Japan says it is to restart commercial whaling in July in a move that is likely to draw international criticism. It said it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the body tasked with whale conservation. Commercial ...
Japan's Crown Princess Masako says she feels "insecure" about becoming empress in April, but will do her best to serve the people of Japan. Masako Owada will become empress when her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, succeeds his fath...
Child suicides in Japan are the highest they have been in more than three decades, the country's education ministry says. In the fiscal year 2016/7 up to March, 250 children from elementary to high school age were recorded as having taken th...
A Japanese pilot who was arrested at Heathrow Airport for being drunk has admitted being more than nine times the legal alcohol limit. Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, who works for Japan Airlines, was arrested on 28 October after failing a breath ...
Google has sacked 48 people including 13 senior managers over sexual harassment claims since 2016. In a letter to employees, chief executive Sundar Pichai said the tech giant was taking a "hard line" on inappropriate conduct. ...
A rare white tiger has mauled a zookeeper to death in its enclosure at a zoo in Japan, officials said. The 40-year old man was found bleeding from the neck in the tiger's cage. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead. Officials believe he was ...
A judge in Pennsylvania has jailed US comedian Bill Cosby for three to 10 years for sexual assault. Cosby, 81, was also categorised as a sexually violent predator, meaning he must undergo counselling for life and be listed on the sex offender regist...
The head of US media giant CBS, Les Moonves, has resigned with immediate effect after allegations of sexual misconduct. CBS had been investigating Mr Moonves since allegations appeared in the New Yorker in July - and fresh accusations from six more ...
Japan's northern island of Hokkaido has been hit by a powerful earthquake, triggering landslides that engulfed houses. At least eight people have been killed and about 40 are missing, say local media reports. The magnitude 6.7 quake cut power to ar...
The chief executive of China's JD.com, Liu Qiangdong, was briefly arrested in the US on accusations of criminal sexual conduct. Mr Liu, one of China's richest people, was arrested in Minneapolis shortly before midnight on Friday and released on Satu...
Can a room temperature be sexist? The question may sound bizarre, but it's taken off on social media ahead of a debate between New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is seeking a third term, and Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon - his challenger f...
Temperatures in Japan have hit a record high, with officials issuing a fresh warning to stay safe. Japan has for days been in the grip of a deadly heatwave, although the numbers reported killed vary widely from 15 to as high as 40. On Monday, the t...
The European Union and Japan signed a huge free trade deal on Tuesday that cuts or eliminates tariffs on nearly all goods. The agreement covers 600 million people and almost a third of the global economy. It's also a major endorsement of a global tr...
A new video has been released of the 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a Thai cave, in which they say they are in good health. Smiling and at times laughing, they each introduce themselves one by one. They were found on Monday after nine ...
After a heated World Cup match, the stands are usually left with food waste, cups and wrappers scattered in the heat of the moment. Japanese fans certainly had reason to go wild on Tuesday night. Their side won their opening game, beating ...
'Sex and the City' quotes that are actually solid advice...
Scores of celebrities are calling on world leaders to take urgent action against global gender inequality. Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep are among the big names putting political leaders "on notice" in an open letter led by international ...
Black man videotapes Starbucks' refusal to let him use restroom...
Eiko Kadono's playful tales about a young witch and her furry companion have entertained generations of Japanese readers, and have now earned her one of the highest honours in children's literature. Last month the 83-year-old was awarded the...
Six pictograms, including one illustrating a stylised bottom, have been accepted as the global standard for the use of electric toilets. Japan's Kyodo News Service says that the six illustrations have been accepted by ISO, the Inte...