Real-life ‘Transformer’ unveiled in Japan

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.

Starting in April, wide-eyed delivery robots will be allowed to use Japan's roads to deliver food and parcels. FRANCE 24's Solange Mougin explains how this could help the country's ageing workforce. But first, Disney cuts 7,000 jobs in a bid to make its streaming business profitable. Plus, Alphabet's stock tumbles as its newly presented AI-powered search bot makes a mistake in a demo video.

The two island nations have taken a first step in what could become a wide-ranging defensive cooperation. It comes amid rising tensions and Chinese influence in the region.

Restaurants serving Japan's most famous dish are pushing ahead with prosecutions against people seen interfering with meals for social media likes.

The Japanese government said it intends to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles from the US. Tokyo recently updated its largely pacifist security policy, citing the challenges posed by China.

It's been 12 years since a powerful quake and a resultant tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into meltdown. Now Tokyo's plan to begin releasing treated water from the plant is raising alarm in the local fishing industry and the region.

More than 35% of Japanese people say they have no intention of traveling abroad again. Many have been deterred from overseas travel by heightened security and health fears and a falling yen.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. The two leaders have attempted to form a unified front amid regional tensions.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Tokyo this weekend for German-Japanese intergovernmental consultations. The two countries have recognized that they share economic and strategic interests. DW's Nina Haase reports from Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will hold a second day of talks, with the Russian leader expressing his willingness to discuss China's proposals on the conflict.