The four largest Chinese banks have stopped yuan and dollar cash transfers to North Korea, reports the Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun. The reported measure is part of rising international pressure on Pyongyang following its latest nuclear test and rocket launch earlier this year. Last month, several Chinese banks reportedly froze suspended cash deposits and transfer services for accounts held by... 

Japan’s Sakurajima volcano, situated about 50km from the Sendai nuclear station, has erupted with the country’s meteorological agency issuing an orange warning not to approach it. Residents in the area were evacuated in August last year after an alert for the volcano was raised to its second highest level. When Sakurajima erupted in 1914, it was Japan’s most powerful of the 20th century.... 

Thousands of people have joined demonstrations in cities across Poland to protest against the new government’s attempts to take control of the country’s Constitutional Court in a lingering political row. The rallies against the actions of the month-old government formed by the ruling Law and Justice party were staged in more than 20 cities in different regions of Poland as well as in several cities... 

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) workers standing before the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant at Okuma town in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan. Researchers detect higher levels of radiation from Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster off North America’s shores. Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said on Thursday recent tests of Pacific Ocean water revealed... 

The first batch of radioactive groundwater filtered below “measurable limits” at Japan’s tsumani-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has been dumped into the ocean, as TEPCO seeks to ease toxic water building-up at the site. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) that operates the crippled nuclear plant released its first 850 tons of filtered radioactive groundwater by sundown on September 14.... 

Flooding from Typhoon Etau has caused new leaks of contaminated water to flow from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the ocean. The incident came after a rush of water overwhelmed the site’s drainage pumps. Typhoon Etau brought lashing rains, floods and storm winds to Japan. Tens of thousands of Japanese people have been ordered to leave their homes across the country. Tokyo Electric Power... 

The world’s largest car manufacturing company, Toyota, has announced an investment of $50 million in joint artificial intelligence research centers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The research will focus on social benefits such as how to make cars safer and how to enhance people’s quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics, especially among the... 

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is confirming in a new report today that President Putin has utilized his delegated authority under Section 1, Chapter 4, Article 87 of The Constitution of the Russian Federation granting him the “powers and authorities” of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to conduct the most massive realignment of Federation military forces... 

The third sneak peak of the Lexus Hoverboard was released on Tuesday, with the company officially announcing the date of the ‘magic’ board’s release – August 5. “#LexusHover! See it August 5th,” says the 18-second promo. “The Lexus Hoverboard is almost here…When technology, design and imagination come together amazing things can be achieved. The Lexus Hoverboard represents true engineering... 

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Thursday voiced serious concern over Japan’s passage of bills that will expand the role of Japan’s self-defense forces. Japan’s ruling coalition passed the bill amid strong public opposition, marking the most significant overturn of the nation’s ‘purely defensive’ military posture. On Thursday, hundreds of protesters outside the building... 

​After a pair of American robot makers challenged their rivals in Japan to a mega duel involving their mechanical creations, the corresponding team in Japan has responded without hesitation: ‘Bring it on’. In a video posted on YouTube, Kogoro Kurata, the CEO and founder of Suidobashi Heavy Industry, said his company would be more than willing to battle US-based MegaBots in an epic robot faceoff. “Yeah,... 

A sudden volcano eruption on the small southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu-jima has forced authorities to raise the alert to the highest level and advise evacuation of the immediate area. Residents have fled by boat to the nearest neighboring island. Authorities decided to evacuate the island’s 137 residents, NHK national television reported. The residents fled by boat to the closest neighboring... 

Miss Universe Japan Ariana Miyamoto, 21, has resolved to use her new-found fame to help fight “racial prejudice”. I want to start a revolution. I can’t change things overnight but in 100-200 years there will be very few pure Japanese left, so we have to start changing the way we think, Miyamoto said. The first ever mixed race Miss Universe Japan was met with a horrific barrage of... 

When it comes to fast trains, Japan takes top honors thanks to German brilliance and Japanese precision. A trailblazing maglev, short for ‘magnetic levitation’, train has set a world speed record during a test run near Mount Fuji, clocking over 600kph (373mph). The new record comes less than a week after the seven-car train clocked 590kph, breaking its own 2003 record of 581kph. The maglev hovers... 

Japan’s Miyakojima and Yaeyama areas have been placed on high alert with tsunami advisories being issued following a shallow 6.8-magnitude underwater earthquake off Taiwan’s coast. Warnings were lifted after no significant wave activity was registered. Following the quake, Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami advisories for the Miyakojima and Yaeyama areas of Japan. While JMA issued alerts...