Sarah Palin believed the Queen, not the prime minister, was responsible for the decision to keep British forces in Iraq, according to research for a new film chronicling her political rise. The former Alaskan governor reportedly made the comment during the 2008 presidential campaign as aides to John McCain, the Republican candidate, tried to bring his surprise choice as running mate up to speed on... 

The Japan Tourism Agency kicked off a campaign Tuesday to woo foreign visitors as a gesture of thanks for the global support that poured in after the March 11 disasters, agency Commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata said. During the “Japan. Thank You.” campaign, which runs until late April, posters and banners to express appreciation will be displayed at such places as major international airports,... 

Tokyo is full of cafes catering to a wide assortment of tastes, but in recent years a new breed of coffee house has emerged for people who love to hang out with rabbits. Ra.a.g.f, pronounced “raf,” opened last fall in the fashionable Jiyugaoka area in Meguro Ward, and is usually packed at weekends with customers reveling in the company of the cafe’s 20 to 30 rabbits. “I came... 

Nineteen fifth-grade students from a public elementary school gathered Thursday to create works of art for elementary school students affected by last year’s Tohoku region disaster. After viewing a collection of portraits by Japanese children from the disaster-affected areas at the Japanese Information and Culture Center in Washington, the students from Thomson Elementary School spent an hour... 

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics bid committee revealed details of its official application to host the games Thursday, hoping its vision for a compact event to revitalize Japan after the March disasters will trump rival cities. After losing out to Rio de Janeiro in the race for the 2016 Games, Tokyo’s latest application claims it could stage the 2020 Olympics for half the cost estimated in its... 

ALMOST three decades after he first feasted on corn-raised American beef as a visiting official from China’s hog-farming region of Hebei, Xi Jinping was set to return to Muscatine, Iowa today to sink his teeth into tenderloin, spring rolls and bacon-wrapped scallops. This time, he was to do so as the man destined to lead China, the world’s most populous nation and second-biggest economy,... 

The government of Rio de Janeiro state will distribute more than three million condoms free of charge during Brazil’s five-day carnival that begins Friday. State health officials said their “using a condom rates 10 in harmony” campaign aims to prevent AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, particularly among the young. The prophylactics will be handed out to revelers who will... 

Jeremy Lin was an unknown a little over a week ago. How times change. The clock was running down, on the game, on the New York Knicks and on Jeremy Lin’s mystical streak that was, for a moment, teetering on the edge of disappointment. The seconds disappeared until Lin pulled up and launched from the three-point arc. The ball swished with a half-second remaining, setting off pandemonium at Air... 

Tokyo formally submitted its bid to host the 2020 Olympics on Monday, delivering the file to the International Olympic Committee’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, two days ahead of a Feb 15 deadline. “The Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee, together with the Japanese people, is truly honored and excited to submit our nation’s application file for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Tokyo 2020... 

When he learned that there are 150 acid attacks a year in Pakistan, plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad went there to help repair the damage done to the victims. Now he is the subject of an Oscar-nominated film Zakia’s face looks as if half of it has been rubbed out. What’s left is one eye, half a nose and a mouth that can no longer smile. She seldom leaves the house, and when she does she wears...