Japanese nuclear reactor maker Toshiba on Wednesday unveiled a remote-controlled robot resembling a headless dog that they hope will be used at the battered Fukushima power plant.
A record 110 countries on Monday backed a resolution voted every two years at a UN General Assembly committee calling for the abolition of the death penalty.
US President Barack Obama is set to dive into the tumultuous diplomatic waters of the South China Sea on Tuesday at a summit dominated by rival claims to the strategically vital area.
The Bank of Japan held off launching fresh easing measures on Tuesday, despite growing calls for further stimulus to spur the economy and as it warned of a "high degree of uncertainty".
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Tuesday warned of an increasingly severe security environment in Asia amid raging territorial disputes, as he met US President Barack Obama.
Japan's election next month will be a messy battle, media said Saturday, with more than a dozen parties fielding candidates and some of them trying to forge a "third pole" between the two largest camps.
Japan has signed a memorandum of understanding with India to promote joint production of rare earth minerals, a move which will help reduce its reliance on China which controls most of the world's supply.
Japan said Thursday it wants to develop "mutually beneficial" relations with China's new leaders, as the two countries remain embroiled in a dispute over islands in the East China Sea.
Pre-orders for Wii U have been hot ahead of the Sunday release of the new Nintendo videogame console that the Japanese electronics titan hopes will catapult it to renewed glory.
A South Korean parliamentary committee has agreed to nearly triple a special budget for promoting Seoul's sovereignty over an isolated set of islands also claimed by Japan.
Japan said Friday around 150 delegates from some 60 countries are expected to attend an international conference in Tokyo this month aimed at pressuring the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
A government minister on Friday said Japan had to decide on its participation in a huge Pacific-wide free trade deal before national polls, in what could be an early salvo in the election campaign.
Japan's Suzuki said Tuesday it would shut down its money-losing car business in the United States and file for bankruptcy, citing a strong yen and weak demand for its small cars in the US market.
Japan is considering a $5.0 billion pipeline stretching from Russia's far east to an industrial hub near Tokyo, as it eyes new energy supplies following the Fukushima crisis.