Same-sex couples in Hokkaido appealed Monday a high court ruling earlier this month that recognized Japan's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage as unconstitutional but denied them damages for emotional distress. The appeal, filed with the Supreme Court, came after the Sapporo High Court upheld a lower court's landmark… Read
The revelation that Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, has cancer prompted a swift backlash over a torrent of lurid social media speculation around her health, including by those positing she was secretly dead. But the somber news has not stopped the seemingly endless churn of conspiracy theories. Kate Middleton, 42,… Read
One of Japan's largest hydrogen filling stations for fuel cell vehicles opened Wednesday at the former site of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics main athletes village, the metropolitan government said. Major oil distributor Eneos Corp will operate the station and produce hydrogen in line with a Tokyo government plan for… Read
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding a meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo. Relations between the two countries are historically strained, including by a long-running kidnapping dispute and North… Read
Japan will work to strengthen its defense and diplomatic capabilities to maintain peace, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Saturday, according to public broadcaster NHK, adding that military buildups around the country have been growing. Japan is a close ally with the United States and has condemned Russia's invasion of… Read
“First comes love, then comes marriage” – so goes the classic children’s rhyme. But not everyone agrees. Increasingly, the idea that love is the most important reason to marry – or at least to stay married – is under attack. Republican pundits and lawmakers have been pushing back on the… Read
A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and… Read
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on Friday suspended a 44-year-old police sergeant for three months for stealing women’s underwear from homes and apartments in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward. The officer, Kensuke Tsunoda, who was assigned to Ushigome Police Station, resigned on the same day, Kyodo News reported. Police said he faces… Read
Shohei Ohtani plans to speak to the media Monday for the first time since the illegal gambling and theft allegations involving the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his interpreter emerged during the team’s trip to South Korea. The interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers last week when the… Read
European Union leaders were urged Thursday to show the same respect for international law in Gaza as they aim to uphold in Ukraine, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face dire food shortages and possible famine. At an EU summit in Brussels, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the leaders… Read