TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese companies have stepped up efforts to assist people with hearing difficulties amid growing concern that the problem affects y

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- As more Japanese families grapple with what to do with homes left vacant after parents die or move into care facilities, interest is

even nowwithered grasssways--Melissa Dennison (Bradford, England)Selected by Dhugal J. Lindsay

FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- The chairman of Fukuoka prefectural assembly announced Monday his intention to leave the institution, amid a major scandal of alleg

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks ended mixed Monday, buoyed by stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data while a decline in South Korea's benchmark index

Infrastructure development to support Japan's digital society is proceeding at a rapid pace. Measures are needed to ensure it does not create a new fo

HONG KONG (AP) -- Computer programmer Fei Zhaojun's boss asked him if artificial intelligence could soon replace humans in coding jobs. Two weeks late

EDMONTON, Canada (Kyodo) -- Japanese golfer Miyu Yamashita extended her six-shot overnight lead with a 4-under-par 66 in the final round to complete a

MATSUYAMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Three years after choking on pieces of apple at a nursery school in western Japan, 3-year-old Koshi Tamura remains unconsc

In a recent meeting with Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi outlined plans for a supp

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- As the number of athletes and officials expected to take part in the upcoming Asian Games is likely to exceed initial projections by

TOKYO -- On Aug. 15, 1945, the day Japan announced its surrender in World War II, manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, 87, best known for "Ashita no Joe" ("Tom

LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- A U.S. sports investigative reporter has warned that the illegal gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter

BUNIA, Congo (AP) -- Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as the country grapples with the fastest Ebola outbreak in histor

UTSUNOMIYA (Kyodo) -- Police searched a Tobu Railway Co. group company Sunday on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death following an

NEW YORK (AP) -- The bond market is one of the few forces in the world strong enough to get politicians to snap to attention. It also helps dictate ho

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States and Canada, historic allies along an undefended border, fell deeper into a trade war Saturday marked by angry rec

TOKYO -- A scandal involving a once-promising elite prosecutor is shaking the prestige of public prosecution in Japan.Former prosecutor Masahito Nishi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The following is an earthquake alert issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Day and Time: Aug. 23, 2026, 2:00 a.m. Epicenter:

NEW YORK (AP) -- The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is mentally competent to stand trial as he faces sex trafficking charges after being hospitaliz

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- The United States on Monday warned that China and all other countries now face an increased risk of secondary sanctions if they

SAPPORO -- A non-native plant species brought in by climbers and others is taking root on mountains in Hokkaido, creating a situation that could affec

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government on Monday said it intends to provide any necessary support to International Criminal Court President Tomoko A

NAGANO -- A major craft beer brewer in this central Japan city has developed a novel beer glass designed to promote responsible drinking. The "Wobbly

TOKYO -- Aug. 24 marks three years since Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) began discharging treated water accumulating at the Fukush

Kumamon, the public relations mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, has resumed his activities. He had been taking a break since the Kumamoto earthquake stru

TOKYO -- The approval rating for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet stood at 41% in a nationwide Mainichi Shimbun opinion poll conducted Aug. 22

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- SoftBank Group Corp. said Monday it plans to issue 1 trillion yen ($6.3 billion) in unsecured bonds, its largest-ever single bond off

TOKYO -- Japan has been hit by a string of devastating rainstorms in recent years, including the latest record rainfall that caused extensive damage i

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan plans to set up a new agency of around 110 officials to extend support to former and reserve members of the Self-Defense Forces

AOMORI, Japan (Kyodo) -- About 1,000 people towed the roughly 400-ton keep of a traditional castle in northeastern Japan's Aomori Prefecture on Sunday

ODAWARA, Kanagawa -- Japan halted the new intake in April of foreign workers under the Specified Skilled Worker (i) status of residence for the food s

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine, officials said Saturday, while a Ukrainian drone atta

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese humanoid robots broke records set by humans, including beating Usain Bolt's 100-meter sprint world record, on the opening day

LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani threw a live batting practice Saturday, facing a hitter for the first time in

YAMAGA, Kumamoto -- Traditional Japanese hand fans coated with fermented persimmon tannin made in this city in northern Kumamoto Prefecture have long

NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- With the Asian Games less than a month away, businesses and local authorities in Nagoya are stepping up preparations to welcome spec

KOBE -- Push open the brass-handled door and step inside to find an expanse of marble flooring stretching out before you. This is Club Gessekai, locat

LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 6-1/3 innings of two-run ball but did not factor in the decision as the Los Angeles Dodgers walked off

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Miyu Yamashita opened a five-stroke lead Friday in the CPKC Women's Open as players again fought mosquitoes on the tree-line

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nine people were injured, two seriously, after a leisure boat collided with a seawall near Haneda airport in Tokyo on Monday, accordi

OSAKA -- Fraudsters are using social media posts that offer cheap avocados and peaches to lure buyers in Japan into a scheme that has already cost vic

We've listed our five most read stories on The Mainichi news site, from top to bottom, that were published between August 15 and 23. The first story w

KYIV (Kyodo) -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi expressed hope that Japan will provide Kyiv with air defense systems including interceptor m

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan on Monday pledged an additional $10 million to the Inter-American Development Bank, a key financing source for states in Latin

LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- Los Angeles Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi struggled in his return to the mound after nearly four months on the injured list, giv

SAPPORO -- A group of six Myanmar workers tearfully described frequent violence and verbal abuse at a farm in Hokkaido to reporters at an Aug. 21 pres

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesian police on Sunday arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the recent forest and peatland fires as huge b

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Around 71 percent of respondents were worried about Japan's fiscal health following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's decision to tempo

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks opened mixed Monday, as the broader index was supported by gains on Wall Street late last week, while the Nikkei stock i

KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- Many foreigners in Kumamoto Prefecture may have had difficulty in obtaining information in the aftermath of last month's ma

wind chimenothing if notscientific----Jerome Berglund (Louisiana, USA)Selected by Dhugal J. Lindsay

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- An animation movie featuring manga sensation "Chiikawa" has topped 10 billion yen ($63 million) at Japan's box office, following its

(AP) -- Hand grip strength. Balance tests. Standing up from a seated position on the floor. These physical challenges are often touted as measurements

TOTTORI (Kyodo) -- Tottori Prefecture, a filming location for the second season of the hit Japanese TV spy thriller "Vivant," is stepping up efforts t

OSAKA -- For children with low vision or learning disabilities, the typefaces used in conventional textbooks are hard to read. Many of them stumble at

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Deadly airstrikes in Gaza on Wednesday cast more doubt on whether new U.S. efforts can advance a tenuous ceasefire i

NEW YORK (AP) -- Philanthropist Nancy Kissinger, onetime foreign policy researcher and wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, has died. Sh

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday allowed the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's $400 million ball