Asia, Japan | featured news

Helicopters ferried supplies Tuesday to thousands of people still cut off by Japan's worst storm in 28 years. Typhoon Talas left at least 46 dead and 54 missing in a nation still struggling to recover from its devastating tsunami just six months ago....

Japan's death toll from tropical depression Talas, earlier downgraded from a tropical storm, has risen to 25 with 52 missing, the government said Monday, as torrential rain pounded the west of the country at the weekend, triggering mudslides and bursting river banks.

Japan’s ruling party was set to pick a new leader Monday to become the country’s sixth prime minister in five years. Five candidates are running to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who is resigning after 15 months amid public criticism over his administration’s handling of the tsunami disaster and ensuing nuclear crisis as well as disgust with political infighting.

As Mr. Kan confirmed his intention to resign, the race to pick Japan’s sixth leader in five years was up in the air on Friday.

Japan says the crippled reactors at its tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant have reached stability more than four months ago after the disaster.

Japan has won the Women's World Cup, stunning the United States 4-1 in a penalty shootout Sunday night after finishing in a 2-2 tie.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of northern Japan Sunday, prompting tsunami advisories for several coastal regions, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Saturday it will take decades to clean up and decommission the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant after the world's worst atomic accident since Chernobyl.

A week into his new job, Japan’s disaster reconstruction minister resigned Tuesday after making remarks widely criticized as offensive during a visit to the tsunami-devastated northeastern coast, where he refused to shake a governor’s hand, scolded the official and threatened to withhold aid.

Officials of Japan's hard-hit Fukushima city will begin handing out radiation measuring devices to 34,000 children in a plan to help calm fears about radiation.