Japan's Coast Guard says three of the nine crewmembers of a capsized South Korean fishing boat have been found. Two of them have been rescued, while the other's condition remains unknown.
The ship was found overturned in waters about 200 kilometers north of the town of Okinoshima in Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, on Wednesday afternoon. All nine crewmembers -- four Chinese, three South Koreans and two Indonesians -- were missing.
A three-year prison term for former Japanese justice minister Kawai Katsuyuki has been finalized after he withdrew his appeal.
Kawai was charged with distributing about 260,000 dollars to 100 local politicians and supporters to buy votes in the Upper House election in Hiroshima Prefecture two years ago. His wife, Kawai Anri, won the election.
Japan's government is asking power companies to work together and secure sufficient volumes of liquefied natural gas to avoid an energy shortage this winter.
The economy ministry made the request at the first meeting of a public-private energy task force on Thursday. Representatives from major electric power and gas companies attended.
Yokohama City in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, has kicked off a travel campaign that is limited to residents of the prefecture.
Yokohama subsidizes the cost of day trips or lodgings in the city. Day trips for sightseeing are discounted by 50 percent on weekdays and 35 percent on weekends and holidays. Accommodations in the city are discounted by up to 5,000 yen, or about 44 dollars, according to the price.
Coronavirus vaccinations supported by a multilingual assistance service have started at hospitals in Tokyo and elsewhere.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency launched the program in 18 languages following reports that many foreign nationals face language barriers or difficulties obtaining vaccination vouchers. Reservations began in mid-October.
Japanese pianists have been awarded the second and fourth prizes in the 18th Chopin international piano competition, one of the world's most prestigious classical music contests.
The competition is held every five years in the Polish capital, Warsaw. The auditions of the 12 finalists ended on Wednesday. The jury announced on Thursday that the first prize had been awarded to Canada's Bruce Liu. Japan's Sorita Kyohei took the second prize, and Kobayashi Aimi came fourth.
US President Joe Biden's nominee for Ambassador to Japan has gone before Congress to defend his record. Rahm Emanuel made the case Wednesday for why the Senate Foreign Relations Committee should approve his nomination.
Emanuel served as chief of staff to Barack Obama then as mayor of Chicago. He has earned a reputation for bluntness.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is planning to ease coronavirus-related restrictions on restaurants and bars from Monday as the daily new infections continue to decline.
Current restrictions require dining establishments certified as having anti-infection measures in place to stop serving alcohol by 8 p.m. and close by 9 p.m.
Early voting began in Japan on Wednesday for the Lower House election scheduled for October 31.
Election campaigning officially kicked off on Tuesday.
Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, is readying firecrackers for mountainous polling stations to keep bears away ahead of the Lower House election at the end of October.
Bears become active around this time of year as they prepare to hibernate. Much of Takayama City is mountainous so the local election administration commission distributes firecrackers for elections that take place during summer and autumn.
Japan's Individual Number Cards, known as "My Number" Cards, can now be used as health insurance cards at medical institutions across the country.
The new use of the cards began at some medical institutions in March.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is planning to lift all coronavirus-related restrictions on local dining establishments certified as having anti-infection measures in place.
Tokyo's COVID-19 state of emergency expired at the end of September. The metropolitan government then established a period aimed at preventing a rapid resurgence of the virus.
Mount Aso in the western Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto has erupted. Authorities have raised the alert level. They are asking everyone nearby to be vigilant. Mount Aso is one of the country's most active volcanos.
The Meteorological Agency says smoke began billowing from the Nakadake No. 1 crater at 11:43 a.m. on Wednesday. The smoke soon reached a height of 3.5 kilometers.
Four Chinese government ships temporarily entered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Wednesday.
Japan Coast Guard officials said the vessels entered waters near the islands of Minamikojima and Uotsurijima, one after the other, at around 10 a.m..