The Osaka court ruling underscores how divisive the issue remains in Japan, the only member of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations that does not recognize same-sex unions.
The grievances over sexual slavery, forced labor and other abuses stemming from Japan's WW II-era colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula have strained Seoul-Tokyo relations in recent years.
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and adapted from a 2014 short story by Haruki Murakami, the film dramatizes some of the celebrated author's trademark themes: loss, guilt, the interplay of art and life.
While many Japanese adults are fully vaccinated, few have gotten a booster shot, which has been a vital protection from the highly contagious omicron variant.
The turnaround came in the wake of a fifth wave of infections that peaked in August. Japan is trying to figure out why its COVID case numbers and fatalities have plummeted.
A fire that spread from a fourth-floor mental clinic in an eight-story building in what police were investigating as a possible case of arson and murder. Police were searching for a possible suspect.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolved the lower house of parliament. The move paves the way for elections Oct. 31, which will be Japan's first of the pandemic.
The Mongolian-born wrestler, who has won a record 45 grand sumo tournament titles, announced his decision to retire to the Japan Sumo Association on Monday.
The Japanese Army systematically raped women in the Philippines. What's become of the aging survivors of this wartime atrocity in the midst of the pandemic?
