A messianic sect holds sway with Japan’s ruling party. The murder of ex-premier Shinzo Abe is forcing the country to reckon with this shadowy alliance.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe needs the US to confront North Korea, revitalize Japan's economy and boost his standing at home. And he knows flattery is the way to this president's heart.
Members of Japan's far-right say the country should build up its defenses.
Japan will resume commercial whaling from July in its waters and exclusive economic zone while ending its controversial hunts in the Antarctic, officials said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved draft legislation on Friday to open the door to more overseas blue-collar workers in sectors grappling with labor shortages, a controversial policy shift in immigration-shy Japan.
Japan began on Wednesday to clean up after a powerful typhoon killed 11 people, injured hundreds and stranded thousands at a flooded airport, though when the airport in an industrial and tourist hub might reopen was not clear.
Japan and the European Union signed a wide-ranging free trade deal on Tuesday that both sides hope will act as a counterweight to the protectionist forces unleashed by US President Donald Trump.
South Korea sent a provocative message to Japan and the US by inviting a former "comfort woman" to a state dinner with President Donald Trump.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative coalition was on track to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, putting the nationalist premier on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader.
In 2016, Japan received a record number of applications for refugee status. It rejected 99 percent of them.
Some residents of the Japanese island worry that President-elect Trump's "pay your fair share" attitude to regional security could be destabilizing.