Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan braced for Typhoon Faxai on Sunday cancelling trains and flights in Tokyo with destructive winds of up to 216 kph (134 mph) and heavy rain expected to hit the region overnight, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Faxai, a woman’s name in Lao, could dump as much as 300 millimeters of rain in the next 24 hours, said the agency.

“Winds and rains could pick up suddenly, causing severe storms at sea, and there is a risk of record-breaking winds in the capital and other regions,” it said on its website.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rose Friday as investors cheered plans for more trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing and drew encouragement from positive data about the U.S. economy.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained nearly 0.7% in morning trading to 21,222.86. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to 6,647.80. South Korea’s Kospi edged up 0.3% to 2,010.15. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.6% to 26,661.47, while the Shanghai Composite inched up nearly 0.1% to 2,987.94.

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mostly higher Thursday amid encouraging developments, including British lawmakers seeking a less chaotic exit from the European Union and the potential easing of political tensions in Hong Kong.

France’s CAC 40 rose 0.7% in early trading to 5,572.27, while Germany’s DAX also gained 0.7% to 12,111.88. Britain’s FTSE 100 inched down 0.3% to 7,286.26. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures rising 0.7% to 26,566. S&P 500 futures were also higher, rising 0.6% to 2,957.10.

TOKYO (Reuters) - A letter threatening to hunt Koreans and containing what appeared to be a bullet has been sent to the South Korean embassy in Japan amid worsening ties between the Asian neighbors, Japanese media said on Tuesday.

Relations between the two countries have been overshadowed by Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean peninsula, and recently a dispute over Korean forced laborers spilled into trade and then into security when South Korea scrapped an intelligence sharing pact last month.

TOKYO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Saturday protested to South Korea over a visit by South Korean lawmakers to the disputed islands in the Sea of Japan controlled by Seoul and claimed by Tokyo.

A group of South Korean lawmakers landed on the islands known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan at around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. According to the lawmakers, their purpose is to protest Tokyo's removing South Korea from its list of trading partners entitled to preferential export procedures and its handling of the issue of wartime labor.

TOKYO, Aug. 29. (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island Honshu, the weather agency here said Thursday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which has not resulted in a tsunami warning being issued, occurred at 8:46 a.m. local time and was centered off the coast of Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, with its epicenter located at a latitude of 41.0 degrees north and longitude of 143.1 degrees east.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in Japan on Wednesday, killing at least two people and prompting authorities to order more than 900,000 people to leave their homes while another million were advised to move to safety.

More than twice the usual rainfall for the whole of August has fallen over parts of the southern island of Kyushu over the past 48 hours, washing away roads, causing rivers to burst their banks and forcing the suspension of train services.

TOKYO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that he hopes tensions in the Middle East will not escalate further.

On the stand-off due to a 2015 nuclear deal from which the United States withdrew last year, Zarif discussed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the outset of a meeting held in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.

"Iran welcomes the Japanese government's role in trying to ease tensions in the Middle East," Zarif said.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s downgrading of South Korea’s trade status took effect Wednesday, a decision that has already set off a series of reactions hurting bilateral relations.

Japanese manufacturers now must apply for approval for each technology-related contract for South Korean export, rather than the simpler checks granted a preferential trade partner, which is still the status of the U.S. and others.

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said he urged Iran to abide by a 2015 nuclear deal during a meeting on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The men agreed to maintain close communication between Japan and Iran, which historically have had friendly ties, to ease tension between the United States and Iran, Kono told reporters afterward.