The Google brand logo pictured Jan. 2023 above the entrance to the Google Building in New York City, N.Y. On Friday, Palo Alto Networks announced it will shift major internal operations to Google Cloud under a multibillion-dollar deal. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) »»»

1 of 2 | Protesters set fire to the Prothom Alo offices in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to protest the death of youth protest leader Sharif Osman Hadi's death Thursday. Demonstrations broke out after Hadi died two weeks after being shot in the head. Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Two newspaper of»»»

Japan needs to consider developing its own nuclear weapons, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly told journalists. The unnamed official, who advises the prime minister on national security, argued that Japan’s long-standing reliance on the US nuclear deterrent may no lon»»»

During Central Asia + Japan Business Forum in Tokyo, Ravshanbek Sabirov, head of the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, met with Nobumitsu Akai, the management of JFR Co. Ltd., to discuss prospects for cooperation in biotechnology. The National Investment Agency’»»»

Dubai: The weekend is upon us, and while the weather has calmed down a bit, the roads are still flooded and staying home just feels like the right call. What better way to enjoy the cosy vibes than curling up with a great movie? Rainy days have a way of slowing life down. The noise softens, plans d»»»

TOKYO, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Japan's central bank on Friday raised its policy interest rate to around 0.75 percent from 0.5 percent, the highest level in about 30 years.At a two-day monetary policy meeting, the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) nine-member Policy Board unanimously decided to lift its target for the»»»

A husband and wife have died after being trapped in a private sauna room that caught fire on Monday in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, BBC reports. The victims, identified as Yoko Matsuda, 37, a nail artist, and her husband Masanari, 36, who ran a beauty salon, were found collapsed on the sauna floor and»»»

A husband and wife have died after being trapped in a private sauna room that caught fire on Monday in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, BBC reports. The victims, identified as Yoko Matsuda, 37, a nail artist, and her husband Masanari, 36, who ran a beauty salon, were found collapsed on the sauna floor and»»»

Japan's central bank has raised its main interest rate to the highest level in 30 years as the country faces a cost-of-living squeeze. In a widely expected decision, the Bank of Japan's policy board, led by governor Kazuo Ueda, increased its benchmark rate by a quarter of a percentage point to "aro»»»

A husband and wife have died after being trapped in a private sauna room that caught fire in Japan on Monday. Tokyo police are investigating whether a faulty doorknob trapped the couple inside the room at Sauna Tiger, in the city's Akasaka district, local media has reported. Investigators also foun»»»

Boyan Radev, Bulgaria’s first two-time Olympic wrestling champion and one of the most respected figures in Bulgarian sport and culture, has died at the age of 83. The news was confirmed by journalist Ivo Dimitrov, who paid tribute to Radev with an emotional farewell, describing him as a mentor and »»»

Concerns over toys that use artificial intelligence spurred two U.S. senators to seek answers from toymakers on Tuesday. Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Fears of risks to children's mental health and development have two U.S. senators sounding an alarm and seeking informati»»»

Oil prices surged on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of "sanctioned" oil tankers heading to and leaving Venezuela. Both Brent and WTI contracts jumped more than two percent before paring gains. "The big news is the oil-price rally after President Donald Trump announced »»»

The Russian capital has retained its lead in the number of tourist attractions in the 2025 Global Power City Index (GPCI), surpassing Tokyo, Paris, London, and New York. Moscow also ranks among the top three cities for cultural events, per GPCI. The city made the top ten in the “cultural interactio»»»

1 of 2 | South Korean Hyundai Motor Group during the 2025 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. A 2015 report found that just 26% of Kia and Hyundai cars sold in the U.S. had engine immobilizers, while other makers averaged 96%. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Min»»»

China on Tuesday reiterated its demand that Japan retract Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about Taiwan, more than a month after Takaichi said an attack on the democratically governed island could be deemed an existential threat to Japan. "On key issues, Japan is still 'squeezing toothpaste'»»»

TOKYO, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- South Korea and the United States held "comprehensive" discussions on Tuesday to coordinate on their North Korea policy based on a recently released summit document.A statement by Seoul's Foreign Ministry said the meeting is the first such bilateral talks held under their in»»»

TOKYO, Dec 15 (KUNA) -- Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers hit a four-year high in December, reflecting reduced uncertainty surrounding US tariff policy, the Bank of Japan survey showed Monday.The central bank's quarterly survey showed the business sentiment among big makers, su»»»

BEIJING, Dec 15 (KUNA) -- China announced on Monday that it sanctioned former Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) chief Shigeru Iwasaki over what it deemed as violation of the one-China policy concerning Taiwan.The Foreign Ministry said in a statement, cited by Xinhua News Agency, that Iwasaki was i»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pictured Saturday walking out of the South Portico of the White House in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government announced a new initiative aimed at expanding its technology workforce through an early-career hiring and talent develop»»»

A banner advertising Spotify's public trading debut hangs in April 2018 from the facade of the NYSE in New York City, N.Y. The streaming platform Spotify experienced a brief disruption to its services in the morning hours, according to social media updates. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License »»»

The iRobot headquarters pictured Nov. 2016 in Bedford, Mass. This week, the company announced its buyout by two Chinese companies after a failed bid by Amazon to purchase the Massachusetts robotics company. Photo Provided by CJ Gunther/EPA Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Picea Robotics and its partner entered int»»»

Artificial Intelligence works of art are on display as part of the Augmented Intelligence collection at Christie's on Thursday, February 20, 2025 in New York City. Merriam-Webster cited AI art in its decision to name "slop" its 2025 word of the year. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec.»»»

Dozens of visitors gather to watch giant panda Xiao Xiao at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 28. On Monday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that the twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei will be returned to China in late January 2026. The two pandas at Ueno are the onl»»»

Two pandas at a Tokyo zoo will be returned to China in January, the Tokyo government said on Monday, potentially leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century. Loaned out as part of China's "panda diplomacy" program, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symb»»»

A threat-representative ICBM target launches from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands on March 25, 2019. File Photo by Missile Defense Agency/UPI | License Photo Dec. 15 (Asia Today) -- Foreign Affairs, a publication that »»»

Japan's new submarine "Jingei" is seen during the launching ceremony at Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works of MHI in Kobe, Hyogo-Prefecture, Japan on October 12, 2022. A diesel-electric Taigei class submarine "Jingei" is 3,000-ton with system of TCM (Torpedo Counter Measure) and may launch the Boeing »»»

Tokyo: Two pandas at a Tokyo zoo will be returned to China in January, Japanese media said on Monday, potentially leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century. Loaned out as part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, the distinctive black-and-white animals have s»»»

A United Airlines flight bound for Tokyo was forced to return to Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday after experiencing an engine failure shortly after takeoff, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed. United Flight 803, a Boeing 777-200 carrying 275 passengers and a tot»»»

Dubai: Meet Hatsune Miku and your favourite anime characters at Japan Culture Con (JCC), which is back for its second edition this weekend. The fest kicked-off on Dec 12 and runs until Dec 14. JCC 2025 expands with a wider programme and deeper dive into Japanese traditions than ever before, with a »»»

Reddit filed a lawsuit in Australia's high court to block a social media ban for teens. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Reddit filed a lawsuit in Australia's High Court against the ban on young teens using social media, arguing that it infringes on students' rights»»»

Police officers escort South Korean crypto mogul Do Kwon (C) to a holding facility pending his extradition in Podgorica, Montenegro, on March 23, 2024. A U.S. judge sentenced Kwon to 15 years in prison Thursday for a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. File Photo by Boris Pejovic/EPA-EFE Dec. 12 (UPI»»»

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan and caused small tsunami waves but no apparent damage Friday, days after a stronger quake in the same region. Friday's quake occurred off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, in the north of Honshu, the main Japanese island, at a depth of 20 kilom»»»

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan and caused small tsunami waves but no apparent damage Friday, days after a stronger quake in the same region. Friday's quake occurred off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, in the north of Honshu, the main Japanese island, at a depth of 20 kilom»»»

TOKYO, Dec 12 (KUNA) -- Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday shared serious concerns over any actions to increase tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.During their telephone talks, they stressed that a recent radar incident caused by Chinese m»»»

Beijing's actions are "not conducive to regional peace", Japan's defense minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday. The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takai»»»

TOKYO, Dec 12 (KUNA) -- A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter scale hit Japan's northern Pacific coast on Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the 11:44 p.m. (0244 GMT) quake. The weather ag»»»

US nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday, Tokyo said, in a show of force following Chinese and Russian drills in the skies and seas around US allies Japan and South Korea. Japan and the US "reaffirmed their strong resolve to prevent any unil»»»

Mickey Mouse dolls pictured Feb. 2018 at the 115th American International Toy Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, N.Y. Under the agreement, Sora users can create content featuring icons like Mickey Mouse, Ariel, Cinderella, Iron Man and Darth Vader. File Photo by John An»»»

An illustration picture shows the introduction page of ChatGPT, an interactive AI chatbot model trained and developed by OpenAI. Time magazine named the creators of artificial intelligence as the Time Person of the Year. File Photo by Wu Hao/EPA-EFE Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Time magazine on Thursday named »»»

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The Japanese government has developed a package of measures to determine the causes of mass oyster deaths in the Seto Inland Sea and to assist farmers affected by this phenomenon, media channel reported on Thursday. The government's package of measures will allow affected farmers »»»

Nearly 900 people in Japan had their driver’s licences suspended for drunk cycling between January and September 2025, a dramatic rise from just two cases during the same period last year, new data from the National Police Agency (NPA) shows. The spike follows the enforcement of a revised Road Traf»»»

Japan said Thursday it held a joint air exercise with the United States in a show of force, days after Chinese-Russian patrols in the region and following weeks of diplomatic feuding between Tokyo and Beijing. The Japanese joint chiefs of staff said Wednesday's exercise with the US Air Force was co»»»

On Dec. 11, 1972, Apollo 17 landed on the moon, the final Apollo lunar landing. 1 of 4 | On December 11, 1972, Apollo 17 landed on the moon, the final Apollo lunar landing. File Photo courtesy of NASA Dec. 11 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1816, Indiana joined the United States as its 19th st»»»

Manila: After years of sluggish sales, Metro Manila’s mid-income condo market is roaring back to life. This has caught both developers and buyers off guard. Strong new launches and brisk demand are signalling that this is no dead-cat bounce, but a full-scale comeback. Sweet spotBased on the latest »»»

Tokyo, Japan: The number of people injured in a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Japan rose to 51 on Wednesday, authorities said, after warning an even bigger tremor was possible in coming days. The quake late Monday off the coast of the northern region of Aomori shook buildings, tore apart roads, smash»»»

Tokyo, Japan: Nissan will integrate AI-powered systems made by autonomous driving firm Wayve into vehicles, the companies announced Wednesday, marking the British startup's first deal to supply technology to an automaker on a mass scale. While fully driverless cars remain some way off, the two comp»»»

The United States has for the first time criticized China for aiming radars at Japanese military aircraft during a training exercise last week, an incident over which the Asian neighbors have given differing accounts amid escalating tensions. The run-in near Japan's Okinawa islands comes after Japa»»»

Manila: Philippine lawmakers, past and present, could face a legal blowback as their alleged role in "ghost" flood control projects emerges from the shadows. The first arrests have been made in amid a multi-billion scandal involving non-existent infrastructure projects paid in full by Filipino taxp»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Annual Sports Day of Ideal Indian School concluded recently with great fanfare, highlighted by a spectacular display featuring 1,200 students. The two-day celebration marked the 41st Annual Sports Day of the Morning Session and the 2nd Annual Sports Day of the Evening Session. Earl»»»