Fukuda, a mild-mannered political moderate, is known for his ability to build consensus behind the scenes.

In Japan, Stagnation Wins Again

Shinzo Abe may have stepped down as prime minister of Japan last week, but the country’s antiquated economy remains.

Japanese Housewives Sweat in Secret as Markets Reel

Japanese homemakers who moonlight as currency speculators have been hit hard by turmoil in the markets.

Party Chiefs in Japan Favor Veteran

Yasuo Fukuda appears likely to be chosen to be Japan’s new prime minister, succeeding Shinzo Abe, who resigned earlier this week.

Japanese Premier Ill, Party Waits on Successor

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was hospitalized on Thursday morning, and the governing Liberal Democratic Party pushed back the date to choose his successor.

Premier’s Resignation Leaves Japan in Disarray

Shinzo Abe, deeply unpopular, had already been written off by Japan’s political establishment and news media.

Japanese Slowly Shedding Their Misgivings About the Use of Painkilling Drugs

Despite an aging population and where cancer is the leading cause of death, Japan has long eschewed use of narcotic pain killers. But that is beginning to change.

Japan Opposition Calls for Elections

Japan’s main opposition party pressed for a general election after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government became embroiled in a fresh round of scandals.

Decades After War Trials, Japan Still Honors a Dissenting Judge

Radhabinod Pal, the only one out of 11 Allied justices who handed down a not guilty verdict for Japan’s top wartime leaders at the Tokyo trials, is still big in Japan.

An Investor Activism Uncommon in Japan

After 31 years as a civil servant, Tomomi Yano began to take on Japan’s corporate culture, and has become an unlikely and remarkably successful advocate for shareholder rights.

Seeking Allies’ Support, Japan’s Leader Reshuffles Cabinet

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought Monday to raise sinking approval ratings and ward off calls for his resignation by forming a new cabinet made up of political veterans.

Japanese Leader Hails Indians Who Backed Tokyo in ’40s

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan expressed admiration on Thursday for two Indians who voiced support for Japan in the World War II era.

As Japan and India Forge Economic Ties, a Counterweight to China Is Seen

As Beijing’s influence around the world has grown, common interests have forced Tokyo and New Delhi to begin warming their historically chilly relationship.

Nagasaki mayor slams nuclear talk, tests

Nagasaki marked the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing here Thursday with criticism of nations that have tested or are suspected of possessing or pursuing nuclear weapons, and people in Japan who advocate acquiring them.

Mr. Hiroshima-san

In a sense, it is the ultimate irony: The man appointed to oversee the memorial to victims of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 by an American B-29 aircraft is . . . an American.

The Emperor of Swat

Barry Bonds is far behind the world record, the 868 homers slugged by Sadaharu Oh when he played for the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants from 1959 to 1980.

Japanese Find Romance and Rituals Far From Home

Japanese wedding tourists are flocking to Paris and other romantic European locations in search of cross-cultural rituals chosen from convenient online catalogs.

Career Women in Japan Find a Blocked Path

Despite a law promising equal opportunity, women in Japan have had trouble reaching positions of authority.

Hirohito rued war criminals' enshrinement

The late Emperor Hirohito worried that Yasukuni Shrine's move to honor Class-A war criminals would adversely affect Japan's future relations with its former wartime foes as well as change the nature of the institution dedicated to the nation's war dead.

Call by U.S. House for Sex Slavery Apology Angers Japan’s Leader

The reaction of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated strongly that the Japanese government would not offer surviving victims an official apology.

NY Times Editorial: Mr. Abe on the Ropes

The political message in Japan is clear: If Shinzo Abe is determined to stay as prime minister, he must change course.

U.S. Seeks Sex Slavery Apology

On a voice vote, the United States House of Representatives approved a resolution demanding an apology from Japan over its military’s sexual enslavement of women in Asia in World War II. “Today, the House will send a message to the government of Japan that it should deliver an official, unequivocal, unambiguous apology for the indignity the ‘comfort women’ suffered,” said Michael M. Honda, a California Democrat who led the nonbinding resolution. The vote was a rare rebuke by Washington politicians of Washington’s closest ally in Asia. An official at the Japanese Embassy in Washington would not comment on the House vote.

Japan’s Prime Minister Holds on Despite Rebuke From Voters

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejected the urging of opposition politicians, newspaper editorials and even members of his own party that he step down.

Governing Party in Japan Suffers Election Defeat

The opposition party seized control of the upper house, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would not step down.

Japan’s Prime Minister Tries to Avoid Big Loss

The news media were predicting a loss for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday’s elections for Japan’s upper house of Parliament.

Japanese Agricultural Minister Accused of Overcharging Government for Private Office Costs

Days before a parliamentary election that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s party is expected to lose, fresh revelations about his scandal-ridden agriculture minister emerged.

Japan’s Leader Faces Defeat, Polls Show

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party faces a significant defeat in this Sunday’s election.

Japan’s Leader Attacked by His Own Party

With Shinzo Abe’s future as prime minister hanging by a thread, politicians from his own party are distancing themselves for their own survival.

Japan’s Quake-Prone Atomic Plant Prompts Wider Worry

The nuclear power plant that was damaged in a deadly earthquake in Japan last week may have unknowingly been built directly on top of an active seismic fault

Bomb by Bomb, Japan Sheds Military Restraints

Japan is blurring the line between defensive and offensive military power in spite of its pacifist Constitution, rattling nerves in northeast Asia.

Kenji Miyamoto, 98, Leader of Japan’s Communist Party, Dies

Mr. Miyamoto emerged from jail in 1945 to lead his party on a jagged postwar course in which it renounced Russian and Chinese Communism in favor of more popular bread-and-butter issues.

Japan’s Elderly Suffer Hardest Shock From Earthquake

All of the people killed, and many of the thousands left homeless, by this week’s earthquake in Japan were older than 65, reflecting the rising vulnerability of one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies.

Japan Nuclear-Site Damage Worse Than Reported

Water leaking from a nuclear power plant stricken by an earthquake was 50 percent more radioactive than initially announced.

Japan Shuts Nuclear Plant After Leak

Tokyo Electric Power, which operates the plant, said it had found more than 50 problems caused by the earthquake on Monday.

Japan Looks for Soldier Remains on Attu

The Japanese government has resumed a search for the remains of World War II soldiers said to be buried in mass graves on the Aleutian island of Attu, U.S. officials said.

Earthquake Shakes Japan’s Northwest Coast

A powerful earthquake in Japan killed at least nine people and injured more than 900, flattening hundreds of buildings and leaving thousands homeless.

Japan Learns Dreaded Task of Jury Duty

Preparing to adopt jury-style trials in 2009, Japan is holding mock trials to overcome cultural obstacles.

Just Like Sturgis, but Serving Sushi With the Corn Dogs

At an annual rally in the shadow of Mount Fuji, 20,000 Harley-Davidson owners gathered to show off their bikes, exchange advice and learn to line dance.

Japan names North Korea and China as security concerns

Japan kept up the pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons and missiles and expressed concern about the lack of transparency on China's burgeoning military spending.

Japan Defense Chief Resigns Over Bomb Remark

Four weeks before a crucial parliamentary election that could decide Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political fate, his gaffe-prone defense minister was forced to resign.

Japan: Scolding Over Atomic Bomb Remarks

Japan’s defense minister was warned by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to be more careful, after he made comments justifying the use of atomic bombs during World War II.

Kiichi Miyazawa, Japan Premier in the ’90s, Dies at 87

The former prime minister and holder of many other top government posts helped guide Japan from postwar ruin to economic superpower.

Asked for Apology, Japan Plays for Time in Sex Slavery Standoff

Even before a U.S. Congressional panel passed a resolution urging Japan to apologize for its wartime sex slavery, the Japanese government said it would have no comment.

NY Times Editorial: Japan’s Tuna Crisis

Along with sharks and other ocean-dwelling species, tuna have been in free fall for decades, in part from rapacious overfishing by big industrial fleets.

A doughnut by any other name

In Tokyo, an American journalist waits in line for two hours for a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Waiter, There’s Deer in My Sushi

Japanese chefs are considering extreme alternatives as shortages of tuna threaten to remove it from sushi menus.

As Japan Ages, Universities Struggle to Fill Classrooms

Japan has one of the oldest systems of higher education in Asia, but its universities are scrambling to find new ways to attract students.

Japan: Battle of Iwo What?

Japan has changed the name of the island of Iwo Jima, the site of one of World War II’s most horrific battles, to its prewar name at the urging of its original inhabitants, who want to reclaim an identity they say has been hijacked by high-profile movies like “Letters From Iwo Jima” and “Flags of Our Fathers.” The name Iwo Jima was a mispronunciation by Japanese Naval officers of Iwo To, which uses the same characters. The misnomer stuck, much to the islanders’ dismay. The revision may have little effect among nonislanders, however. “It was Iwo Jima to us when we took it,” said Maj. Gen. Fred Haynes, 87, a retired marine who was in the regiment that raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi in 1945, a moment immortalized in a photograph by Joe Rosenthal. “We’ll recognize whatever the Japanese want to call it but we’ll stick to Iwo Jima.”.

A Japanese Export: Talent

Japan’s once vaunted electronics industry has downsized to survive global competition, and is inadvertently setting off a brain drain.

U.S. calls on Japan to shield it from missiles

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has urged Japan to declare the right to collective defense so its missile defense shield can be used to intercept North Korean ballistic missiles targeted at the United States, according to Japanese and U.S. diplomatic sources.

Japan to Vote on Modifying Pacifist Charter Written by U.S.

The Japanese Parliament passed a bill calling for a national referendum on amendments to the country’s pacifist Constitution.

War Shrine Gift by Japan Leader Prompts Concern

China and South Korea have shown restraint since news of the offering appeared, while officials in Tokyo tried to play down the gift’s significance.

Japanese Premier Makes Gift to War Shrine but Does Not Visit

It is unclear if the action will be seen as a compromise that satisfies both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conservative base and neighboring countries.

Sex Slave Dispute Follows Abe Even as He Bonds With Bush

Japan’s leader used pointedly vague language to sidestep the issue of his country’s responsibility toward sex slaves.

Japan Court Rules Against Sex Slaves and Laborers

Japan’s highest court denied compensation to wartime sex slaves and forced laborers from China but acknowledged the coercion.

Japan’s Fund for Wartime Sex Slaves Leaves Much of Its Mission Unfulfilled

When the fund set up by Japan a dozen years ago to compensate the aging victims of its wartime sexual slavery closed down on schedule last month, it left much of its mission of redress and reconciliation unfulfilled, because many of the victims refused to accept its money.

Japan’s ‘Atonement’ to Former Sex Slaves Stirs Anger

Critics saw a private compensation fund as a tortured attempt by Tokyo to avoid taking full responsibility for one of the ugliest aspects of the war.

Japanese Researchers Rebut Premier’s Denials on Sex Slavery

The group’s public rebuttal was a rare protest in a country where the prime minister’s remarks had stirred little outcry.

Japan’s Textbooks Reflect Revised History

New high school textbooks will no longer acknowledge that the Imperial Army was responsible for a major atrocity in Okinawa.

Japan Leader Who Denied State Role in Wartime Sex Slavery Still Apologizes

Making a statement toward surviving sex slaves, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed sympathy and offered an apology for the situation they found themselves in.

Japan Repeats Denial of Role in World War II Sex Slavery

The government repeated that there was no proof that the Japanese military forced women into sexual slavery during World War II.

Denial Reopens Wounds of Japan’s Ex-Sex Slaves

Furor over the issue of war-era sex slaves has highlighted yet again Japan’s unresolved history in the region.

No Apology for Sex Slavery, Japan’s Prime Minister Says

Japan has apologized before for the nation’s use of sexual slaves during World War II, but there are concerns that conservative lawmakers may try to water down such admissions of guilt.

Abe Rejects Japan’s Files on War Sex

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe contradicted the government’s longtime official position and denied that the military had forced foreign women into sexual slavery during World War II.

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