Latest Tokyo News

Japan says it will watch China's military activity after Beijing admits violating Japanese airspace

Nov. 20, 2024 08:41 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese officials said Wednesday they are closely watching to see if China keeps its promise to prevent further violations of Japan's airspace after explaining that an incursion by a Chinese military aircraft nearly three months ago was unintentional and caused by turbulence. ...

Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, master of modern free verse, dies at 92

Nov. 18, 2024 23:07 PM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Shuntaro Tanikawa, who pioneered modern Japanese poetry, poignant but conversational in its divergence from haiku and other traditions, has died. He was 92. Tanikawa, who translated the “Peanuts” comic strip and penned the lyrics for the theme song of the...

An Australian on trial for drugs in Japan says she's the victim of a romance scam

Nov. 18, 2024 08:30 AM EST

CHIBA, Japan (AP) — An Australian accused of smuggling amphetamines in a suitcase appeared in a Japanese court on Monday nearly two years after her arrest, saying she is innocent and that she was tricked into carrying them as part of an online romance scam. Donna Nelson from Perth,...

Uniqlo's chief says fast fashion must change with the times

Nov. 18, 2024 06:04 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Forty years after its founding, Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo has more than 2,500 stores worldwide. Sales at its parent company, Fast Retailing Co., recently topped 3 trillion yen ($20 billion) annually for the first time. The name Uniqlo comes from joining the...

Japanese Princess Yuriko, wartime Emperor Hirohito's sister-in-law, dies at 101

Nov. 15, 2024 06:49 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Princess Yuriko, the wife of wartime Emperor Hirohito’s brother and the oldest member of the imperial family, has died after her health deteriorated recently, palace officials said. She was 101. Yuriko died Friday at a Tokyo hospital, the Imperial Household...

Olympic champion wrestler Gable Steveson ends retirement, returns to University of Minnesota

Nov. 12, 2024 18:03 PM EST

Gable Steveson, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said Tuesday he is coming out of retirement and will return to the University of Minnesota for a fifth and final season of college wrestling. Steveson won gold as a freestyle heavyweight in Tokyo at age 21, then won...

Ishiba survived a rare runoff to remain Japan's prime minister but will face turmoil

Nov. 12, 2024 06:42 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, battered in parliamentary elections last month, has survived a rare runoff vote against the opposition to remain the country's leader but he still faces turmoil ahead. One of his top priorities is dealing with the aftermath of a...

Japan's SoftBank returns to profit after gains at Vision Fund and other investments

Nov. 12, 2024 05:22 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments. Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7...

Sony: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Nov. 08, 2024 05:09 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — TOKYO (AP) — Sony Corp. (SONY) on Friday reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $2.28 billion. The Tokyo-based company said it had profit of 37 cents per share. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts...

Japan's defense chief steps aboard visiting South Korean warship as the two nations strengthen ties

Nov. 07, 2024 12:29 PM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japan' s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was welcomed aboard a South Korean warship during its port call near Tokyo on Wednesday, a first for a Japanese defense chief, as the two countries step up security ties against a backdrop of growing tension in the region. ...