By Takaya Yamaguchi, Yoshifumi Takemoto and Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Japan's government on Wednesday signed off on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's flagship plan to slash the consumption tax on food,

A major earthquake in Japan's southwest killed at least 13 people and left several injured or missing after a shopping center and a paper mill were heavily damaged.

Almost no other country in the world is rocked by such frequent and damaging earthquakes as Japan, which sits on the boundary of four tectonic plates.

Japan intends to transform its military capabilities with drones and will build up its domestic defense industry, according to the 2026 Defense of Japan white paper released on Tuesday. The Japanese government is prioritizing domestic defense production to mitigate the cost of defense equipment and avoid being overly dependent on foreign manufactures,

Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people, including a foreigner,

U.S. and Japanese officials confirmed that the Treasury Department had moved last week to prop up the currency, which had been trading near four-decade lows.

The following is the English translation of Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper digest, released Aug. 4, 2026.  From the Report The time has come for our annual release of our white paper, “Defense of Japan.

Japan's weak Yen creates compelling value for global travelers and investors, with brands like Nintendo, Asics, Toyota, Panasonic, and Uniqlo standing out.