Japan, a U.S. ally that had angered China on Taiwan, found the message worrying.

Japan aims to bolster its relations with these countries, which are located in a strategically important region sometimes referred to as the 'backyards' of China and Russia.

Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's biggest, could be restarted as soon as January pending consent from regional authorities, the plant's director was quoted as saying by Jiji news agency on Thursday.

Two strong earthquakes struck Japan Tuesday at magnitudes of 5.4 and 4.7, according to data from the United States Geological Survey ( USGS ). The first quake struck in the Pacific Ocean about 80 miles east-southeast from Kitaibaraki at a depth of around 6 miles, 10 km, the data shows. Kitaibaraki is about 110 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki is only 21 but has moved just one step from the top rank of Japan’s national sport. In an elaborate ceremony on Wednesday he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association to the rank of ozeki,

Watch Cam McEvoy’s Sizzling 25m Time Trial For This Weekend’s Japan Open In Tokyo The world’s fastest swimmer, Cam McEvoy, has laid down a sizzling time trial to put the

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Japan has dismissed a Chinese letter to the United Nations accusing Tokyo of threatening armed intervention over Taiwan as "inconsistent with the facts and unsubstantiated".

All Nippon Airways offers international travelers flying from Europe to Tokyo free domestic flights to over 40 destinations in Japan, encouraging exploration beyond major cities, with terms for economy class bookings and conditions like a 24-hour Tokyo stopover.