Anthony Kuhn

Japan's ruling party has elected a new leader: former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba. He promises continuity, but has also proposed striking changes to the country's dealings with the United States.

Japan's leading video company Nintendo is about to open a museum -- an unusual step for a company that rarely explains itself. The museum opens Wednesday in Kyoto, the company's hometown.

The Nintendo Museum opens in Kyoto, Japan, on Wednesday. Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto never expected the company to make the museum, since it has an ethos of letting its games speak for themselves.

Japanese prosecutors said they will not appeal the acquittal of an 88-year-old former boxer, who was the world’s longest-serving inmate sentenced to death until his release in 2014.

Japan is the only nation where married couples must use the same surname. Critics say it violates women’s rights and, unless the rule is scrapped, all Japanese could be surnamed Sato in 500 years.

The U.S. said that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations. That raises the potential for the North Koreans to join Russian forces in Ukraine.

SEOUL — South Korea's president vowed on Thursday to respond to North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia, including by potentially supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine.

With Asian baseball's global influence growing, young female fans help give South Korea's pro league a banner year.

South Korea and Japan quickly pledged to strengthen ties with the next U.S. administration. Former President Donald Trump has criticized both allies, saying they pay too little of the cost of defending them.

North Korea and Russia each ratified a mutual defense treaty within days of each other. The pact means the countries will defend one another if attacked. And some say it may mean more involvement by North Korea in the war between Russia and Ukraine. We hear about the ramifications from our correspondent in Seoul.