Amnesty International is asking New Zealand to call on Japan to abolish capital punishment following the release of the 2012 global death penalty statistics report today.

Japan has deployed Patriot missiles in its capital as it readies to defend the 30 million people who live in greater Tokyo from any North Korean attack.

The US military is set to deploy an unmanned spy plane in Japan to boost surveillance capabilities as North Korea apparently readies for missile launches.

The power of the yen and relative merits of Japan are proving too good to turn down for an increasingly young and talented crop of players in New Zealand.

Around 50 members of the Japanese community in Christchurch have turned out to remember those who suffered in their homeland's quake and tsunami.

Two US sailors who raped a Japanese woman in Okinawa last October, sparking island-wide anger, have been jailed for nine and 10 years, a report said.

A strong earthquake struck the same Japanese coast devastated by last year's massive quake and tsunami, generating small waves but no immediate reports of heavy damage.

Ian D. Robinson finds an odd way to get intimate in Japan.

Any fisherman knows that catching the big one often requires waking up very early. The same is true for seafood lovers angling to see the famous tuna auction at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.

Greg Rules uses his seven-day rail pass to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and to the Hakone mountains and lakes district before returning to Tokyo.

Getting lost is part of discovering an unfamiliar city. And, as Chris Pritchard discovers, negotiating the streets of Kyoto throws up some unique challenges.

Camera-maker Olympus' former president has admitted covering up US$1.5 billion in investment losses.