Biden calls for tough choice to strike Pacific trade deal
Thousands of ageing farmers took to the streets of Tokyo Tuesday, underscoring opposition in Japan to an ambitious free trade deal, as US Vice President Joe Biden called on countries to make "tough choices".
Japan police find 80 reptiles in one-room apartment
Venomous lizards and snakes up to three metres (nine feet) long were among 80 reptiles police found crammed into a one-room apartment in Japan.
Japan director turns to crowdfunding for anti-nuclear film
Japanese film director Takafumi Ota had a problem. He needed studio financing for a film that was harshly critical of the nuclear industry in the aftermath of Fukushima, but no one was interested in funding his project the traditional way.
Japan's top drugmaker appoints first foreign boss
Japan's top drugmaker said Saturday it had picked a GlaxoSmithKline executive as its next president in a rare example of overseas head-hunting by a major Japanese firm.
Japan 'human zoo' defamed indigenous Taiwanese: court
A Japanese court has ordered public broadcaster NHK to pay $10,000 in damages to an indigenous Taiwanese woman for defaming her by using the term "human zoo" in a programme, officials said Friday.
China media urges countermeasures against Japan planes
China's state media called Friday for "timely countermeasures without hesitation" if Japan violates the country's newly declared air zone, after Beijing sent fighter jets to patrol the area following defiant military overflights by Tokyo.
Japan's Abe appoints first ever female PM aide
Japan's Shinzo Abe on Friday named the country's first ever female aide to the prime minister, just weeks after Caroline Kennedy arrived as the first woman US ambassador to Tokyo.
Japanese switched at birth would like to 'roll back clock'
A 60-year-old Japanese man switched at birth says he would like to "roll back the clock", days after winning a lawsuit against the hospital that mistakenly cast him into a life of poverty.
'Smart' wig navigates by GPS, monitors brainwaves
Are you both bald AND lost? Then the new "SmartWig" from Japan might be just what you need.
Tamagotchi virtual pets to return to Europe, N. America
Tamagotchi, the egg-shaped virtual pet beloved of schoolchildren in the 1990s, is making a comeback and is set to hit the shelves of European shops in time for Christmas.
China 'monitored' US B-52 air zone flights: ministry
China "monitored" US B-52 bomber flights in its newly-declared air defence identification zone, the defence ministry said Wednesday, in an assertion of its authority that stopped short of threatening direct action.
Japan's Panasonic to sell chip plants to Israeli firm: report
Japan's Panasonic is nearing a deal to sell three domestic semiconductor plants to an Israeli company as it presses ahead with a move to cut money-losing operations, a report said Wednesday.
Japanese airlines say will obey China's air zone rules
Japanese airlines on Tuesday said they would follow rules set by China when it declared an air control zone over the East China Sea, even as Tokyo said they should ignore them.
China creates air defence zone over Japan-controlled islands
Beijing on Saturday announced it was setting up an "air defence identification zone" over an area that includes islands controlled by Japan but claimed by China, in a move that could inflame the bitter territorial row.
Cutting-edge coal plants planned in Fukushima
A Japanese utility plans to construct two cutting-edge coal power plants in Fukushima, an area severely hit by the 2011 nuclear disaster, a report said Saturday.
New Japan islet created in volcano eruption
A dramatic volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean has created a tiny new islet in Japan's territorial waters, officials said Thursday, the first time in decades the nation has seen the phenomenon.
BoJ holds fire on stimulus, says economy recovering
The Bank of Japan on Thursday held off announcing any fresh measures to stimulate the economy, saying it was "recovering moderately" and that efforts to stoke inflation were taking hold.
Japan's Honda to roll out new fuel-cell car in 2015
Japanese auto giant Honda said Thursday it would roll out a new commercial fuel-cell vehicle in 2015, a day after rival Toyota promised a similar offering as competition in the green car sector heats up.
Beaujolais on the way, Burgundy on the way up
At one minute past midnight on Thursday, wine buffs and fun lovers all over the world will raise a class of slightly lurid purple liquid to the heavens.
Tokyo Motor Show focuses on eco-friendly cars
Eco-friendly cars were in the spotlight as the Tokyo Motor Show opened Wednesday, with Toyota unveiling a new model and Nissan touting its aerodynamic BladeGlider for energy-conscious drivers.