A Japanese court on Wednesday is due to deliver a verdict in the case of three disgraced Olympus executives accused of engineering a massive accounting fraud at the camera and medical equipment maker.
Australia takes its legal battle to stop Japanese whaling in the Antarctic before the UN's highest court on Wednesday, in an emotionally-charged case activists say is make-or-break for the giant marine mammals' future.
A plucky pigeon that flew across the Pacific Ocean from Japan will be bred by a bird lover in Canada hoping its progeny will make top long-distance racers.
Ninety-two percent of music festival goers are more likely to bring a smartphone to an event than cash or ID, but many fail to guard against loss or theft.
Just weeks after a visit to regional rival China, French President Francois Hollande arrives in Japan on Thursday, hoping to close deals on nuclear cooperation and in the aviation sector.
Japan said Saturday it would give $14 billion in aid to Africa over the next five years, as Tokyo scrambles to grab a share of resources and the potentially vast marketplace on offer.
Japan and Russia on Wednesday signed a deal that will see them jointly explore and develop a potentially lucrative oil and gas field off Russia's Far East coast.
Japan kept its position as the world's largest creditor nation for the 22nd straight year in 2012, government data showed Tuesday, as the dollar's gains helped inflate the value of overseas assets.
Japan is close to signing an agreement to supply amphibious planes to India, a report said Monday, in what would be the first sale of hardware used by the military since a weapons export ban was imposed.
A Japanese politician who drew fire for calling "comfort women" a wartime necessity has been forced to apologise for suggesting US soldiers in Okinawa visit brothels to vent their violent frustrations.
Japan's premier agreed Saturday to press on with work on a major industrial zone near Yangon on a visit to Myanmar aimed at deepening economic ties with the former junta-ruled nation.
Calligraphy by Japanese porn star Sola Aoi has sparked a culture war in China, where she has a huge fan base, with purists dismissing the work as "unskilled" after it was reportedly auctioned for $95,000.
Japan's nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that one reactor was sitting directly above an active tectonic fault, effectively ruling out a restart forever.
The Bank of Japan on Wednesday held off fresh easing measures, saying after a two-day policy meeting that a continuation of steps introduced last month would help Japan overcome deflation.