M4.9 earthquake hits Tokyo, neighboring prefectures, on Friday evening.

KYOTO — Otani Junior and Senior High School in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, posted an announcement on its web site stating that several students of the senior high school shoplifted from a store in Bali, Indonesia, during their recent school trip.

SEOUL — South Korea's top court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by Nippon Steel Corp. in a lawsuit filed by people connected with a former requisitioned worker from the Korean Peninsula.

Whether they are a Siamese, Persian, Maine Coon, or domestic shorthair, there are hundreds of millions of cats living with people around the world. But despite their popularity as pets, the history of cat domestication has remained difficult for scientists to decipher.

Seventy-five percent of respondents to a survey conducted in Myanmar say that the military should not be involved in governing the country, a Japanese aid organization revealed during a press conference in Tokyo on Monday.

The kanji for bear was announced as kanji of the year for 2025 on Friday.

A tsunami advisory for Hokkaido and the Tohoku region was issued on Friday following a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that hit northern Japan at 11:44 a.m.

The government plans to support the development of infrastructure along a Caspian Sea logistics route that bypasses Russia to Europe, several government sources have said.

Sanrio Co. will open a museum about its history as well as its founder and honorary chairman Shintaro Tsuji, 98, next April in Kai, Yamanashi Prefecture, the company announced Wednesday.

Chinese and Russian bombers took an unusual route of flying toward Tokyo during their joint flight from the East China Sea to the Pacific on Tuesday, it has been learned.

ITO, Shizuoka (Jiji Press) — Sunday’s mayoral election in the city of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, held due to the ouster of former Mayor Maki Takubo resulted in the first-time election of former city council member Kazuya Sugimoto, with Takubo’s re-election bid ending in failure.

Cargo operations at Hachinohe Port in Aomori Prefecture have been severely disrupted by the earthquake that struck Dec. 8, and it is unclear when the logistics base in the northern area of the Tohoku region will be able to resume full operations.

An eight-month-old boy in Tokyo confirmed to have measles was on a flight from Hanoi to Narita on Dec. 1, the Tokyo metropolitan government announced Monday. The baby boy arrived on Vietnam Airlines Flight 310 at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture at 1:20 p.m. with his family and they left the airport by car.

Due to a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system, Hokkaido experienced heavy snowfall and strong winds across the prefecture on Monday, causing disruptions to train and flight schedules.

The Foreign Ministry will assign officials in charge of artificial intelligence-related affairs at Japanese embassies and delegations at international organizations.

Twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Taito Ward, Tokyo, will be returned to China in late January next year, it has been learned.

Japan’s first public-private sector tabletop exercise against cyberattacks is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

The government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party starting in fiscal 2027 plan to abolish support for new large-scale solar power projects, it has been learned.

Chinese and Russian bombers took an unusual route of flying toward Tokyo during their joint flight from the East China Sea to the Pacific on Tuesday, it has been learned.

The Liberal Democratic Party has compiled a draft outline of key points in a review of implementation guidelines for the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology with an eye on expanding the scope of export items and destinations.

Authorities have confirmed the existence of a fake Prime Minister’s Office website, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on Friday.

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A bill related to a cut in the number of seats in the House of Representatives is unlikely to be enacted during the ongoing extraordinary session of the Diet, which ends Wednesday.

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A court in Moscow handed down guilty rulings to nine people including Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

A Japanese man believed to be a former language instructor who was charged with espionage and sentenced to imprisonment in March is among 123 prisoners released by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Thursday marked six years since Dr. Tetsu Nakamura was fatally shot at the age of 73 while engaging in humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, and the doctor’s lifelong dream has finally come true: A leprosy clinic has opened in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan.

SEOUL — South Korea's top court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by Nippon Steel Corp. in a lawsuit filed by people connected with a former requisitioned worker from the Korean Peninsula.

Seventy-five percent of respondents to a survey conducted in Myanmar say that the military should not be involved in governing the country, a Japanese aid organization revealed during a press conference in Tokyo on Monday.

JAKARTA — Eight Japanese nationals have been left stranded as of Monday due to torrential rain that hit Aceh Province on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, according to the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia.

Drawing a massive circle around the central grounds of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the majestic wooden structure called the Grand Ring shaped the memories of millions of people who visited the event this year. Now those visitors have gone home, and another circle is becoming part of the Expo’s legacy — the circular economy.

It has been less than a year since Donald Trump came to power. Yet the world continues to be hit by multiple shocks in such a short time.

Trump’s initiative to broker a peace in Ukraine may come at the expense of Ukraine and America’s European allies. He has also imposed tariffs on imports, ignoring World Trade Organization rules.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, for his part, said in a joint declaration adopted at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Sept. 1 that mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs and not using force, among other principles, were “the foundation for the stable development of international relations.” Nonetheless, on Sept. 3, Xi appeared with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who leads the war against Ukraine, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has sent his country’s troops to the war. Xi was reviewing a military parade that commemorated the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in its resistance against Japan as if to keep Putin and Kim in line.

When I first started doing business in Japan in 2016, the initial cultural lesson was the meishi kokan — the business card exchange.

A House of Representatives member playing an unusual dual role is making his presence felt in the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

When Miyagawa Kozan was born in Kyoto in 1842, his family had been making pottery for generations. After taking over the business at the age of 19, he really shook things up.

BTOKYO (AP) — "Black Box Diaries," a documentary in which Japanese journalist Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault case and the barriers she faced in pursuing justice, has been screened widely abroad since its 2024 festival debut and earned an Oscar nomination early this year.

A new theatrical production of “Chushingura,” a tale of heroes loved by Japanese audiences for over 300 years, opens at Meijiza theater in Tokyo today. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, the play was organized by Nippon Television Network Corp., an affiliate of The Yomiuri Shimbun Group, and so I was given the honor of writing an article featured in its pamphlet. I will also serve as emcee for post-performance talks. As several former or current superheroes in tokusatsu sci-fi action TV shows are among the cast, I think this production deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.“Chushingura,” which roughly means “treasury of loyal retainers,” is based on a true story that occurred in the early 18th century. Lord Asano Takumi no Kami, a high-ranking samurai and governor of the Ako domain in what is now Hyogo Prefecture, drew his sword and slashed at Lord Kira Kozuke no Suke, an elder and higher-ranking samurai, in Edo Castle. Asano had been unable to tolerate Kira’s repeated harassment and ridiculing. Since drawing a sword inside the castle of the Tokugawa shogunate was forbidden, Asano was forced to commit seppuku, and the Ako domain was taken over by the shogun.The domain’s retainers who lost their lord became ronin, or masterless samurai, and sought revenge against Kira. Oishi Kuranosuke, the head retainer, became their leader. They concealed their plan for revenge for one year and nine months, in order to catch the Kira side off guard. Although some of the retainers dropped out, the last 47 men broke into the Kira residence and killed him in the dead of night on Dec. 14, 1702. They then surrendered themselves to the shogunate government, and all committed seppuku in accordance with samurai rule.As a complex narrative driven by the directness of the ronin willing to sacrifice their lives to stand by their beliefs in addition to their spirit of loyalty and the-good-against-the-evil storyline, “Chushingura” has long captivated Japanese audiences. The story has been adapted into a kabuki play as well as films and TV dramas.

AKITA — Akita Senshu Museum of Art in the city of Akita is running a special exhibition called “Enjoying Art by Gazing” that focuses on five themes related to approaches to viewing artwork.

LOS ANGELES — The popular Japanese film “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle — Akaza Sairai” was nominated for best animated motion picture at the 83rd Golden Globes on Monday.

The recent production of “Wozzeck” at the New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT) was a powerful event, worthy to mark the centenary of the Alban Berg opera that first premiered in 1925.