FUMIO KISHIDA

A North Korean army medic hands out medication to counter 'fever' -- a term Pyongyang often uses to refer to Covid -- and related sickness. The medic, Jong Jun Ho says the number of people receiving treatment for 'fever' has gone down in recent times. North Korea says its Covid-19 outbreak has been brought under control, but experts question the official numbers given the isolated country has one of the world's worst healthcare systems and likely no Covid-19 drugs or mass testing ability.

Stocks rose on Wall Street Friday and closed higher for the week, breaking a seven-week losing streak, the longest such stretch since 2001.

Japan is debating when and how to take off masks. The country should proceed cautiously.

Japan is debating when and how to take off masks. The country should proceed cautiously.

Japan will open its borders to foreign tourists in June for the first time since imposing tight pandemic travel restrictions about two years ago, but only for package tours for now.

Australia’s new government has urged China to lift trade sanctions if it wants to reset a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the previous administration.

A Japanese astronaut will visit NASA's planned Gateway space station, and perhaps the moon's surface, as part of a larger interagency agreement.

Joe Biden spent his first presidential trip to Asia strengthening economic and military commitments.

President Joe Biden insisted on Tuesday that the U.S. has made no change to its strategic policy on Taiwan.

New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walked into a global spotlight the day after his swearing-in.

The Quad countries and others in Asia made clear that while maritime defense is important, real security has to heed Asian countries' economic needs.

Leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday for a summit of what's known as the Quad.

President Joe Biden has warned fellow leaders of the informal Indo-Pacific security coalition known as the Quad that they are “navigating through a dark hour in our shared history.”.

President Biden said on Monday that the high gas prices many Americans are feeling is part of an "incredible transition” away from fossil fuels.

President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States has a “commitment” to help Taiwan militarily if China invades.

His administration says the deal will help the U.S. and Asian economies work closely on issues including the supply chain, clean energy and more.

His administration says the deal will help the U.S. and Asian economies work closely on issues including the supply chain, clean energy and more.

The trade deal is designed to signal U.S. dedication to the contested economic sphere and address the need for stability amid the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine​.

No non-American has ever touched down on the lunar surface, and Japan has previously said it hopes to achieve a Moon landing by the end of this decade.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday said he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan, prompting sharp criticism from China.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan.

The president's statement represents a potential shift in policy that would be certain to rattle the mainland Chinese government.

At a Tokyo news conference, he also said he doesn't think a recession is inevitable in the U.S. and there's no need for strict anti-monkeypox quarantine measures.

Australia’s new prime minister was sworn into office before flying to Tokyo for a summit with President Joe Biden.

President Joe Biden has launched a new trade deal with 12 Indo-Pacific nations aimed at strengthening their economies as he warns Americans worried about high inflation that it is “going to be a haul” before they feel relief.

A central theme for the trip is to tighten U.S. alliances in the Pacific to counter China’s influence in the region.

A central theme for the trip is to tighten U.S. alliances in the Pacific to counter China’s influence in the region.

Pressure from the US president can give Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cover to increase military spending to counter China.

President Joe Biden is expected to come out with a list of countries that will join an Indo-Pacific trade pact, but Taiwan won’t be among them.

Australians awoke to a new prime minister in Anthony Albanese, the center-left Labor Party leader whose ascension to the nation’s top job from being raised in social housing by a single mother on a disability pension was said to reflect the country's changed fabric.

President Joe Biden tended to both business and security interests as he wrapped up a three-day visit to South Korea on Sunday.

Australia’s Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese is a politician molded by his humble start to life as the only child of a single mother who raised him on a pension in gritty inner-Sydney suburbia.

Australia’s center-left opposition party has toppled the conservative government after almost a decade in power.

President Joe Biden hopes to use his visit to Asia to confirm his belief that long-standing friendships can afford to become even friendlier — and pay dividends.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the United States for the $40 billion aid package, which got final congressional approval.

President Joe Biden is off to South Korea and Japan on a six-day trip aimed at building rapport with the Asian nations’ leaders.

Rising inflation and the weak yen are seen as a crisis, but in fact provide a rare opportunity for real change in wage growth.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has criticized what he called negative moves by Washington and Tokyo against Beijing ahead of a meeting in Tokyo next week of the leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India.

The European Union’s executive arm is moving to jump-start plans for the EU to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Singer Tina Karol says on a visit to Japan that she and her fellow Ukrainians will not give up defending their land and culture from Russian invasion.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has urged Japan’s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group as it marked the 50th anniversary of its return to Japanese rule.

Okinawa on Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan on May 15, 1972, ending 27 years of U.S. rule after one of the bloodiest World War II ground battles was fought on the southern Japanese island.

Amid severe weather in southeastern South Dakota Thursday, a large dust cloud moved over Sioux Falls.

Japan’s capital has announced it will start recognizing same-sex partnerships to ease the burdens faced by residents in their daily lives, but the unions will not be considered legal marriages

Japan is preparing to reopen. But not everyone is happy about it, including some local tourists, who have enjoyed exploring a quieter version of their country.

How can Japan’s prime minister attract investors to a country that the world’s richest man says will one day ‘cease to exist’?

One of the Ukrainian fighters holding out in the Mariupol steelworks says they are still defending the city.

The leaders of Britain and Japan are meeting in London and announcing a new defense agreement against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine

Britain and Japan have unveiled a new defense agreement against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.

North Korea just launched another missile test, its 14th already in 2022.

South Korean officials said the missile was fired from North Korea's capital region and flew about 290 miles into the waters off its eastern coast.

North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Wednesday.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed the war in Ukraine with Vietnamese leaders on Sunday and said they agreed on the respect for international law and rejection of the use of force. Japan has condemned Russia's invasion and joined Western nations in imposing sanctions against Moscow. Vietnam, like most other Southeast Asian nations, has avoided directly criticizing Russia and has called for restraint, the respect of the U.N. charter and dialogue to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Asian shares have logged moderate gains after Wall Street stabilized following a sell-off in tech stocks a day earlier.

Tokyo spent the decades since WWII in a pacifist slumber. Russia’s invasion is a reminder that there are risks for dozing too long.

Asian shares mostly have retreated, echoing a broad decline on Wall Street and driven by worries about how the war in Ukraine may push prices for oil and other commodities higher.

The sightseeing tour turned into a nightmare Saturday when the vessel capsized. Authorities are investigating the boat's operator over possible safety failures.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but officials and experts suspect a safety negligence.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but officials and experts suspect a safety negligence.

Rescuers say 10 people who were retrieved from the frigid sea and the rocky coast of a northern Japanese national park had died, a day after a tour boat with 26 aboard sank in rough waters.

The Japanese Coast Guard said Sunday that rescue helicopters found seven of the 26 people from a tour boat missing in the frigid waters of northern Japan since the day before, but their conditions are unknown. Rescuers found four people near the tip of Shiretoko Peninsula earlier Sunday and then three more people in the same area a few hours later, but the coast guard said it could not confirm whether they were rescued alive. NHK public television said they were unconscious.

The vessel sent a distress call that it was sinking, the coast guard said. No survivors have been found after more than 10 hours of intense search involving patrol boats, aircraft and divers.

Britain’s defense ministry says Russia’s decision to stop trying to take a staunchly defended steel plant in Mariupol is an effort to free up troops for deployment in other parts of eastern Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is set to announce plans to send additional military aid to help Ukraine fight back against the Russian invasion.

Japan’s health ministry has approved Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, and people could start getting the shots by late May.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting U.S. lawmakers have reaffirmed their commitment to working together under a longstanding alliance at a time of heightened global tensions and threats from China and North Korea.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday promised to ramp up “the scale of missile attacks” on Kyiv in response to Ukraine’s “diversions on the Russian territory.”.

After reports of alleged war crimes in Ukraine by Russian forces, Japan said it will follow the European Union and Group of Seven countries and ban imports of Russian coal. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country will secure alternative sources of energy in a speedy manner, although no time frame was given. But shifting away from Russian fuel will be easier said than done for resource-poor Japan.

Japan is expelling eight Russian diplomats and trade officials and will phase out imports of Russian coal and oil.

Japan should join Asian neighbors in relaxing its borders to tourists, lest it fade even further from global consciousness.

As the war enters its fourth week, New Delhi has been receiving a stream of high-profile visitors from major capitals around the world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a virtual address to Japan’s parliament, has called on the lawmakers to keep up sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine to pressure Moscow into seeking peace.

The online address extends work by the Ukrainian leader to rally international support against Russia's invasion of his country.

Thirty years ago, South Korean Lee Yong-soo went public for the first time in describing how she was abducted from home at age 16 and forced to provide sex by Japan’s wartime military.

Japan says it will invest $42 billion in India over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said his country will invest $42 billion in India over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade. Kishida met his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi during his maiden visit to India since assuming office. In a televised press statement, Kishida said the investment plan will bring huge benefits for several industries, from the development of urban infrastructure to green energy.

Japan has accepted dozens of people fleeing Ukraine — a remarkable move by a country that historically has been unwelcoming to refugees and a decision that reflects Tokyo’s increasingly assertive response to the Russian invasion.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake injured more than 100 and brought back memories of the disastrous tsunami from about a decade ago that left thousands dead.

Residents were cleaning their homes Thursday after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan, smashing furniture, knocking out power and killing four people.

The COVID-19 restrictions currently in place in 18 prefectures, including the Tokyo area, will end Monday.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced plans to fully lift coronavirus restrictions on March 21 as new infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant slow. The COVID-19 restrictions currently in place in 18 prefectures, including the Tokyo area, will end on Monday as planned, Kishida said at a news conference on Wednesday, as his government seeks to cautiously expand consumer activity to help the badly hurt economy get back on track. “This will be a transitional period so that we can return to our normal daily lives as much as possible by taking maximum precautions,” Kishida said.

Japan on Friday paid tribute to the victims and searched for the remains of those still missing from a massive earthquake and tsunami 11 years ago.

Russia’s attack on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine has revived the fears of people across Europe who remember the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which killed at least 30 people and spewed radioactive fallout over much of the Northern Hemisphere.

Ahead of the March 9 presidential election in South Korea, major candidates are embroiled in a heated debate over how to address a foreign policy challenges that include the U.S.-China rivalry, North Korea's nuclear threats and badly strained ties with Japan.

Europe's largest nuclear power plant was on fire Friday after the station came under fire from invading Russian forces, with the country's foreign minister demanding an immediate ceasefire at the site to avoid disaster.

President Joe Biden and the prime ministers of India, Australia and Japan will talk Thursday in a virtual meeting of the Indo-Pacific alliance known as the Quad that comes a week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The suspected attack forced Toyota, one of the world's largest auto manufacturers, to suspend operations at 14 of its Japanese plants on Tuesday, impacting the production of about 13,000 vehicles.

Asian shares have advanced as investors eye talks between Ukraine and Russia aimed at trying to end the war.

Japan next week will ease its much criticized coronavirus border controls, but the new policy only allows 5,000 new entrants per day, up from 3,500, including Japanese nationals, beginning March 1.

Biden administration officials told lawmakers late Thursday that they feared the capital would soon fall, with Russian mechanized forces that had crossed over from Belarus on its outskirts.

The United States and European allies are stepping up sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by adding measures directly targeting President Vladimir Putin and his top diplomat.

World leaders have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “barbaric” and quickly slapped heavy sanctions on the Russian economy, President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and many of the country’s oligarchs.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says Russia’s attack on Ukraine — as he appealed for President Vladimir Putin to stop his troops — was “the saddest moment” of his five-year tenure.

World leaders are backing up their condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine with action, announcing financial sanctions, banning trade with Ukrainian separatist regions and halting Russian bond distribution.

China has called for restraint and is encouraging every effort to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis, saying Beijing believes all countries should solve disputes by peaceful means in line with the U.N. Charter. China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun called on the key parties in the Ukraine dispute “to continue dialogue and consultation and seek reasonable solutions." Zhang gave very brief remarks at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday night called by Ukraine, the U.S. and six other countries following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia will recognize the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states and is putting Russian troops into Luhansk and Donetsk as peacekeepers.

President Biden’s call with Western leaders and Blinken’s planned meeting with his Russian counterpart comes amid widespread shelling in eastern Ukraine.

Japan is considering easing its stringent border controls amid growing criticism that the measures, which have banned most foreign entrants including students and business travelers, are hurting the country's economy and international profile. “I plan to look into easing the border controls,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Saturday. Kishida did not provide a timeline or other details and said he will make a decision based on a scientific assessment of the omicron variant, infection levels in and outside Japan and quarantine measures in other countries.

Governors in the affected areas requested the extension as daily COVID cases are beginning to overwhelm hospitals.

More than a year ago Sebastian Bressa finished his paperwork to become a language teacher in Tokyo and made plans to quit his job in Sydney. Japan has kept its door closed to most foreigners during the pandemic, and the 26-year-old Australian is one of hundreds of thousands denied entry to study, work or see their families. Japan has become one of the world's most difficult countries to enter and some are comparing it to the locked country, or “sakoku," policy of xenophobic warlords who ruled Japan in the 17th to 19th centuries.

Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary center operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections