World - Japan

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, a campaigner for the preservation of the world's cultural heritage known for his works on the Silk Road and Buddhism, died Wednesday, a spokeswoman said. He was 79. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced to death an arsonist who killed 16 people when he set fire to an all-night adult video parlour, one of Japan's deadliest crimes in years. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's central bank, under pressure from the government to help boost the gradual recovery of the world's second-largest economy, announced a surprise meeting for Tuesday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's debt-laden government said Monday it planned a new round of stimulus spending worth more than 31 billion dollars to prop up a feeble economic recovery that is threatened by the strong yen. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan plans an extra stimulus of at least 31 billion dollars this fiscal year that would include measures to tackle the surging yen and weak share prices, the top government spokesman said Monday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's prime minister on Sunday ordered his cabinet to work out measures aimed at coping with a 14-year high in the value of the yen and the decline in domestic share prices, press reports said. Full Story »

TOKYO - Japan launched its fifth spy satellite into orbit Saturday in a bid to boost its ability to independently gather intelligence, the government said. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called on China's defence chief Friday to enhance the "transparency" of the communist giant's military build-up, the foreign ministry said. Full Story »

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and China agreed on Friday to conduct their first joint military training exercise, in the latest sign of warming ties between the Asian neighbors, long marked by mutual suspicion and spats over a range of issues. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent in October from 5.3 percent in September, improving for a third consecutive month, the government said Friday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Top Japanese scientists, including four Nobel laureates, have criticised the new government for plans to slash research budgets, warning the country will lose its high-tech edge. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday he was "surprised" about media reports that his millionaire mother gave him dubious political donations. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Toyota said Wednesday it would fix accelerator pedals on 3.8 million vehicles in the United States to prevent them from becoming stuck and leading to unintentional acceleration. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Toyota Motor is planning to recall around four million vehicles in the United States to fix a potential problem affecting their accelerator pedals, a media report said Wednesday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Australia's venomous redback spiders are on the march in Japan, where they are believed to have arrived years ago as stowaways on cargo ships, a wildlife expert warned Wednesday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Hitachi is planning to build railway carriages in Britain in a multi-billion-dollar deal that would also create hundreds of new jobs, a company spokesman said on Tuesday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's finance minister said Tuesday that monetary policy is key to tackling deflation and urged the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to take on a more aggressive role in staving off falling prices. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan is considering buying around 40 F-35 fighter jets as the future mainstay of the nation's air force, it was reported Monday. Full Story »