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Mari Yamaguchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, walks to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, May 16, 2019. (Eugene Hoshiko/Pool/AP)
May 16, 2019, 12:13 pm
Iran says US sanctions ‘unacceptable’ as crisis mounts
Foreign Minister Zarif, visiting Japan, insists his country is within its rights to threaten an increase in uranium enrichment in response to US sanctions
By Aya Batrawy and Mari Yamaguchi
Japan's new Emperor Naruhito receives the Imperial regalia of sword and jewel as proof of succession at the ceremony at Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2019. (Japan Pool via AP)
May 1, 2019, 6:36 am
Emperor Naruhito ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan
A day after his father abdicates, the new monarch vows to fulfill his duty as a symbol of state and people
By Mari Yamaguchi
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga unveils the name of new era “Reiwa” at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, April 1, 2019 (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
April 1, 2019, 7:56 am
Japan chooses name for new era under next emperor
Shinzo Abe says ‘Reiwa’ means that culture is born, nurtured; Emperor Akihito to step down on April 30, in first abdication in 200 years; will be replaced by Crown Prince Naruhito
By Mari Yamaguchi
Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, center, is driven out of the immigration center in Antakya, Turkey, October 24, 2018. (Yosuke Mizuno/Kyodo News via AP)
October 25, 2018, 11:46 am
Freed from Syria, Japanese reporter happy to go home after 3 years in ‘hell’
Jumpei Yasuda recounts al-Qaeda captivity, where he wasn’t allowed to bathe for 8 months, says he’s uncertain how to catch up with a changing world
By Mari Yamaguchi
In this February 18, 2015 photo, Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda speaks during an interview in Tokyo. (Kyodo News via AP)
October 23, 2018, 8:18 pm
Japan says man believed to be missing journalist in Syria freed after 3 years
Turkish authorities verifying if released man is Jumpei Yasuda, who went missing in 2015 while covering the Syrian civil war
By Mari Yamaguchi
In this undated file photo, cult guru Shoko Asahara, left, of Aum Shinrikyo walks with Yoshihiro Inoue, then a close aid, in Tokyo. (Kyodo News via AP)
July 6, 2018, 10:55 am
Japanese cult leader, followers executed for 1995 Tokyo gas attack
Chizuo Matsumoto, founder of Aum Shinrikyo, or Supreme Truth, and six others put to death over subway nerve gas release that killed 13 and sickened over 6,000
By Mari Yamaguchi
In this Thursday, May 31, 2018, photo, customers come out of a Daimaru department store in Tokyo. The major Japanese department store removed a vendor specializing in wine from the Golan Heights at a recent food fair following protests. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi)
June 1, 2018, 4:41 pm
Japan store bars wine from Golan Heights after protests
‘The wine we carry is authorized by the Japanese government, so I don’t see why it has to be discriminated against,’ says importer
By Mari Yamaguchi
A man walks by a TV screen showing a local news program reporting about North Korea's missile firing at Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 5, 2017. (Lee Jin-man/AP)
July 28, 2017, 9:36 pm
North Korea test-fires second ballistic missile, lands in sea off Japan
Launch is ‘a serious and real threat,’ says Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; US expert says missile can reach Alaska
By Eric Talmadge and Mari Yamaguchi
Satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea, April 12, 2017 (Airbus Defense & Space/38 North/Pleiades CNES/Spot Image via AP)
April 13, 2017, 7:33 pm
Japan PM: North Korea may be capable of sarin-loaded missiles
Shinzo Abe says ‘tension is certainly rising’ as international concern mounts over renewed activity spotted at Pyongyang’s nuclear site
By Mari Yamaguchi
A man clears away debris of a broken wall in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture on April 16, 2016, after a powerful earthquake hit southern Japan, the second in two days. (AFP PHOTO/KAZUHIRO NOGI)
April 16, 2016, 12:02 pm
Japan quakes kill at least 29; rescuers rush to free trapped
2 temblors in as many days leave up to 1,500 hurt; heavy rain threatens to complicate relief operation, set off more mudslides
By EMILY WANG and Mari Yamaguchi
Visitors walk by a religious ornament with the "manji" sign, the mirror image of a swastika, which comes from the ancient Sanskrit and has been widely used for centuries to denote Buddhist temples on maps and elsewhere, at a temple in Tokyo, February 3, 2016 (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
February 5, 2016, 7:15 pm
Japan weighs change to swastika-like temple symbol
With 2020 Olympics approaching, officials worry foreigners may confuse traditional Buddhist icon on maps with Nazi emblem
By Mari Yamaguchi
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) leaves his official residence in Tokyo, after he attended a ministerial meeting on an online video showing purportedly Japanese hostage killed by the Islamic State on February 1, 2015. (photo credit: AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO)
February 5, 2015, 8:03 pm
Some Japanese see slain hostages, Abe as troublemakers
Many believe journalists should not have ignored warnings on travel to Syria, criticize PM’s support for strikes
By Mari Yamaguchi
A masked Islamic State fighter speaks during a ransom video demanding $200 million for the release of two Japanese citizens. (screen capture: YouTube)
January 24, 2015, 8:16 pm
Japan: Still working to free hostages after unverified video
IS posts video claiming one of two captives killed, demands release of female terrorist in exchange for remaining hostage
By Mari Yamaguchi and Elaine Kurtenbach
A masked Islamic State fighter speaks during a ransom video demanding $200 million for the release of two Japanese citizens. (screen capture: YouTube)
January 23, 2015, 7:57 am
IS deadline on Japanese hostages set to expire
With time running out before possible executions, families make plea for the two men’s release
By Mari Yamaguchi and Elaine Kurtenbach
Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso is surrounded by reporters at the ministry in Tokyo Thursday, August 1, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Kyodo News)
August 2, 2013, 10:19 am
Japan foreign minister refuses to resign over Nazi comment
Taro Aso suggested country should follow Weimar example of how to change constitution stealthily and without public debate
By Mari Yamaguchi and Elaine Kurtenbach
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