Japan and the United States concluded their first comprehensive dialogue on cyber defense on Friday after exploring new areas of cooperation, they said in a joint statement. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose said Friday he has apologized in person to Turkish Ambassador to Japan Serdar Kilic for his recent remarks on Istanbul, a rival to Tokyo in bidding for the 2020 Olympics, which were critical of Islamic countries. (Jiji Press)

A senior US Marine Corps official says the marines plan to use the Futenma air station in Okinawa Prefecture for 10 to 15 more years, until the air station is relocated to Nago City, within the prefecture. (NHK)

After its defeat in World War II, many of the political legacies nurtured during Japan's militaristic era became politically taboo. They include its intelligence-gathering units, such as those under the Imperial Japanese Army and the military police, as well as strict confidentiality laws to punish public servants who leak sensitive government information to outsiders. (Japan Times)

The United States recognizes Japanese sovereignty over Okinawa, a Department of State spokesman said Thursday. (Jiji Press)

The Chinese government says domestic public opinion is behind a newspaper commentary questioning Japan's sovereignty over its southernmost prefecture Okinawa. (NHK)

The government presented an outline of bills to a panel of experts Thursday on establishing an institution similar to the U.S. National Security Council, aiming to strengthen the leadership role of the prime minister's office in security and foreign policy. (Kyodo)

A Japan-Taiwan fishing pact, which sets a joint fishing zone within Japan's exclusive economic zone around the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, went into effect on Friday. (Jiji Press)

Political bickering intensified Wednesday between the ruling and opposition camps in Japan, as the House of Councillors is expected to dismiss the chairwoman of one of its committees on Thursday after she extended her trip to China last month without Diet approval. (Kyodo)

China refused to confirm that Okinawa belongs to Japan after two Chinese scholars suggested re-examining the ownership of the archipelago that includes the island, adding to tensions over a separate territorial dispute. (Bloomberg)

Japan has acknowledged that it conducted only a limited investigation before claiming there was no official evidence that its imperial troops coerced women into sexual slavery before and during World War II. (Aljazeera)

The ruling and opposition camps in Japan intensified their conflict Wednesday over the extension of stay in China by former Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, with the governing coalition boycotting a Diet session in a rare move that heightened tensions. (Kyodo)

The United States on Monday criticized China's territorial claim around the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, over which tensions between the two Asian nations remain elevated. (Jiji Press)

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius agreed Tuesday that North Korea should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons and the international community must keep sending that message. (Kyodo)

The secretary general of Japan's ruling party says it is too early to conclude that Pyongyang has abandoned its policy of diplomatic brinkmanship. (NHK)

North Korea has taken two Musudan missiles off launch-ready status and moved them from their position in the eastern part of the country, news media reported Monday. (Kyodo)

Japan, China and South Korea basically agreed Sunday to create a trilateral panel of high-ranking officials to address cross-border air pollution, including hazardous particulate matter measuring below 2.5 microns, a Japanese government source said. (Kyodo)

Japan tried to buy the four disputed islands off Hokkaido from the former Soviet Union as proposed by an aide to then-President Mikhail Gorbachev, opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa said Saturday. (Japan Times)

Political parties are set to clarify Thursday their stances on amending Article 96 of the Constitution at a meeting of a House of Representatives panel tasked with studying revisions to the top law. (Yomiuri)

A Japanese minister has visited Chernobyl in Ukraine to learn from the recovery from the severe nuclear accident there. (NHK)