Japan

World News

In Trump's Japan Visit, Golf, Sumo Wrestling — And A Raft Of Policy Differences

10:45am May 27, 2019

by Anthony Kuhn

A Monday press conference with President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed the two countries struggling to manage differences over issues including Iran, North Korea and trade.

President Trump and first lady Melania arrive in Tokyo. North Korea and trade are expected to be on the weekend's agenda.

World News

President Trump Arrives In Japan For Inaugural State Visit Under New Emperor

1:57pm May 25, 2019

by Shannon Van Sant

Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, attend a sumo wrestling match and go to an imperial banquet hosted by Emperor Naruhito.

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono plans to ask overseas news outlets to write Japanese names with the family name first, as is the custom in Japan. Kono is seen here last month in Washington.

World News

Shinzo Abe Or Abe Shinzo? Japan's Foreign Minister Tells Media To Change The Order

2:53pm May 22, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

Taro Kono said he plans to ask overseas news outlets to write Japanese names with the family name first, as is the custom in Japan. But some wonder why the suggestion is coming now.

Japan's Emperor Akihito, with Empress Michiko, waves to well-wishers in the central Japanese prefecture of Mie on April 18. Emperor Akihito takes part in a series of rituals ahead of his abdication.

World News

Emperor Akihito, Japan's 'Surprising Pacifist,' Steps Down After 30 Years

2:03pm April 30, 2019

by Anthony Kuhn

Japan's defeat in World War II "produced in him strong feelings against war and its chaos," says a childhood friend. Akihito has expressed deep remorse at home and abroad for Japan's wartime actions.

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A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II makes a flyby after an unveiling celebration in this 2014 photo. Japan's military reported on Tuesday that one of its F-35A jets crashed during a training mission.

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Pieces Of Missing Japanese F-35 Fighter Jet Found; Pilot Still Missing After Crash

10:19am April 10, 2019

by Anthony Kuhn

Japan's military reported on Tuesday that it lost an F-35 stealth jet off the coast of Japan, in the Pacific. Pieces of the plane have been located and a search for the pilot is ongoing.

Japan's Hayabusa2, seen in this illustration, has been probing the asteroid Ryugu since 2018. The spacecraft is collecting samples that will be returned to Earth.

Japan (Very Carefully) Drops Plastic Explosives Onto An Asteroid

5:31pm April 05, 2019

by Geoff Brumfiel

The device was detonated as part of a mission to better understand the origins of planets.

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Japan's Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda said Tuesday that he will step down in June, as French authorities probe his involvement in payments made before Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Summer Games.

Head Of Japan's Olympic Committee Steps Down Amid Tokyo 2020 Corruption Probe

2:01pm March 19, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

French prosecutors suspect the Tokyo bid committee of paying bribes to host the 2020 Games. Tsunekazu Takeda, who also chairs the IOC's Marketing Commission, maintains his innocence.

In this 2015 photo, Koyuki Higashi (left) and Hiroko Masuhara celebrate and hold up their same-sex marriage certificate in Tokyo. Today 13 gay couples filed a lawsuit arguing the country's general rejection of same-sex marriage rights violates the constit

World News

Same-Sex Couples Sue For The Right To Marry In Japan

11:30am February 14, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

They say the constitution's language on marriage should be reinterpreted. It's the first lawsuit challenging the country's rejection of same-sex marriage.

A researcher examines the underwater hull of the USS Hornet CV-8, which played a role in several key events of World War II.

Wreckage Of WWII Aircraft Carrier Found In The South Pacific Ocean

2:55pm February 12, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

The Hornet played a role in several key events in the war – including the Doolittle Raid on Japan and the Battle of Midway. Researchers have located it 3 miles below the surface.

Archaeologist Koji Iesaki holds a carved roof ornament excavated at the former site of the Jyokyo-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan. Iesaki and other archaeologists have their hands full as a pre-Olympic building boom has helped reveal centuries-old artifacts fro

Ahead Of 2020 Summer Olympics, A Building Boom In Kyoto Is Yielding Ancient Artifacts

7:26pm February 06, 2019

by Anthony Kuhn

Archaeologists are rushing to uncover, document and preserve centuries-old objects as new hotels and office buildings go up in the ancient former capital of Japan.

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