A Chinese defence spokesperson said Japan has "entertained the delusion of military intervention in the Taiwan Strait". Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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.

Shohei Ohtani plans to play for Japan in next year’s World Baseball Classic. The two-way Los Angeles Dodgers star made the announcement on social media Monday night.

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic as the country looks to defend their 2023 title.

The Bank of Japan can resume interest rate hikes as risks from U.S. tariffs subside but must do so at a "measured, step-by-step" pace, its board member Asahi Noguchi said, stressing the need to tread cautiously in pushing up borrowing costs.

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.

China is trying to impose economic costs on Japan for wading into the issue of Taiwan. But experts say the escalating dispute could ultimately hurt China too.

Japan's 3 megabanks are likely to further grow their net interest margins after revising their full-year earnings targets, as they aim to benefit from expected rate hikes and rising demand.