As crowds gathered on Nov. 4, 1972, to catch a glimpse of two adorably rare creatures making their debut at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, an orangutan named Miyo unfurled a welcome banner. A curtain was then pulled aside to reveal two anxious giant pandas — Kang Kang and Lan Lan — and Japan fell head over heels in love, both with the bears and what they represented: Sino-Japanese friendship.

Former teacher and professional wrestler Hiroshi Hase, Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, discusses the impact the 2020 Olympics is having on the country’s infrastructure, attitude to sport, education sector, and spirit of innovation.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a ¥600 million grant-in-aid pledge to Zimbabwe on Monday to help bring more Japanese companies back to the former agricultural powerhouse amid an aggressive foray by China. [...] also said Japan would maintain close consultation with Zimbabwe to counter the severe food shortages there.

What happens when governments lack the resources to immediately respond to a natural disaster? [...] companies have been able to serve as a critical and effective stopgap in the aftermath of black swans in nations where the suffering is real but the vulnerability is underestimated or even obscured.

Barcelona-born artist Antoni Muntadas takes a peek into the intense and conflict-ridden relations between Japan, South Korea and China with Asian Protocols, his exhibition that opens on Saturday in Tokyo aiming to spark a debate on self-censorship.

The DARPA Robotics Challenge was one creative initiative that sparked new relationships and pushed the state of the art forward, but other efforts can be made. There is room for new and broader concepts of bilateral robotics and autonomous systems collaboration in a dual-use context, and the United States and Japan can be leaders in this field. The digital revolution is still in its early stages, and its future will be brighter with a long-term U.S.-Japan partnership.

As India gives visa-on-arrival to the Japanese, Tokyo has responded by further relaxing conditions for multiple-entry visas for short-term stay for ordinary Indian passport holders. [...] The relaxation is based on an understanding reached between the two countries during Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's visit to India in December 2015.

After spending his Friday morning shadowing a Lompoc High School student, Tyrick Takara said he quickly noticed some major differences between the Lompoc campus and the schools that he has attended back home in Okinawa Island, Japan.