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TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government will place Tokyo and a dozen other areas under new restrictions for COVID-19 effective Friday, allowing local leaders to shorten hours for eateries, as a surge in omicron cases threatens to paralyze society.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares fell in cautious trading on Wednesday after stocks on Wall Street sank to a new low for the year.
Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney were lower while Hong Kong edged higher.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan will gradually phase out coal plants over the next two decades while developing new technologies to reduce, capture and utilize carbon, Environment Minister Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi said Tuesday.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's government is preparing social restrictions in Tokyo and other regions as the omicron variant of the coronavirus infects more people.
Japan has never had a lockdown during the pandemic but has focused instead on asking restaurants and bars to close early.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Tuesday in the absence of big market-moving news following a national holiday in the U.S.
The Bank of Japan wrapped up a two-day policy meeting with no major changes.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent goal of demonstrating its military might during paused diplomacy with the United States and pandemic border closures.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament on Monday that fighting the pandemic and strengthening defense are his government's top priorities.
Kishida delivered a speech opening this year's parliamentary session hours after North Korea test-fired two possible ballistic missiles — its fourth tests this month.
HONOLULU (AP) — Not long after Hideki Matsuyama delivered the best shot he never saw to cap off his improbable comeback in the Sony Open, his phone buzzed with a text from Shigeki Maruyama to remind him of a conversation long ago.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden will meet virtually with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan on Friday, as the omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to surge around the world.
TOKYO (AP) — Three people, including two students on their way to take university entrance exams, were stabbed Saturday just outside of a test venue, and authorities arrested a 17-year-old student at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, Tokyo police said.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles in its third weapons launch this month, officials in South Korea said, in an apparent reprisal for fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration for its continuing test launches.
Make room on the podium for countries other than the Netherlands at the speedskating oval in Beijing.
The Dutch typically dominate in their national sport — winning seven golds and 16 medals overall four years ago — but this time the medals figure to be more evenly spread around.
Even athletes who compete in ski jumping and a former Olympian paid to analyze the sport on TV have no idea who will win gold at the Beijing Games.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A glance at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2022:
BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Thursday after the latest report of surging prices in the U.S. appeared to keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates in coming months.
TOKYO (AP) — Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance Wednesday before devoted fans in Tokyo, but they will be on display only briefly for now — over three days — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday its leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful flight test of a hypersonic missile he claimed would remarkably increase the country’s nuclear “war deterrent.”
HONOLULU (AP) — The Monday morning of the first Japan Golf Tour event of the year was no time to be anywhere except in front of a television.
That's where Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima could be found in Nagoya last April, each captivated by images of Hideki Matsuyama winning the Masters to become the first Japanese player in a green jacket.
TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese minister responsible for containing COVID-19 while steering the world’s third largest economy toward growth says he is confident he can carry out that precarious “balancing act.”
TOKYO (AP) — Japan will keep its borders closed to most foreign citizens through February as it attempts to accelerate coronavirus booster shots for elderly people and expand hospital capacity to cope with the rapidly spreading omicron variant, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.
TOKYO (AP) — Three-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Kohei Uchimura of Japan — the man they call “King Kohei”— is retiring, his management company said Tuesday.
The 33-year-old won gold in 2012 and 2016 as the best all-around men's gymnast, and also won a team gold in 2016.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares sank in cautious trading Tuesday following a decline on Wall Street amid continuing worries about the omicron coronavirus variant, especially rising cases in China.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% in morning trading to 28,242.46.
TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. and Japan on Sunday agreed to keep American troops within their bases as worries grew about a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country.
The restrictions starting Monday will last 14 days, confining U.S.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan approved new restrictions on Friday to curb a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the three most affected southwestern regions of Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima.
“Given the sudden surge in infections, the medical system runs the risk of suffering a heavy burden in the near future,” Daishiro Yamagiwa, the minister in charge of COVID-19 responses, said at a government panel meeting.
TOKYO (AP) — “Space now,” was what Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa wanted to tweet for years. He finally really did it, from the International Space Station.
“The space market holds so much potential,” he said Friday at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Tokyo, his first news conference in Japan after returning to earth before Christmas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking to deepen their defense cooperation, the United States and Japan will soon sign a new five-year agreement on sharing the cost of the American military presence in Japan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.
SYDNEY (AP) — The leaders of Japan and Australia signed a “landmark” defense agreement Thursday that allows closer cooperation between their militaries and stands as a rebuke to China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday asked that the U.S. military in Japan stay inside its bases to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, its first weapons launch in about two months and a signal it isn’t interested in rejoining denuclearization talks anytime soon and would rather focus on boosting its weapons arsenal.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian benchmarks mostly slipped Wednesday as technology shares in the region echoed a similar drop in the sector on Wall Street.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was little changed at 29,301.22 in morning trading.
SYDNEY (AP) — Australia and Japan will sign a treaty on Thursday to increase defense and security cooperation in a move that has been hailed as “historic” but which might anger China.
Prime ministers Scott Morrison of Australia and Fumio Kishida of Japan will meet in a virtual summit to sign the agreement, which Morrison said “will underpin greater and more complex practical engagement between the Australian Defense Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces."
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed Tuesday to speed up coronavirus vaccine booster shots, secure imported supplies of drugs to treat COVID-19 and reorganize medical facilities to respond to the fast-spreading omicron variant.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Tuesday, as worries in the region about the coronavirus omicron variant tempered market optimism set off by a rally on Wall Street.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.7% in morning trading to 29,278.31 as markets reopened after the New Year holidays.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito offered prayers for those who died during the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight year for his New Year’s greeting on Saturday, having canceled public palace gatherings to curb coronavirus infections.
With flashy fireworks displays and subdued celebrations, with some in masks to protect against the coronavirus and others in light-up glasses, the world slipped from 2021 into 2022. As the fast-spreading omicron variant's stranglehold grows tighter, many are clinging to hopes that the New Year will bring better days.
TOKYO (AP) — The suspect in a fire in Japan that killed 25 people has died at a hospital where he was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation, police said Friday.
Morio Tanimoto had been under investigation on suspicion of arson and murder in the Dec.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Much of Asia has largely managed to keep omicron at bay even as the variant rages in other parts of the world, but the region that is home to most of the globe’s population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly slipped Wednesday, as worries lingered about the coronavirus omicron variant's potential damage to the regional economy following mixed cues from Wall Street.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.9% in morning trading to 28,809.86.
ENIWA, Japan (AP) — The dozens of Type 90, or “Kyumaru,” tanks rumbling through recent shooting drills on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido exemplify the challenge its arms makers face both at home and overseas as the country fortifies its defenses against strategic threats.
Yuka Saso finally had time to reflect on her breakthrough year, and it still felt like a blur.
Winning the U.S. Women's Open with a birdie on the third playoff hole at Olympic Club was a life-changer.
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Tuesday, as optimism set off by a rally on Wall Street was dampened by concerns over the potential impact of the omicron variant of coronavirus.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped nearly 1.0% to 28,960.31 in morning trading.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Marines on snowmobiles helped Santa this month while delivering toys to boys and girls in Alaska's Arctic.
Marines flew to Kotzebue, which is 549 miles (884 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage and 26 miles (42 kilometers) above the Arctic Circle, on a KC-130 operated by the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 based in Okinawa, Japan.
Two-time and reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu returned from a long injury layoff to land two quadruple jumps and score a world-leading 111.31 points in his short program at the Japanese championships on Friday.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other “game-changing” weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to China’s growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.