Shinzo Abe may become Japan’s longest-serving PM

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the leader of the Maoist communist party, was backed by over half of the newly elected lower house of Parliament.

Heavy snowfalls batter north, northeast of Japan

Several Israelis have voiced their concern over the new government's proposed plans. Expanding settlements in the West Bank and weakening the Israeli judiciary were among the goals set by Netanyahu's coalition.

Weeks after Tokyo announced a doubling of military spending, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida traveled to Washington to boost security ties. The rising threats of China, North Korea and Russia topped the agenda.

Public anger is growing after a Tokyo court ruled that despite seismologists' warnings, TEPCO officials could not have anticipated the powerful earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.

Although Japan is the only G7 country where same-sex marriages are illegal, there have recently been some positive changes for the LGBT community. Last November, Tokyo's metropolitan government introduced partnership certificates that entitle gay couples to certain public services that were once reserved for straight couples.

The education minister is the only candidate in the race to replace Jacinda Ardern, but still needs the endorsement from his Labour Party colleagues.

Hipkins officially took over the leadership role following the resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week.

Japan faces an existential threat with its birth rate at an all-time low, yet the island nation has still to fully embrace immigration as a solution to the population decline. To tackle the problem, the government has slowly turned to bringing in foreign workers. We take a closer look.

Police are trying to confirm the identities and nationalities of the two men. They were caught in an avalanche in the Nagano region.

With looming threats from China and North Korea, Japan has approved a military buildup that's one of its largest defense shakeups since World War II. East Asian countries are responding to the challenges of the changing status quo in the region.

A Tokyo court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage. However, it also deemed the lack of a legal system for same-sex couples "unconstitutional" and a human rights violation.