TOKYO -- In a worst-case situation, up to around 18,000 people would be killed chiefly in Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures if a powerful inland earthquake with a magnitude of around seven occurs in the heart of the capital, the government said in its new damage estimate on Friday.

Japan reaffirmed its decades-old pledge never to possess nuclear weapons on Friday after local media reported that a senior security official suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential aggressors.

Long Thanh International Airport, Vietnam’s most ambitious aviation project to date, reached a pivotal milestone on Friday with the arrival of the first official flight.

TOKYO -- Japan's Sony Group Corp. said Friday it will make Peanuts Holdings LLC, the U.S. company holding the copyright for the popular comic strip «Peanuts,» known for its beloved character, Snoopy, a consolidated subsidiary.

Two former directors of the Vietnam Food Safety Authority have been accused of bearing criminal responsibility for the approval of tens of thousands of products that were granted registration certificates despite their failing to meet required conditions.

Thailand’s under-22 coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul apologized to fans on Thursday after his team surrendered a two-goal lead and lost 3-2 to Vietnam in extra time in the men’s football final at the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, saying the defeat could put his job at risk.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and various benefactors awarded billions of Vietnamese dong to head coach Kim Sang Sik and his players after Vietnam’s under-22 team defeated Thailand 3-2 on Thursday night, winning the men’s football gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

SAPPORO, Japan -- Dressed in an orange puffer jacket, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Iizuka stepped into a storage freezer to retrieve an ice core he hopes will help experts protect the world's disappearing glaciers.

SYDNEY -- Australia will mark one week since the Bondi Beach mass shooting with a national day of «reflection», Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday as he outlined plans for a sweeping gun buyback scheme.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court has issued an official written request to media agencies to publish a notice pursuant to civil procedure summoning the litigants, who are the owners of the Sunwah Pearl buildings, to appear before the court for case resolution.

Vietnam’s under-22 team staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Thailand 3-2 after extra time on Thursday night, winning the men’s football gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

The Ho Chi Minh City administration on Wednesday held talks with a delegation from Laos’ Houaphanh Province to exchange socio-economic development experience and strengthen bilateral cooperation, focusing on public financial management, investment attraction, and tourism growth.

Military sappers in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam have safely neutralized an unexploded war-era bomb weighing more than 150 kilograms that was exposed inside a residential property following recent severe flooding, local authorities said on Wednesday.

TOKYO -- More than half of cases reported to Japanese police of sexual deepfakes targeting those aged under 18 were created with the involvement of students from the same schools as the victims, National Police Agency data have shown.

NARA -- Japanese public prosecutors sought a life sentence Thursday for defendant Tetsuya Yamagami on charges of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a homemade gun in 2022.

Hanoi is set to simultaneously start work on seven major infrastructure and urban development projects with a combined investment exceeding VND2 quadrillion (US$79 billion) on Friday.

One construction worker was killed and another seriously injured after scaffolding collapsed at a renovation site for the Phu Tho sports training facility in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday evening, police said.

Fans from across Southeast Asia criticized match officials after Vietnam had a goal disallowed in the final of women’s football at the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, a decision that came in the Vietnamese team's 6-5 loss to the Philippines on penalties.

In a new development context shaped by climate change, digital transformation and population ageing, Vietnam is increasingly recognizing investment in children as a decisive driver of national competitiveness.

Indonesia's provincial minimum wage would rise by 5.3% to 7.3% next year under a new government formula, an increase that businesses think is too high, an official at employers association APINDO said on Wednesday.

Surging use of AI has led to a frenzy of construction activity to build new data centres, particularly in the U.S. Estimates put the total number of these facilities in operation worldwide this year at 6,111, with upwards of 2,000 more set to come online by 2030.

An ambulance caught fire after crashing into the rear of a container truck on the access road to a rest area along Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam in the wee hours of Thursday, killing three people who were trapped inside.

SARAJEVO -- A restored statue honouring late martial arts legend Bruce Lee was returned to its rightful place Wednesday in a Bosnian town, more than a year after it was stolen, local media reported.

Netflix is set to release a FIFA football simulation game exclusively on its gaming platform in summer 2026, timed to coincide with the World Cup, the streaming giant said Wednesday.

Claims circulated online this week that referees and Thai organizers had apologized to Vietnam’s women’s volleyball team after a disputed call in the final at the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Green consumption is no longer a niche trend but is increasingly becoming a lifestyle choice among young Vietnamese, prompting businesses to rethink products and strategies to meet rising sustainability demand and strengthen long-term competitiveness.

For central Vietnam to truly ‘live with floods,’ it needs fundamental, long-term solutions built on three key pillars, including reorganizing living space, restoring natural ecosystems, and strengthening community capacity.

TOKYO -- Local governments and fishery operators in Japan have sprung into action after lush «moba» seaweed and seagrass beds throughout the country have turned barren due to rising sea temperatures and overgrazing by fish and shellfish.

Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has gained strong support in Vietnam, where experts and parents see it as essential for protecting young people’s mental health and comprehensive development.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Oanh won the women’s 3,000 meters steeplechase in 10:13.74 on Tuesday to secure her third athletics gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and take her career total to 15 SEA Games golds.

Toyota Vietnam has recently teased its next-generation Hilux on its official Facebook page as the Japanese automaker is preparing to debut the pickup truck model in Vietnam in January 2026.

Controversies surrounding referee decisions continue to overshadow the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand, as athletes, including many of Vietnam, face unfair rulings in multiple sports.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday ended a long-standing recommendation that all U.S. newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine, leaving it instead to parents, in consultation with a healthcare provider, to decide whether infants born to hepatitis B-negative mothers should get the vaccine, including the birth dose.

Hospitals in Vietnam’s major cities have reported a rise in admissions for strokes and other cardiovascular emergencies as temperatures drop toward the end of the year, doctors said.

Residents who sing karaoke at any time of day may be fined if the noise exceeds permitted limits, starting from December 15, marking a significant shift in Vietnam’s approach to controlling noise pollution.