While America retains a gold standard for airline safety, there are stresses on the US air travel system that have been apparent in a series of near tragedies in recent years. Aviation experts have warned that some safety margins have been squeezed by a shortage of air traffic controllers and congestion in the airspace over many major cities.

China said on Friday Japan's plans for export controls on chips, among other things, could damage business relations.

Japan is expected to report its first year-on-year increase in household spending in five months, a Reuters poll showed on Friday, although the rise appears to be marginal, indicating that consumers remain reluctant to loosen their purse strings.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will hold talks with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son on Monday, the Japanese government said on Friday.

A sinkhole that suddenly opened up on a road just northeast of Tokyo and swallowed a truck has captured national attention as the rescue operation of the driver has dragged on for days.

Wales will play Test matches against Japan in Kitakyushu and Kobe this summer. The first Test, at Kitakyushu's Mikuni World Stadium, will take place on 5 July. The second Test will be played at Kobe's Noevir Stadium – which features a retractable roof – seven days later.

The driver was able to talk with rescuers but they retreated after the area around the hole became unstable, a spokesperson said.

A labor-management forum meeting hosted by the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, was held in Tokyo on Friday to effectively kick off this year's shuntō spring wage negotiations, with the focus on whether the previous year's strong pay hike momentum seen among large firms will spread to smaller businesses.

Tourism, climate goals, and animal rights concerns are sparking a plant-based renaissance in a country famous for sushi and pork ramen.

The president and chairperson of Japanese network Fuji Television have resigned over a widening sex assault scandal linked to one of Japan's top TV celebrities. The allegations surfaced in magazine articles in December and have since triggered claims of systematic cover-ups by Fuji TV executives.

Tekken' has prevailed over even 'Street Fighter' and 'Mortal Kombat' in creating a diverse space for players in a martial arts video game.