JAPAN

(AP Photo/Hiro Komae) (Hiro Komae)TOKYO — (AP) — The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency stressed the importance of transparency on Friday after visiting the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, where he observed preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater that has prompted concerns inside and outside Japan. Rafael Grossi, the director general of IAEA, which is assisting Japan's plan to start releasing the wastewater into the sea next year, said his agency will help maintain transparency throughout the process. On Thursday he visited the Fukushima Daiichi plant, where he observed its ongoing decommissioning and preparations for the wastewater discharge. Last year, the reconstruction agency had to remove a video which portrayed tritium as a cute cartoon character swimming in a glass of water. A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactor cores to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency has stressed the importance of transparency after visiting the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, where he observed preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater that has prompted concerns inside and outside Japan

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency has stressed the importance of transparency after visiting the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, where he observed preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater that has prompted concerns inside and outside Japan.

The AP Interview Tai U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai gestures during an interview with The Associated Press in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, May 20, 2022. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai arrived in Thailand for meetings with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group trade ministers, the same day President Joe Biden started an Asia visit in South Korea. Even before the announcement, expected Monday, Japan welcomed the initiative, expressing its support Friday and saying it was considering joining. Before she was appointed USTR, Tai was chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, where she handled negotiations over a revamped North American trade deal. “So the engagement that we will bring by nature, inherently will be different from China’s engagement in the region.

The top U.S. trade negotiator says with world economies all suffering from more than two years of the coronavirus pandemic and global supply problems exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has an “incredible opportunity” to engage with other nations and forge new partnerships and agreements.

Japan welcomes the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a new U.S. economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific region that President Biden is expected to roll out during his Tokyo visit next week. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) (Hiro Komae)TOKYO — (AP) — Japan welcomes a new U.S. economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific that President Joe Biden is expected to roll out during a visit to Tokyo next week because it demonstrates American commitment to a regional economic order that is not just about market access, an official said Friday. Biden is proposing the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership which the United States dropped out of in 2017 under former President Donald Trump. While details of the new initiative are still to be discussed in Tokyo, Japan has already expressed its support and says it is considering joining. “We are hoping this IPEF will lead to ... a more proactive engagement of the United States in the Indo-Pacific economic order."

Japan is welcoming a new U.S. economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific that President Joe Biden is expected to roll out during a visit to Tokyo next week because it demonstrates American commitment to a regional economic order that is not just about market access.

China Military Exercises FILE - President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One for a trip to South Korea and Japan, on May 19, 2022, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden’s visits to South Korea and Japan that are largely focused on countering the perceived threat from China. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File) (Gemunu Amarasinghe)BEIJING — (AP) — China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden's visits to South Korea and Japan that are largely focused on countering the perceived threat from Beijing. China claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety and the crucial waterway has become a potential flashpoint for conflict in Asia. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan also exercise overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to South Korea and Japan.

Assets remain in cash and savings but, for a country full of retired people, pensions may not be enough to keep up with inflation.

Italy Tennis Open Naomi Osaka, of Japan, listens to her coach Wim Fissette during a training session on the occasion of the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) (Gregorio Borgia)PARIS — (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s return to the French Open will be a tough test against the player who beat her at the Australian Open, Amanda Anisimova. They were paired in the bracket during Thursday’s draw at Roland Garros for the clay-court major tennis tournament. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz all were placed on the same half of the men’s bracket. 1, could meet 13-time champion Nadal in the quarterfinals.

As the White House tries to demonstrate that the war in Ukraine hasn’t distracted America from pressing priorities in Asia, the Biden administration is once again looking to “the Quad.” The informal grouping brings together the US, Japan, India and Australia in an alliance of democracies with shared economic and security interests that span the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The point is to maintain a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” but the unstated priority is countering China’s growing power, which

Naomi Osaka’s return to the French Open will be a tough test against the player who beat her at the Australian Open, No. 27 Amanda Anisimova.

Japan has announced it will donate $2.1 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency for its efforts to ensure the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities that have come under Russian attack

Japan COVID Funds Gambled Media gather outside a police station following a report that police arrested a man who has allegedly gambled away 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 relief aid mistakenly deposited into his bank account in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan, Thursday, May 19, 2022. Police said they arrested Sho Taguchi, a 24-year-old jobless resident, in the town of Abu town in western Japan, on suspicion of computer fraud, on Wednesday. Sho Taguchi, a 24-year-old jobless resident in the town of Abu in western Japan, was arrested on Wednesday, Yamaguchi prefectural police said. The funds were COVID-19 subsidies that were deposited into his bank account in April. Taguchi's arrest was based on his alleged transfer of 4 million yen ($31,300) of the town money paid into an account believed to be an online gambling site.

"The climber is presumed dead based on the volume of ice, the distance of the fall and the duration of the burial," the park said.

President Biden is traveling to Japan and South Korea this week — his first trip to Asia since taking office. Like presidents before him, he's seeking to reorient U.S. foreign policy toward Asia.

The new pledge, combined with the $300 million Japan promised last month, brings Tokyo’s total contribution to $600 million. Roman Starovoit said the Ukrainian shelling early Thursday hit a driver who drove his truck to a distillery in the village of Tetkino. Russian authorities have repeatedly reported damage and casualties from the Ukrainian shelling of areas on the border. ___KYIV, Ukraine — A regional governor in Ukraine says four civilians have been killed by the latest Russian shelling. Serhiy Haidai said they died Wednesday when Russian troops bombarded the town of Sievierodonetsk.

Japan Trade Cars for export park at a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo on July 6, 2020. Japan recorded a trade deficit in April as imports ballooned 28% as energy prices soared following the war in Ukraine, according to Ministry of Finance data released Thursday, May 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) (Koji Sasahara)TOKYO — (AP) — Japan recorded a trade deficit in April as imports ballooned 28% after energy prices soared following the war in Ukraine. Japan’s trade deficit totaled 839 billion yen ($7 billion) in April, for the ninth straight monthly deficit. Japan had annual trade deficits in the years 2011 through 2015, as costs of energy imports rose, and exports gradually declined.

Japan has recorded a trade deficit in April as imports ballooned 28% as energy prices soared following the war in Ukraine.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — (AP) — A climber from Japan is presumed dead following a fall into a crevasse on Mount Hunter in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, officials said. Mountaineering rangers with the park were notified of the fall, at the base of Mount Hunter’s North Buttress, late Tuesday, the statement said. A ranger rappelled into the crevasse as far as possible and found that the ice bridge collapse had filled the crevasse with a large volume of snow and ice, the statement said. “The climber is presumed dead based on the volume of ice, the distance of the fall and the duration of the burial. Meanwhile, the park said it had recovered on Tuesday the body of Austrian solo climber Matthias Rimml following his death earlier this month on Denali, North America's tallest peak.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — U.S. intelligence shows that it's a “genuine possibility” that North Korea will conduct another ballistic missile test or nuclear test around President Joe Biden's visit to South Korea and Japan that begins later this week, according to the White House. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday said that the U.S. is preparing for North Korea to conduct a “long range missile test, or a nuclear test or frankly both” in the days leading up to, during, or after Biden’s trip to the region. The president is set to arrive in South Korea on Friday before heading to Japan on Sunday. Kim Tae-hyo, Yoon’s deputy national security adviser, told reporters Wednesday that North Korea probably won’t conduct a nuclear test this week but that its preparations for another ICBM test appeared imminent. The report did not make a direct reference to a major weapons test.

A senior Biden administration official says U.S. intelligence shows that it’s a “genuine possibility” that North Korea will conduct another ballistic missile test or nuclear test around President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan that begins later this week.

IndyCar Indy 500 Auto Racing Takuma Sato, of Japan, leaves the pits during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Indianapolis. VeeKay was the fastest driver without a tow at 221.552 mph. When Daly returned to his motorhome Tuesday, he discovered the hot tub had been tampered with and deemed it “no longer usable. At least for a long time.”"I would like to announce that my hot tub has been bamboozled," Daly posted on Twitter. He did not reveal what had happened to his hot tub.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato shot to the top of the speed chart Tuesday on the first day of preparations for the May 29 race.

An underwater robot hunter has been built to seek out and destroy soaring numbers of jellyfish.

The man, who had only moved into the town of Abu in October 2020, was erroneously given around $359,000 in April, local media said.

Japan Ukraine Tina Karol, Ukrainian singer and actress, poses prior to a press conference with Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, Inc. and Sergiy Korsunsky, Ambassador of Ukraine to Japan, not in picture, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Tokyo. “My weapon is language and music,” Karol said in Tokyo as she concluded a weeklong visit to rally support for Ukraine. Karol came to Japan at the invitation of Rakuten Group founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, who first met her during his 2019 business trip to Ukraine. Japan has provided humanitarian and financial support for Ukraine and has so far accepted about 800 evacuees from that country — a rare move for Japan given its extremely strict immigration policy. “We will win and we will rebuild our country," Karol said.

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

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.

Singer Tina Karol said Monday from Japan that she and her fellow Ukrainians will not give up defending their land and culture from Russian invasion and are determined to win the war and rebuild an even more beautiful country. “My weapon is language and music,” Karol said in Tokyo as she concluded a weeklong visit to rally support for Ukraine. Karol came to Japan at the invitation of Rakuten Group founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, who first met her during his 2019 business trip to Ukraine.

Grass-and-straw tatami mats – once a privilege reserved for the elite – have been a key feature of Japanese architecture since the Middle Ages, crafted by gifted artisans. But now, with cheap knockoffs and changing lifestyles, the industry is at a crossroads.

Byron Nelson Golf Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, reacts after putting on the 18th hole during the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Munoz was at 2-under par a one-stroke penalty because of a wayward tee shot at the eighth hole. The 29-year-old Colombian, who lives in the Dallas area, then went 6-under in the next four holes. In the middle of the fairway after his tee shot at the 18th hole, another par 5, Munoz missed the green to the right. TPC Craig Ranch, the second-year home of the Nelson, is about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas and 30 miles east of the University of North Texas, where Munoz went to school.

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

A 91-year-old Korean War Navy veteran is hoping to find his first love, who he met during his time as a second class petty officer in Japan in 1953. Duane Mann, 91, wrote a Facebook post on May 1 hoping to find someone who recognizes the woman in a photo he took in 1953, whose name he says is Peggy Yamaguchi. In the post, Mann explains that while he was stationed in Japan from 1953 to 1954 at age 23, he met Yamaguchi at an Air Force NCO Club, where he worked as a slot machine repairman in his spare time and Yamaguchi worked as the “hat check girl.”

Overnight stateside, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped more than 4% as shares on Wall Street fell.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — (AP) — A strong earthquake shook seas between eastern Taiwan and southwestern Japan on Monday, but authorities said there was no danger of a tsunami. Japanese authorities said a magnitude 6.6 quake struck off the southern and westernmost island of Yonaguni, which is about 110 kilometers (66 miles) east of Taiwan. The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. The meteorological agency said the 3:23 p.m. (0623GMT) quake struck 20 kilometers (12 miles) below the sea surface. The agency said there may be small swelling of the water but there was no danger of a tsunami.

China's export growth tumbled in April after Shanghai and other industrial cities were shut down to fight virus outbreaks. Reflecting weak Chinese demand, imports crept up 0.7% to $222.5 billion, in line with the previous month’s growth below 1%. Exports to the United States rose 9.5% to $46 billion despite lingering tariff hikes in a fight over Beijing’s technology ambitions. China’s global trade surplus widened by 19.4% to $51.1 billion while the politically volatile surplus with the United States contracted by 65% to $9.8 billion. Beijing has criticized trade and financial sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States, Europe and Japan.

TOKYO — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Japan will slowly phase out Russian oil imports in unity with the Group of Seven’s effort against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leaders from the G-7 countries met online Sunday and announced their commitment to ban or phase out Russian oil imports in their latest effort to pressure Moscow into ending its aggression on Ukraine. “It’s an extremely difficult decision for a country that mostly relies on energy imports, including oil,” Kishida told reporters Monday. About 4% of Japanese oil imports come from Russia. The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been coordinating the evacuations.

China’s export growth tumbled in April after Shanghai and other major industrial cities were shut down to fight virus outbreaks.

International Players Basketball FILE - China's Han Xu (15) shoots over Serbia's Tina Krajisnik during a women's basketball quarterfinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Aug. 4, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. Han feels more ready to play in the WNBA and is one of 21 international players on opening day rosters from countries all over the globe, including Australia, Belgium, Canada and Japan. “During the past few years, she gained a lot of confidence and now is trying not to be in her head when she plays basketball,” Han said via interpreter. First-year Liberty coach Sandy Brondello has seen Han play many times overseas with China and is happy to have her back in New York. She returned to the U.S. earlier than usual this offseason after all the WNBA players left Russia because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Han Xu feels much more comfortable in her second WNBA stint with the New York Liberty.

While Japan and South Korea will start fine-tuning for the World Cup with high-profile warm-ups against Brazil next month, there are concerns in Iran that Asia’s top-ranked team has been slow off the mark with its preparations. Iran is in Group B with England and the United States at the World Cup, which kicks off Nov. 21 in Qatar.

The Bank of Japan stands out among major central banks with its commitment to maintain rock-bottom interest rates to boost a moribund economy, even as surging inflation worldwide spurs the U.S. Federal Reserve to roll back stimulus and raise rates. As a result, the yen has weakened dramatically, hitting a 20-year low against the dollar in April. While BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has said he’s not bothered by a weaker yen, Japan’s government bonds haven’t been immune from the global rout spurred

U.S. natural gas prices have more than doubled this year as Russia's war on Ukraine wreaks havoc on global energy markets.

New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years.

New Zealand Tourists Families embrace after a flight from Los Angeles arrived at Auckland International Airport as New Zealand's border opened for visa-waiver countries Monday, May 2, 2022. New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years as it dropped most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. (Jed Bradley/New Zealand Herald via AP) (Jed Bradley)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — (AP) — New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years Monday after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. But international tourism stopped altogether in early 2020 after New Zealand imposed some of the world's toughest border restrictions. New Zealand reopened to tourists from Australia three weeks ago and on Monday to about 60 visa-waiver countries, including much of Europe.

New Zealand Tourists Families embrace after a flight from Los Angeles arrived at Auckland International Airport as New Zealand's border opened for visa-waiver countries Monday, May 2, 2022. New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years as it dropped most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. (Jed Bradley/New Zealand Herald via AP) (Jed Bradley)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — (AP) — New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years Monday after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. But international tourism stopped altogether in early 2020 after New Zealand imposed some of the world's toughest border restrictions. New Zealand reopened to tourists from Australia three weeks ago and on Monday to about 60 visa-waiver countries, including much of Europe.

New Zealand has begun welcoming back tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions.

The Bank of Japan appears to be comfortable with the currency’s path, which puts inflation targets within reach. Consumers face a different reality.

Angels White Sox Baseball Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout, right, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, May 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (Nam Y. Huh)CHICAGO — (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani said he expects to play Monday, a day after making an early exit because of tightness in his right groin. The two-way AL MVP was the Angels' designated hitter when he was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Sunday's 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. Ohtani said he expects to be in the lineup for the series finale against the White Sox. Angels manager Joe Maddon said Ohtani might have tweaked his groin running to first in the seventh inning on a grounder back to pitcher Jose Ruiz that the White Sox turned into a double play.

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani says he expects to play Monday, a day after making an early exit because of tightness in his right groin.

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.

Angels White Sox Baseball Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Friday, April 29, 2022. Los Angeles pitchers retired 18 straight White Sox batters on a night when scheduled Angels starter Noah Syndergaard was scratched because of an undisclosed illness. Raisel Iglesias got the final two outs and his sixth save as the White Sox loaded the bases. Ohtani’s shot to left-center with two outs made it 2-0The White Sox cut it to 2-1 in the bottom half. UP NEXT:Angels LHP José Suarez (0-1, 5.54) is scheduled to face White Sox RHP Vince Velasquez (0-2, 6.75) on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor Ward and Shohei Ohtani hit first-inning solo home runs off Lucas Giolito and the Los Angeles Angels rode a combined three-hitter to their sixth straight win, 5-1 over the Chicago White Sox.

NASA's share of rocks from an asteroid called Ryugu faced a long journey to their final destination at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The head of the company that operated a tourist boat that sank off northern Japan with 26 people aboard said Wednesday he approved the trip despite a broken communication device and forecasts of rough weather, as officials investigated previous accidents involving the company. The sightseeing boat Kazu 1 with two crew was taking 24 passengers, including two children, on a scenic tour of Shiretoko National Park on the northeastern side of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, when it sent a distress call Saturday afternoon saying it was sinking. The area, near Kashuni Waterfall, is a difficult place to maneuver because of its rocky coastline and strong tide.

The mysterious liver disease has so far affected over 170 children, largely in Britain, as health experts explore its possible links to Covid-19.

A town in western Japan revealed on Friday that a household who mistakenly received 46.3 million yen (around $361,450) in COVID-19 subsidies said they now cannot return the money. The town of Abu in Yamaguchi Prefecture planned to distribute the COVID subsidy funds amongst 463 low-income households exempt from residential taxes. Each household who applied was to receive 100,000 yen (around $781).

TOKYO — (AP) — Japan's coast guard says a tour boat with 26 people aboard has been missing for more than seven hours after issuing a distress call and taking in water. The coast guard said Saturday no survivors have been found so far. It says the 19-ton Kazu 1 made an emergency call in early afternoon, saying the ship’s bow had flooded and was beginning to sink and tilt when it was traveling off the western coast of Shiretoko Peninsula in the northern island of Hokkaido. The tour boat has since lost contact. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Japan describes four islands whose ownership it disputes with Moscow as “illegally occupied by Russia” in the latest version of a diplomatic report released Friday, using stronger language to describe the territorial flap than other recent versions and underscoring the chilled relations between the two sides amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Japan, which is struggling to improve ties with Moscow to regain control of the Kurils, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, had previously described the dispute in a softer tone. “The Northern Territories are a group of islands Japan has sovereignty over and an integral part of Japan’s territory, but currently they are illegally occupied by Russia,” the ministry said in the report.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a bid to extend a federal program offering benefits to low-income elderly, blind and disabled people to residents of Puerto Rico, finding that Congress had the authority to prevent those living in the American territory from receiving the assistance.

Tangier Island, located in the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, is home to approximately 400 people, but will soon be underwater due to the rapid effects of erosion and rising sea levels caused by climate change.

A Florida man has been sentenced to seven months in federal prison followed by a year of home confinement for his part in a scheme to smuggle illegally harvested Florida turtles to China, Japan and other places.

Allyson Felix, who closed the Tokyo Games last year with more Olympic medals than any U.S. track and field athlete in history, says she will retire after the 2022 season.

Millions of Ukrainians have fled their country, but Sasha Kaverina did just the opposite.

The introduction differs slightly from tournament to tournament though the general theme never changes.

Iga Swiatek has moved up one spot to the top of the WTA rankings and is the first tennis player from Poland to be No. 1 in the sport.

Naomi Osaka is playing her first final in more than a year on Saturday, which sounds like a comeback story.

People across Japan are celebrating the peak cherry blossom viewing season one week after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, triggering concerns of a possible virus resurgence.

Japan’s “Drive My Car” has won the Oscar for best international feature.

The full Shohei Ohtani experience will be on display when the Los Angeles Angels take the field on opening day.

Asian stock markets have fallen after Western governments promised new sanctions on Russia.

Gov. Ron DeSantis railed against the NCAA allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's competitions during a news conference in Wesley Chapel Tuesday.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan, smashing furniture, knocking out power and killing four people.

Tokyo’s stock benchmark soared 4% and other Asian markets have surged after oil prices dropped, easing fears inflation was set to accelerate.

Researchers say a large spider native to East Asia that proliferated in Georgia last year could spread to much of the East Coast.

Joro spiders, a large, parachuting, bright yellow spider from Japan, could soon spread across the eastern United States, according to a new study.

Toyota says it is suspending production at all 28 lines of its 14 plants in Japan because of a “system malfunction” that a domestic supplier suspects is a cyberattack.

A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency has visited the site at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant where more than a million tons of treated radioactive waste water are to be released into the ocean.

Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street higher after Federal Reserve policymakers indicated they are leaning toward more decisive action on inflation but set no firm targets.

A remote-controlled robot has captured images of what appears to be mounds of nuclear fuel that melted and fell to the bottom of the most damaged reactor at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.

A remote-controlled robot is being used to probe the hardest-hit nuclear reactor at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima plant, as officials push forward with clean-up operations that have been mired in delays.

Asian stocks are higher after Wall Street rebounded as investors waited for U.S. inflation data that might influence the pace of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

When most champions get off the slopes or the ice at the Beijing Olympics, they are handed Bing Dwen Dwen, the chubby panda mascot of the Games.

The whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai remain a pressing question at the Beijing Olympics.

World champion Kamila Valieva cemented her status as the gold medal-favorite at the Beijing Games by putting forward a winning short program to help the Russians take the lead in the team event.

The president of the International Olympic Committee has sought to play down concerns about the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai while also saying he planned to go ahead with their long-promised dinner during the Beijing Games.

Toyota says it's working with Japan’s space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and eventually live on Mars.

Asian stock markets are mixed as traders look ahead to data on U.S. employment costs that might influence Federal Reserve decisions on planned interest rate hikes.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency have signed an agreement to participate in a next-generation nuclear energy project with TerraPower, a company started by Bill Gates.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka has had a relatively trouble-free 6-3, 6-3 win over Camila Osorio in her first-round match on Rod Laver Arena.

Three-time Olympic ski jumping champion Kamil Stoch has an injured left leg that is knocking him out of World Cup competition this week in his native Poland.

Twin panda cubs have made their first public appearance before devoted fans in Tokyo, but they will be on display only briefly for now — over three days — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant.

This year marked somewhat of a return to normalcy in the sports world.

Omicron caseloads have remained relatively low in many countries in Asia.

It was quite a year in the sports world, was it not?

Asian shares are rising although optimism set off by a rally on Wall Street was dampened by concerns about the potential impact of the omicron coronavirus variant.

Asian shares are mostly lower amid lingering worries about the omicron coronavirus variant’s potential to damage the regional economy and mixed cues from Wall Street.