The Latest Breaking News from The Japan News/Yomiuri

KUMAMOTO -- Fans of the manga series "One Piece" are flocking to Kumamoto Prefecture to see statues of characters from the popular franchise. Ten statues depicting various members of the Straw Hat Pirates have been installed in the prefecture. The representation of the series' protagonist, Luffy, is said to have…

As the world faces a growing nuclear threat exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, among other factors, this series explores the strategy and prospects of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's nuclear disarmament-related diplomacy. This is the second installment in a three-part series.

NEW YORK -- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday presented an action plan for a world without nuclear weapons during a speech at a Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in New York.

SENDAI -- Two of the Tohoku region's three big summer festivals -- the Aomori Nebuta and the Akita Kanto festivals -- will be held in August after a hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The two were last held in 2019.

The government has drawn up a plan to establish a system to certify the nation's Japanese language schools and make teaching a state-qualified profession. The move is aimed at improving the quality of Japanese language education, which is thought to vary widely. Presently, teachers are not required to hold state…

OSAKA -- A Japanese man on Interpol's wanted list, suspected of having played a key role in scams swindling 65 people out of 390 million yen, has been apprehended in Ghana, according to investigative sources.

Jewelry prices have been rising in Japan, primarily because the cost of gold and diamonds has been soaring amid concerns over a supply shortage in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the yen's decline on the exchange market.

SEOUL -- South Korea's Foreign Affairs Ministry has submitted an opinion to the country's top court explaining the new administration's efforts to resolve a lawsuit involving Japanese companies and former wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula -- an issue that has deeply divided the two nations -- a source…

WASHINGTON -- Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday and confirmed that Tokyo and Washington had not changed their basic position on Taiwan, where China is increasing military pressure.

The former Tokyo 2020 organizing committee executive board member under investigation in a bribery probe allegedly also accepted a separate payment of 250 million yen from entities related to the same sponsor, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Egg-shaped objects light up in a kaleidoscope of colors at Nagai Botanical Garden in Osaka in a show conceived by Tokyo-based digital art group teamLab. The show launched Friday as a permanent nighttime exhibition and features 14 works, including the egg-shaped objects, which change color as they sense vibrations and…