When Ichiro Fujisaki first arrived in the United States in 1960 at age 13, he found himself thrust into a strange new world, starting public school in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood even though he spoke no English. Next week he will visit the same school, Catharine Blaine K-8, as Japan's ambassador to the United States.

Japan may be on a slow decline as far as being a global economic force, but the "soft power" of its modern entertainment genres, from manga to "anime," has global appeal, especially among young people. Why and how did this entertainment media thrive? How popular is it overseas?

Now the forum is a major platform for public diplomacy between the two nations. It will see nearly 200 leaders from the political, business, academic and media fields take part in a two-day discussion starting Monday in Tokyo. More than 800 students and journalists have applied for a seat to listen to the panel discussions.

China is set to overtake Japan as the world's second largest-economy in a resurgence that is changing everything from the global balance of military and financial power to how cars are designe

Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered his cabinet to avoid the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary of the end of WWII. It underscores his shift toward improving relations with Asian neighbors.

A private organization has invited Italian college students to Japan in an attempt to foster cultural exchange between the two countries...The organization, which had mainly offered Italian language and cultural courses for Japanese people, invited the Italian students in a bid to promote bilateral cultural exchange.

On August 10, Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued an apology for Japan's mistreatment of the people of Korea...It was the latest in a long line of expressions of remorse for past misdeeds and part of a carefully calibrated strategy of what Japanese conservatives deride as "apology diplomacy".

President Barack Obama will have to deftly navigate an atomic minefield if he decides to visit Hiroshima, the city destroyed by the first atomic bomb 65 years ago, during his visit to Japan later this year.