Behind the global success of Japanese video games lies a delicate task: appealing to overseas players whose expectations on issues such as sexism are increasingly influencing the content of major titles.

Prices in the world's third-largest economy, excluding volatile fresh food, rose 2.3 percent year-on-year in December, down from 2.5 percent the previous month.

Japan's "Moon Sniper" spacecraft will attempt a historic touchdown on the lunar surface this weekend using pinpoint technology the country hopes will lead to success where many have failed.

The Japanese creator of "Captain Tsubasa" said on Friday that he was blowing the final whistle on the beloved cartoon series after a run of 43 years.

The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Japan rose to 92 on Friday, regional authorities said, with the number of missing jumping to 242.

More than 50 people were reported missing Thursday as Japanese rescuers battled to reach hundreds still cut off from help three days after a devastating earthquake left at least 78 dead.

Tsunami waves over a metre high hit central Japan on Monday after a series of powerful earthquakes that damaged homes, closed highways and prompted authorities to urge people to run to higher ground.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is nicknamed the "Moon Sniper" because it is designed to land within 100 metres (328 feet) of a specific target on the lunar surface.

Growing up, Mirai Kisaragi fled her abusive parents, survived homelessness and contemplated suicide.

A major US union representing steelworkers slammed the deal by Japan's Nippon Steel to buy US Steel Corp for $14.1 billion, which was confirmed on Monday just months after US Steel rejected an offer from its main domestic rival.

North Korea has issued formal notice of a satellite launch as early as Wednesday, Japan said, defying warnings from South Korea and multiple UN resolutions banning Pyongyang from using ballistic missile technology.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Japan on Tuesday for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers set to seek a common line on Gaza as calls mount for a ceaefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a stimulus package worth more than $100 billion on Thursday as he tries to ease the squeeze from inflation and rescue his premiership with his poll ratings at a record low.

Fading photos of smiling children still adorn the staircase walls at the Ashigakubo primary school, one of thousands that have shut in ageing Japan over the past 20 years.

The announcement comes after a takeover scheme to delist Toshiba launched last month by a Japan Industrial Partners-led consortium closed on Wednesday.

After SpaceX's rocket exploded spectacularly minutes after blasting off its launch pad, it was the second setback for private space development in a week.

U.S. professional freestyle skier Kyle Smaine was killed in an avalanche while skiing.

A rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering radar satellite was successfully launched on Thursday by Japan.

The much-awaited Nintendo Switch Sports addition, golf, is likely to be added through an update set to come to the console this November.

A man was arrested after he tried to kill a convenience store owner over a cup of coffee.

Analysts are concerned as to why the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his nuclear arsenal.

A man was arrested after he left his four-year-old daughter unattended in a car parking lot at night to discipline her.

A man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend’s minor daughter for not listening to him.

A man was arrested after he allegedly helped a junior high school student jump to her death from a bridge.

A woman reportedly stabbed her boyfriend to death after an argument ensued between them.

A man allegedly raped his girlfriend after giving her a cup of tea mixed with sleeping pills.

A man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his three children.

A man was reportedly arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife, after she reportedly asked for a divorce.

Japan held a state funeral for the late and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an event that was not spared from criticism.

A woman has been arrested after she allegedly abandoned the corpse of her newborn baby boy in a trash container on the premises of a resort hotel in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.