Tokyo

The leaders of South Korea and Japan are to meet Sunday for their second summit in less than two months, as they push to mend long-running historical grievances and boost ties in the face of North Korea's nuclear program and other regional challenges.

Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp became European Champion for the 12th time on April 22 in the Greco-Roman style 130 kg category at the 2023 European Wrestling Championship in Croatia.

Kayaalp defeated Sabah Saleh Shariati from Azerbaijan with a 2-1 result to win the gold medal in Zagreb.

U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson won her first solo race of 2023 in sensational style on April 8, clocking a wind-aided 10.57sec to win the Miramar Invitational 100m.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, a world-renowned Japanese musician and actor who composed for Hollywood hits such as "The Last Emperor" and "The Revenant," has died. He was 71.

Japan's recording company Avex said in a statement on April 2 that Sakamoto died on March 28 while undergoing treatment for cancer.

A new species of orchid with delicate, glass-like blooms has been discovered by Japanese scientists, who found the pink and white plant hiding in plain sight.

Despite its presence in Japan's parks and gardens, it took researchers at Kobe University a decade to confirm that the plant, dubbed the "Spiranthes hachijoensis," was a previously unknown species.

Banking giant UBS is buying troubled rival Credit Suisse for almost $3.25 billion, in a deal orchestrated by regulators to stave off further market-shaking turmoil in the global banking system.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday, Seoul said, Pyongyang's second launch in three days and the first since South Korea and the United States began their largest joint military drills in five years.

The chairman of Japan Tobacco Inc (JT), Mutsuo Iwai, praised the leadership of the Greek government for promoting an investment-friendly environment during a recent visit to Tokyo by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a JT announcement said on Wednesday.

Celebrated Japanese author Haruki Murakami will release his first new novel in six years this April, publisher Shinchosha announced on Feb. 1.

There was little detail given about the new work, which will be Murakami's first novel since "Killing Commendatore" was published in February 2017.

A memorandum of collaboration (MoC) was signed by Greece's investments and export agency (Enterprise Greece) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Tokyo on Tuesday, in the context of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' official visit to Japan.