TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cited restrictions under Japan's pacifist constitution in deflecting U.S. President Donald Trump's request to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz, prompting questions from critics at home who want to see the constitutional limits on the Self-Defense Forces eliminated.

NEW YORK -- A television channel focused on Japanese cuisine debuts Wednesday in the U.S. and Canada, streaming popular shows for free.

TOKYO -- Japan's ANA Holdings will consolidate operations at two air cargo subsidiaries and eliminate overlap in destinations, aiming to cut costs in a segment that complements its passenger airlines, President and CEO Koji Shibata told Nikkei in a recent interview.

TOKYO -- A broader range of Japanese businesses, from factories to bathhouses, are finding it increasingly difficult to procure fuel oil and diesel because of the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

TOKYO -- Japan needs a stable supply of crude oil from the U.S. state of Alaska in the medium to long term, the head of the Asian country's petroleum lobby said here Monday.

HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong government on Monday implemented new rules that make it illegal to refuse to surrender the password of an electronic device, such as a smartphone, during investigations conducted under the National Security Law.

SHANGHAI/GUANGZHOU -- Chinese internet giants like Alibaba and Tencent look to boost investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure including data centers to a combined $84 billion in 2027, up 60% from 2025, raising concerns about upfront spending dragging down profits.

TOKYO/FRANKFURT, Germany -- Japanese technology group Fujitsu will double employees in Europe's defense business to roughly 2,000 in the 2030s, Nikkei has learned, stepping up sales of cybersecurity applications and other dual-use technologies.

PALO ALTO, California -- Alibaba International is rolling out a new AI agent platform targeting small and midsize enterprises in late March, the global e-commerce arm of Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group announced on Monday, part of an accelerating effort to tap artificial intelligence to further boost growth.