TOKYO -- Japan's recent sale of Mogami-class frigates to Australia is being hailed as proof of concept for a warship designed to help alleviate a manpower shortage in a country with a vast coastline.

TOKYO -- Japan will cooperate with the European Union on technology for the protection, laying and maintenance of submarine cables as attacks on the vital communications links increase worldwide.

TOKYO -- Honda Motor will delay implementing artificial intelligence-powered autonomous driving in its vehicles by one year to 2028, as its pull back from an electric vehicle strategy resulted in planned models being canceled.

TOKYO -- China's export restrictions on certain essential minerals are casting a shadow over the hobby world, affecting a range of activities from pub games to weekend fishing trips.

ISLAMABAD -- Approaching Islamabad's city center from suburban areas now means a nightmarish journey even for local Pakistanis. With a series of checkpoints staffed by police, paramilitary forces and the army, travelers need to brace themselves for a trip that is twice to three times as long to reach their destinations.

KYOTO, Japan -- Major parcel-delivery company Sagawa Express and MUFG Bank have joined forces on an unlikely front in Kyoto's overtourism problem: the humble suitcase.

ISTANBUL/TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan banned cash transactions for key items this month as part of a drive to raise digital penetration and trace businesses, but critics say it may be a struggle to draw the roughly $41 billion shadow economy online.

HONG KONG -- When Jeffrey Andrews started working at a refugee support center in Hong Kong's notorious Chungking Mansions 17 years ago, he kept his workplace to himself.

TOKYO -- Japanese trading house Itochu is promoting the popular Opanchu Usagi character, a forlorn pink rabbit who first gained traction on social media, as part of a push to expand its intellectual property business.