Japan on highest typhoon alert, 480,000 urged to take shelter
Japan braced Tuesday for one of its worst storms in years as typhoon Neoguri barrelled towards the southern Okinawa island chain, with the national weather agency issuing its highest alert and nearly half-a-million people urged to take shelter.
Skeletons found in El Salvador shed light on pre-Hispanic life
Japanese and Salvadoran archaeologists said they have found three human skeletons in El Salvador from more than 1,600 years ago that could shed new light on early human settlements in the region.
A dying business: family graves in Japan
Every once in a while, Kumiko Kano meets a group of people with whom she has decided to spend eternity, one of a growing number in Japan who are shunning the expense and commitment of a traditional family grave.
Japan to lift some sanctions on North Korea: PM Abe
Japan will revoke some of its unilateral sanctions on North Korea, the prime minister announced Thursday, after talks on the Cold War kidnapping of Japanese nationals.
US-based scientist makes potent version of H1N1 flu
A US-based Japanese scientist said he has succeeded in engineering a version of the so-called swine flu virus that would be able to evade the human immune system.
Toshiba nearing deal on Bulgarian nuclear reactor deal
Toshiba's US unit is nearing a deal estimated at almost $5 billion to build a nuclear reactor in Bulgaria, a report said Thursday, as Japanese firms eye atomic contracts overseas after the Fukushima crisis erased demand at home.
China workers strike over Japanese boss' war denial
Around 1,000 Chinese workers went on strike after their Japanese boss denied Tokyo had invaded China and said its 1930s actions were to "help" the country escape colonial rule, state-run media reported.
'Backpackers found living in squalor' after Sydney fire
At least 15 people, reportedly backpackers from Japan and South Korea "living in squalor" in minibuses, a shipping container and a caravan, had to be rescued from a raging Sydney fire.
Historic shift as Japan expands scope of military
Japan loosened the bonds on its powerful military, proclaiming the right to go into battle in defence of allies, in a highly controversial shift in the nation's pacifist stance.
Japan tax hike boosts inflation, hurts spending in May
Inflation hit a three-decade high and unemployment dipped further in Japan, data showed Friday, as the government's bid to jumpstart the economy takes hold, even as analysts warned it was too early for celebrations.
Japan hangs killer in first execution this year
Japan hanged a man on Thursday, the nation's first execution this year, and the ninth since the conservative government of Shinzo Abe came to power in December 2012.
Jail sought for Indonesian skipper in Japanese diver deaths
Indonesian prosecutors Tuesday sought a jail term of three years and six months for a boat skipper who lost track of seven Japanese women during a diving trip that left two of them dead.
Taiwan Japan museum row solved
A row between Tokyo and Taipei over the loan of a host of treasured artefacts to Japan has been solved, Taiwanese officials said, with the exhibition set to open on schedule.
Honda recalls 2 mn vehicles worldwide for airbag defect
Japan's Honda Motor recalled more than two million vehicles worldwide over an airbag defect that could pose a fire risk.
Japan's clubland weathers dancing ban
Famous for its neon lights and wild nightlife, Tokyo's status as one of the world's clubbing capitals looks set to survive a potentially ruinous police crackdown on -- of all things -- dancing.
No charges for Japanese in Anne Frank diary vandalism case
A 36-year-old Japanese man arrested for vandalising library copies of Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl" will not be charged after he was found to be mentally incompetent, a report said.
Japan robot firm showcases thought-controlled suits
A Japanese robot-maker on Wednesday showed off suits that the wearer can control just by thinking, as it said it was linking up with an industrial city promoting innovation.
Japan wife 'beat husband to death' over 40-year-old fling
A 79-year-old Japanese housewife who allegedly clubbed her husband to death in a row over an affair he had four decades ago has been arrested, police and press reports said.
Japan bans child porn possession
Japan on Wednesday finally fell into line with other developed countries and made the possession of child pornography illegal.
Japan minister apologises for Fukushima money gaffe
A Japanese cabinet minister apologised after appearing to suggest people in nuclear disaster-hit Fukushima could be persuaded to put up with contaminated waste if the government threw cash at them.