Japan's Emperor Akihito will abdicate in 2019 - becoming the first emperor to step down in more than two centuries.

In Japan’s leafy hamlet of Karuizawa, otherworldly architecture is the expression of the uninhibited self, says Hanya Yanagihara

Japan today marks the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.

Successive taoisigh have given over €38,000 worth of state gifts to foreign dignitaries over the past 10 years, including 52 pieces of Waterford Crystal, an Aran sweater and CDs.

Japan is marking the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami which left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing and more than 300,000 people still displaced.

China said it would lodge a complaint with Japan after it detained Chinese activists who landed on a disputed island and raised a flag yesterday, as tension between Japan and its neighbours escalated on the anniversary of the end of World War Two.

Prince Tomohito, a cousin of Japanese Emperor Akihito, has died after bouts with various ailments, the Imperial Household Agency said today. He was 66.

People across Japan today remembered the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation one year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.

Japan’s 78-year-old emperor has left hospital after heart surgery.

Japan's emperor Akihito underwent heart by-pass surgery today, intended to allow him to lead a healthier, more active life.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito will have heart bypass surgery, it was reported.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito has been taken to hospital for tests.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today promised solidarity and support for Japan as it recovers from a devastating earthquake and tsunami and copes with a nuclear crisis.

Japan’s emperor and empress have made their first trip to the disaster zone since the earthquake and tsunami destroyed much of the country’s north-east coast.

A NEARLY completed new power line could restore cooling systems in Japan’s tsunami-crippled nuclear power plant, its operator said, raising some hope of easing the crisis that has threatened a meltdown and already spawned dangerous radiation surges.

Emergency workers forced to retreat from the wrecked Japanese nuclear power plant by soaring radiation levels were able to go back in tonight, but the delay could prove catastrophic.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has upgraded the severity of the situation at the stricken nuclear plant in Japan.

The emergency at Japan's wrecked nuclear plant appeared to be worsening today.

Japanese Emperor Akihito has addressed the nation, expressing his condolences for victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami and telling the nation not to give up.

The emperor of Japan is to undergo medical tests following the discovery of a heart problem, officials said today.

Japan’s new liberal prime minister shunned a visit to a shrine which has outraged Asian neighbours for honouring war criminals, breaking from past governments’ tradition and instead apologising today for the suffering World War II caused.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso expressed deep regret over the suffering the country had inflicted on Asia during World War II in a solemn ceremony that marked the 64th anniversary of Tokyo’s surrender in the war.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen will meet Japanese Emperor Akihito today on the final day of his week-long visit to the Far East.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen is leading the biggest Irish trade mission to Japan this week.

Japanese police have apprehended a British man who went skinny-dipping in a moat ringing the Imperial Palace in a busy Tokyo business district, attracting a huge crowd.

Soldiers fought their way through a torrent of mud and rocks at a hot spring today where several people were believed to be buried after an earthquake hit northern Japan, killing at least seven and injuring more than 200.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed sympathy for victims of Japan’s war-time aggression today as the country commemorated the 62nd anniversary of its surrender in the Second World War.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki today said there was no need to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from his country.

Japan’s Empress Michiko is being treated for intestinal bleeding and other ailments apparently caused by stress, a palace official said today.

Nationalist Shinzo Abe, a proponent of a tight alliance with the US and a more assertive military, won election as Japan’s new prime minister today, scoring comfortable majorities in both houses.

THE only daughter of Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko married a childhood friend yesterday and began life as a commoner, leaving the royal palace and giving up the title of princess so the wedding could take place.

THE wedding today of Japan’s Princess Sayako will be austere by Japanese royal standards — instead of the palace, a Tokyo hotel will be the venue.

ASIA remembered the 60th anniversary of Japan’s Second World War surrender yesterday by honouring the dead and searching for reconciliation, while Japan’s leader tried to salve wounds by apologising for the “great damages and pain” it inflicted on its neighbours.

Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi apologised today for Tokyo’s wartime colonisation and invasions in Asia on the 60th anniversary of the country’s surrender, pledging that Japan would never forget the “terrible lessons” of the war.

JAPAN’S Emperor Akihito yesterday visited a cliff where his countrymen plunged to their deaths to avoid capture by US troops.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito bowed deeply atop a Saipan cliff where his countrymen plunged to their deaths to avoid capture by US troops and – for the first time - paid his respects today to the Koreans killed on the tiny Pacific island in a key Second World War battle.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan today visited President Mary McAleese to see the progress of a tree the royal couple planted during their last trip to Ireland 20 years ago.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan are set to visit Ireland next month, it emerged today.

The death toll after today's Japanese train crash is now 50 and officials say the number of injured had increased to 417.

Japan’s emperor was able to leave the hospital a week earlier than expected and return to the Imperial Palace today after a three-week stay to recover from cancer surgery.

Emperor Akihito of Japan is in hospital for prostate tests to follow up on earlier examinations that indicated a possible problem, a palace official said.

Prince Takamado, a cousin of Japanese Emperor Akihito and an outspoken advocate for less secrecy surrounding the royal family, died in a Tokyo hospital after collapsing on a squash court today. He was 47.