A Japanese city devastated by the 2011 tsunami has received anonymous gifts of gold worth more than $250,000 in a phenomenon dubbed a "goodwill gold rush" ahead of the second anniversary of the disaster.
President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday a "steadfast" commitment to defend Japan, including preventing nuclear attacks on its ally in the wake of North Korea's third nuclear test.
Japan's economy shrank for a third straight quarter in October-December, data showed Thursday, leaving it mired in recession owing to weak export demand, but analysts pointed to brighter times ahead.
Researchers in Japan have moved one step closer to clinical trials using adult stem cells in a therapy they hope will prove a cure for common sight problems.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday it is examining whether the Boeing 787's lithium-ion battery problems were due to formation of microscopic structures called dendrites.
The yen strengthened slightly in Asian trading on Tuesday after a US Treasury official praised Japan's recent moves to boost the economy as Tokyo faces claims it is manipulating the currency's slide.
Japan has suggested setting up a military hotline with China to avoid clashes between the two countries, which are at loggerheads over a group of disputed islands.
Troubled smartphone maker BlackBerry will not launch its new models in Japan, reports said Friday, effectively heralding a pull-out from a booming smartphone market where it is being beaten by Apple.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday criticized the government's certification process for the Boeing 787 and said it had pinpointed how a battery fire occurred on one of the planes.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday urged China to avoid confrontation and seek out a peaceful dialogue with Japan and other countries over territorial disputes.
The results of a probe into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will likely not be known for weeks, investigators said Wednesday, meaning the fleet will remain grounded for at least that long.
Japanese fashionistas leaped to the defence of Tokyo-based Singaporean photographer Leslie Kee on Tuesday after he was arrested for selling books containing pictures of male genitals.
Tokyo summoned China's envoy Tuesday in protest at what it says was another incursion into its territorial waters, after Beijing's ships sailed near islands at the centre of a bitter dispute.
A Japanese starlet who shaved her head and issued a tearful YouTube apology after spending the night with a man was scrambling Friday to redeem the girl next door image of all-female group AKB48.
Japan's hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament Thursday that he intends to change the country's post-World War II constitution, lowering the bar for further amendments.
Japan's cabinet was Tuesday set to approve a $1.02 trillion annual budget with boosts in defence and public works spending amid a festering territorial row with China and a renewed assault on deflation.