North Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan's new defense equipment agreement with Canada, accusing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government of accelerating a drive toward militarization.

By Leika Kihara TOKYO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Japan's annual wholesale inflation slowed for a second consecutive month in January but yen-based import costs rose, highlighting the impact of a weak yen on prices and monetary policy.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s big election win paves the way for her ruling party to dominate the crucial lower house of parliament.

The earthquake and resulting tsunami decimated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant along the coast. The massive ecological catastrophe is guaranteed to reverberate for generations. An estimated 164,000 residents in the surrounding area were forced to evacuate within hours,

By Leika Kihara TOKYO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Japan's annual wholesale inflation slowed for the second straight month in January but yen-based import costs rose, data showed on Thursday, suggesting a weak yen will continue to put upward pressure on prices.

Japan coach Nils Nielsen said his team "want to make new history" by winning next month's Asian Women's Cup as he named 16 England-based players in his squad on Thursday. Japan are the only Asian country to have won the Women's World Cup but they have only lifted the Asian Cup twice in 20 editions of the competition.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday won a lower-house parliamentary supermajority at snap elections that she had called three weeks ago. The Liberal Democratic Party now controls 316 of 465 seats in parliament, giving the prime minister the ability to pass legislation unimpeded.

An ambitious initiative to accelerate a decade-old plan has been given extra impetus by the country’s drive to cut reliance on Chinese supply.