Officials said probability of a magnitude 8 or larger quake was only about 1% but they have urged people to be preparedJapan has issued a megaquake advisory after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefe…
Kokichi Akuzawa climbed with 70-year-old daughter to break record for oldest person to make ascent – a second timeKokichi Akuzawa has become the oldest person to climb to the top of Mount Fuji at the age of 102 – despite almost giving up during his tre…
Powerful 8.8-magnitude quake off coast of Russia set off tsunami warnings – how does it compare to past temblors?Tsunami updates – follow liveOne of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia’s far east early on Wednesday, causing tsunami wa…
Companies hail ‘historic partnership’ to bring ‘massive investment’ but details of agreement remain unclearDonald Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for a Nippon Steel investment in US Steel, so long as the Japanese company compli…
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors pledge to address ‘economic imbalances’, without naming ChinaTop finance officials from the world’s seven wealthiest democracies have set aside stark differences on US tariffs and agreed to counter global…
Rice wine enshrined as part of ‘cultural heritage of humanity’ Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It’s brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savoured in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and serve…
The poet also wrote the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song and translated Peanuts into JapaneseShuntaro Tanikawa, who pioneered modern Japanese poetry, poignant but conversational in its divergence from haiku and other traditions, has died aged 92.Tan…
Donna Nelson arrested with 2kg of stimulants but daughters say she is innocentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian grandmother accused of smuggling methamphetamin…
Unexpected blast at Miyazaki airport makes crater in taxiway and leads to grounding of 80 flights but no injuriesA US bomb from the second world war that had been buried at a Japanese airport has exploded, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the ca…
No immediate signs of damage reported after 6.9-magnitude quake hits off eastern coast of KyushuA powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s southern coast on Thursday, triggering a tsunami advisory, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, but there we…
Birthrate continues to fall as young people increasingly reluctant to have children due to bleak job prospects, cost of living and work cultureThe number of babies born in Japan last year fell for an eighth straight year to a new low, government data h…
Ruling comes months after supreme court ruled that requiring sterilisation before a change of gender in official records was unconstitutionalA court in western Japan has approved a transgender man’s request to have his gender changed in official record…
Pod of orcas in north Japan freed themselves as gaps between the ice grew, officials sayA pod of killer whales trapped by drift ice off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, have apparently safely escaped, officials have said.The orc…
Number of missing lowered to 211 as thousands of troops join rescue effort and experts warn of disease risk at evacuation centresThe death toll from a major earthquake in western Japan reached 100 on Saturday as rescue workers fought aftershocks to car…
Number of missing lowered to 211 as thousands of troops join rescue effort and experts warn of disease risk at evacuation centresThe death toll from a major earthquake in western Japan reached 100 on Saturday as rescue workers fought aftershocks to car…
Number of missing lowered to 211 as thousands of troops join rescue effort and experts warn of disease risk at evacuation centresThe death toll from a major earthquake in western Japan reached 100 on Saturday as rescue workers fought aftershocks to car…
Phenomenon believed to have origins in launch of military GPS satellite from SpaceX in FloridaA camera on top of Hawaii’s tallest mountain has captured what looks like a spiral swirling through the night sky.Researchers believe the strange phenomenon i…
Many deaths caused by people falling from roofs or being buried underneath thick piles of snow sliding off rooftopsHeavy snow in large parts of Japan has killed 17 people and injured more than 90 while leaving hundreds of homes without power, disaster …
Popular wrestler and politician Antonio Inoki dies aged 79Japanese star was battling rare disease called amyloidosisThe popular Japanese professional wrestler and lawmaker Antonio Inoki, who faced world boxing champion Muhammad Ali in a mixed martial a…
Warnings of floods and mudslides on Honshu island south-west of Tokyo as storm heads towards the capitalTropical storm Meari unleashed heavy rains on Japan’s main Honshu island as it headed northward towards the capital, Tokyo, according to Japanese we…