Latest Japan News
Rescuers in Japan search for 3 missing in or near rivers swollen by heavy rains last week
TOKYO (AP) — Rescue workers in Japan searched Monday for three people who went missing in or near rivers swollen by heavy rains last week that left one person dead and dozens injured. A man in his 60s who was pulled from a flooded car Friday in the central city of Toyohashi was...
Tropical Storm Mawar intensifies rains for Japan, threatens floods and mudslides in some regions
NAHA, Japan (AP) — Heavy rains intensified by Tropical Storm Mawar fell on Japan’s main archipelago Friday, halting trains and triggering floods and mudslides in central and western regions where residents were urged to use caution or evacuate. Up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of...
How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt limit deal and staved off a catastrophe
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was advice that Mitch McConnell had offered to Joe Biden once already: To resolve the debt limit standoff, he needed to strike a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — and McCarthy alone. But after the first meeting of the top four congressional leaders with the president...
Young Kabuki actor's debut breaks Japanese theater traditions
TOKYO (AP) — Ten-year-old Maholo Terajima Ghnassia loves watching anime and playing baseball. He likes making beats and whisper ASMR. And he's breaking conventions in Japan’s 420-year-old Kabuki theater tradition. In Kabuki, all the roles are played by men, including beautiful...
Japan birth rate hits record low amid concerns over shrinking and aging population
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s birth rate declined for a seventh consecutive year in 2022 to a record low of 1.26, the Health Ministry said Friday, adding to a sense of urgency in a country where the government is seen as too slow to take measures to address its rapidly shrinking and aging population. ...
US defense chief calls China's refusal to meet unfortunate during visit to Tokyo for talks
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart is refusing to meet him at an upcoming annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending. ...
Japan's southern Okinawa Islands prepare as tropical storm approaches
NAHA, Japan (AP) — A weakened Tropical Storm Mawar headed toward Japan's southern archipelago of Okinawa on Thursday, leading businesses and the airport to close and fishermen to batten down their boats in preparation. Many residents in the prefectural capital of Naha on the main...
Priceless painting looted by Nazis during World War II returns to Poland from Japan
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A priceless 16th century Italian painting that was looted by Nazi Germany during World War II and discovered in Japan has been returned to Poland, authorities in Warsaw said Wednesday. The “Madonna with Child” attributed to Alessandro Turchi, is the latest...
North Korea's failed satellite launch triggers public confusion, security jitters in neighbors
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s launch of a spy satellite on Wednesday ended in an embarrassing failure, but still prompted public confusion and security jitters in neighboring South Korea and Japan, which are wary of the North’s growing weapons arsenal. About 14...
Japanese knuckleball pitcher Eri Yoshida plays on her own 'Field of Dreams'
OYAMA, Japan (AP) — Eri Yoshida sat in the dugout of an all-dirt baseball field in rural Japan, surrounded by rice paddies, narrow roads, and traditional Japanese houses. The scene recalled instantly the 1989 film “Field of Dreams" — Asian style — and Yoshida certainly has...
