Japan is assessing damage and cautioning people of potential aftershocks after a late-night 7.5 magnitude earthquake caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities

Officials said the megaquake advisory is not a prediction and the probability of a magnitude 8 or larger quake is only about 1%, but there's hope it will serve as a wake-up call.

This follows joint drills by Chinese and Russian strategic bombers and fighters on Tuesday that prompted Japan and South Korea to scramble planes to monitor them.

Japan has scrambled jets to monitor Russian and Chinese air forces conducting joint patrols around the country, the Japanese defense ministry said late Tuesday, amid rising tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

It is the first time the U.S. has criticized China for aiming radars at Japanese military aircraft as the diplomatic spat between Beijing and Tokyo shows no sign of easing.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will play for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, per Yahoo! Japan.

TOKYO, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Japan's government plans to introduce additional tax breaks to spur corporate investment, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday - a move which comes despite growing concerns in financial markets about the country's rising debt.

Kareem El, a civilian from Washington, D.C., visiting Okinawa, was held by U.S. military police for declining to provide identification.