Pacific island nations announced plans to dramatically increase the fees they charge tuna fishing boats for the right to enter their waters, saying it will boost revenue and help conservation efforts.
Japan on Thursday summoned the Chinese ambassador to complain about fighter jets flying "dangerously" close to two of its military planes over the East China Sea, officials said.
Prosecutors on Wednesday arrested a former employee of the Japanese unit of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis for allegedly manipulating research data to exaggerate the benefits of a popular blood-pressure drug.
Japan's economic growth in the first three months of 2014 hit its fastest pace in more than two years, data showed Monday, while analysts said a pick-up in consumer confidence indicated sentiment was improving despite the impact of a sales tax hike.
Thousands of fans of Japanese girl group AKB48 gathered Saturday for the results of a ballot on which member will lead the band for the next year amid tight security after two members were attacked by a man wielding a saw.
Sony have topped worldwide sales of video game consoles for the first time in eight years, a newspaper reported Saturday, pipping struggling rival Nintendo and signalling the Playstation manufacturer's comeback.
Chinese ships sailed into disputed waters off Japan-administered islands in the East China Sea Friday, officials said, after G7 leaders cautioned against "intimidation" in territorial disputes.
Western leaders said they stood united Thursday ahead of their first direct meetings with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Ukraine, with President Barack Obama giving him a month to back down or face more sanctions.
Dai-ichi Life Insurance said Wednesday it would buy US-based Protective Life for $5.7 billion in a record deal, the latest overseas takeover by a Japanese firm to counter a declining market at home.
Japan on Monday started work on an underground ice wall at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, freezing the soil under broken reactors to slow the build-up of radioactive water, officials said.
Japanese police were Thursday probing the death of a man believed to be a Chinese academic who told his wife he was in danger shortly before he disappeared.
A 998-tonne oil tanker was listing off the Japanese coast Thursday after a large explosion and subsequent fire that sent towering columns of acrid smoke into the sky.
Sony will bring its PlayStation consoles to China through two joint ventures, its Chinese partner said Monday, as the Japanese gaming giant seeks to tap a newly opened market.
Murder detectives were Monday investigating the case of a young nurse whose corpse was sent by parcel post across Japan in a box that claimed to contain a doll.
Music legend Paul McCartney has been treated in a Tokyo hospital for an illness that forced him to cancel a tour of Japan but is expected to make a full recovery, his representatives said.