Anthony Kuhn

In Japan, a female former soldier's high-profile court case win is seen as both a victory for human rights, and a setback for Japan's efforts to beef up its military.

North Korea appears to be taking advantage of wars and geopolitical contests to help it make a strategic shift in its foreign policy — positioning itself in an anti-U.S. bloc of actors and nations.

The issue may come up when leaders of the two countries meet Thursday in San Francisco on the sidelines of APEC summit.

Large numbers of tourists are visiting Mt. Fuji again, causing problems with local municipalities and worry over the environment of the World Heritage site.

The court ruled unanimously that compulsory sterilization surgery for people who seek to legally change their gender is unconstitutional.

Japan's government has asked a court to remove the legal standing and tax breaks of the Unification Church, which was tied to the shocking assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year.

Members of the controversial group are sometimes known as the Moonies. The unusual move by the Japanese government was set in motion by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

Entrepreneurial young Japanese people are trying to reinvigorate Japan's most aged village — where more than two thirds of residents are over 65 — and keep it from vanishing from the map.

South Korea's government recently revised its laws to protect teachers' rights, following street protests by teachers, who say harassment from parents has driven some teachers to commit suicide.

U.S. officials thanked Sweden and China for help securing the release of the 23-year-old Army private, who went to North Korea in July.

North Korea says it will expel Travis King, a 23-year-old US soldier who crossed over the border in July. North Korea claims that King, who is black, had suffered abuse and racism in the US army.

In a summit in Russia, President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un showed how geopolitical tensions have brought the two neighbors isolated by the West into closer alignment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Russian city of Vladivostok — the same site as their last meeting in 2019, but under different circumstances.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia where he's expected to meet President Putin amid Western worries about a potential arms deal and more.

Local fishermen and the government of neighboring China are among the critics of Japan's decision to release water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese government says the water it is discharging has been treated to remove most of the radioactive material — making it safe. The release remains controversial.

Japan's government says tomorrow it will begin releasing more than a million tons of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement after meeting with his cabinet. Water will be released through an underground tunnel beginning Thursday, weather conditions permitting, Kishida said.

Leaders in South Korea, Japan and the United States are celebrating new security agreements announced Friday. The plans, which are not treaties, come as the countries' Asian rivals also grow closer.

For the first time since 2015, foreign leaders have been invited to the presidential retreat. Biden wants to strengthen ties with both countries as part of a broader push to counter China's influence.