Tech is part of everyone's life in Japan, but doesn't appear to have supplanted their livelihood, even for menial tasks.

Japan could be wiped off the face of the earth by a massive volcanic eruption some time in the next century, killing almost all of its 127m inhabitants, a new study says.

Adult nappies will soon outsell baby nappies in Japan. And according to Harvard economics professor David Bloom, that's a stark warning for NZ.

The moral of Aesop’s North Wind and the Sun fable is informing a wave of shareholder activism in Japan, with the government's blessing.

Japan's famous train turns 50 this month but it's still streaks ahead of its class. Joanna Symons joins the birthday party.

A concession by the Japanese bid to play a number of 'home' games in Singapore and Hong Kong is believed to have won them the 18th place in the new Super Rugby competition.

Power of monetary policy to drive global growth is nearing its limit. Further progress depends on government leaders.

MGM Resorts has scouted the world's biggest fish market as a potential site for the casino resort it wants to build in Japan.

Only one female executive made it to the top-earner list of Japan's Nikkei 225 companies last year.

Michael Fitzgerald is one of the best Kiwi defenders on the world stage - but currently has more chance of turning out for Japan than NZ.

Japan's program of monetary stimulus, fiscal stimulus, and structural reforms hasn't created as much growth as proponents hoped it would.

New Zealand coffee roasting company Allpress Espresso has cut the ribbon on a new Japanese operation in Tokyo.

The old Sony factory in Japan's Miyagi Prefecture is up and running again. But this time it's an indoor farm that is the largest of its kind.

The Japanese consumer lender at the centre of a scandal over loans to gangsters that engulfed Mizuho Financial Group sold debt at about a fifth of the premium global companies pay, as investors search for yield.

Companies in Japan are among the world's most vulnerable to cyber attacks, and threats against state entities have more than doubled since 2010 to one every 30 seconds.

The pachinko industry in Japan wants casinos, driven by attendance that has sunk more than 60 per cent since the mid-90s and an uncertain legal status.

When I was 16 - that's (ahem) 25 years ago now, right before Japan spiralled into economic stagnation - I stayed a year with a Japanese family as an AFS exchange student.

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, must have noticed a striking difference between New Zealand and Australia when he visited the countries on consecutive days this week.

Shinzo Abe didn't quite throw his weight around when he met John Key at Government House in Auckland this week.

It may have been a little early for wine, but Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, was on a tight schedule in Auckland so lunch at Villa Maria winery started about 11.45am.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unabashed by criticism of Japan's role in the Trans Pacific Partnership trade negotiations.

John Key will have to pick his way through a diplomatic minefield when he hosts Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Auckland on Monday during his first formal visit to New Zealand.

Japan's cultural barriers may seem immense but Sarah MacDonald finds getting to know the locals in the busy city can be easy.

Thousands of flights in Japan could be cancelled this summer as the country's rapidly ageing population leads to a nationwide shortage of airline pilots.