Japan

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. (Getty/Kyodo) The Pittsburgh Pirates have released Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, the National League club announced Friday, enabling the Japanese first baseman to seek other opportunities. Pittsburgh designated the 30-year-old former NPB slugger for assignment Wednesday in order to make room on the 40-man roster.…

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday pledged to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that Japan will support efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to improve the situation in junta-controlled Myanmar. During their meeting in Phnom Penh, Hayashi expressed "serious concern" about executions of…

China increasingly fears losing international support for its claim that the democratic island of Taiwan and China are part of a "one China" that was split apart during the civil war and is awaiting "unification," analysts told RFA. The Chinese government on Wednesday released a white paper on Taiwan,…

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a major decline in the number of new marriages in Japan, with there expected to be some 150,000 fewer newly wedded couples than expected in the three years to the end of 2022, a recent study showed. The fall, believed to be a result of several factors including fewer opportunities to…

Japan is planning to hold a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in a resort town of Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, in April next year, ahead of the group's summit scheduled in Hiroshima in May, sources close to the matter said Sunday. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government is also…

A cargo plane flies over the Ezhou Huahu Airport in Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province, July 17, 2022.  (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)WUHAN, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- SF Airlines on Saturday launched a new air cargo route connecting Ezhou Huahu Airport in central China's Hubei Province with Osaka in Japan, according to SF Airlines, a leading cargo airline in…

By Ben VerlanderFOX Sports MLB AnalystEditor's note: Ben Verlander is spending time in Japan exploring Shohei Ohtani's roots, experiencing the country's culture and meeting fans. This is the sixth in a recurring series that began Friday, Aug. 19.I continue to have the time of my life in Japan. I wake up every morning hoping that somehow, this…

Actor Andrew Koji, who is half Japanese and was born and raised in England, said he’s always felt out of place. But in the new action-comedy film “Bullet Train,” Koji plays a Japanese character, and in the process, he found a new appreciation for his heritage.“This film, and the last couple years, made me really look into and find pride in it,…

The Supreme Court's landmark decision on the unconstitutionality of requiring sterilization surgery for transgender people seeking to legally change gender came as Japan moves toward giving sexual minorities the same rights protection they have in other advanced economies. But changing the law may not be an easy task, with…

Japanese authorities are stepping up surveillance of unlicensed taxis at Narita airport near Tokyo, as a spike in the number of arrivals increases demand for transport into the capital. Transport ministry officials handed out hundreds of fliers stating "Beware! Unlicensed taxis are illegal and unsafe!" in English and Chinese…