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October 12, 2024
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October 12, 2024
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Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, speaks at an event held in November at United Nations headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the second meeting of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
JAPAN
Nihon Hidankyo awarded Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to achieve nuclear-free world
By Kanako Takahara, Francis Tang and Himari Semans
The organization was given the honor for its work to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, speaks at an event held in November at United Nations headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the second meeting of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends the East Asia Summit during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Ishiba clears low bar in diplomatic debut
By Gabriel Dominguez
Experts said Ishiba's visit signaled that he would maintain continuity with the policies set by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The Bank of Japan's surprise rate increase on July 31 led to Japanese stocks plummeting into bear-market territory, with the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average falling 12.4% on Aug. 5 alone.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan vows better messaging to avoid more market turmoil
By Kazuaki Nagata
There is "strong will" within the central bank to learn from what had happened during its last rate increase, BOJ Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino.
Nobuyo Oyama
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90
By Yukana Inoue
Oyama voiced the nation's beloved blue cat-robot in her own inimitable way from the time the show debuted in 1979 until 2005.
South Korean author Han Kang, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, attends a press conference, in Seoul in November.
CULTURE / Books
Han Kang’s Nobel win underscores essential role of translators as literary tastemakers
By Mike Fu
The trailblazing South Korean author was virtually unknown in the West just 10 years ago — then came Deborah Smith’s translation of "The Vegetarian."
South Korean author Han Kang, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, attends a press conference, in Seoul in November.

JAPAN

Justice Minister Hideki Makihara speaks during a joint interview with media outlets at his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Justice minister says he has severed all ties with Unification Church
By Francis Tang
Hideki Makihara has promised to follow the Liberal Democratic Party’s commitment on ceasing ties with the group moving forward.
An office worker inside a commercial building at night in Tokyo
Widespread overwork and stress found in Japan's arts and health sectors
By Himari Semans
In the arts and entertainment sector, over 40% of technical staff and stage directors worked 60 hours or more in a week, a health ministry survey found.
Tokyo go-kart rental manager sent to prosecutors over traffic law violation
Ex-Daiichi Sankyo employee faces 18 years for allegedly poisoning wife
Police chief wants key election personalities fully protected
Nagoya man arrested after death of couple believed to be his parents

BUSINESS

Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during a party leaders' debate at the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Opposition party shakes up Japan’s rate debate with new inflation target
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan calls for redefining the Bank of Japan’s inflation target to “above 0%” from the current 2%.
With less than a month before the election, polls and prediction markets show Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump in a virtual dead heat.
Risks from possible contested U.S. election appear on market's radar
By Lewis Krauskopf and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed
For now, political uncertainty appears to be doing little to dampen enthusiasm for stocks.
Japan suspends Nomura from bond auctions after manipulation
By Takashi Umekawa and Takashi Nakamichi
Daiichi Sankyo eyes newer cancer drugs to stave off rivals
By Natsuko Katsuki and Shery Ahn
Tesla CEO Musk unveils Cybercab and Robovan as focus shifts to automation
By Abhirup Roy and Akash Sriram
Seven & I to split in two to fend off Couche-Tard takeover bid
By Koh Yoshida

WORLD

Roof damage at Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday. Almost 3 million people were without power Thursday after Milton made landfall and crossed the state.
Hurricane Milton’s surprise was the damage unleashed by powerful winds
By David R Baker and Lauren Rosenthal
Much of the worst damage from the hurricane, like the shredded roof of the Tropicana Field sports stadium, came from wind rather than water.
A destroyed part of a building stands at Shifa Hospital after Israeli forces withdrew from the hospital and the area around it in Gaza City in April.
U.N. inquiry accuses Israel of crime of 'extermination' in Gaza
By Emma Farge
Israel has not cooperated with the inquiry, which it says has an anti-Israel bias.
A new frontier of data privacy in the U.S. — your brain
By Avi Asher-Schapiro
Zelenskyy outlines 'victory plan' to allies and discusses long-range weapons
By Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout and John Irish
Hezbollah official survives Israeli assassination attempt: sources
By Maya Gebeily and Alexander Cornwell
Disinformation stirred by Musk and Trump adds strain to hurricane recovery
By Michael Shepard, Daniel Zuidijk and Jennifer Epstein

Sports

Rafael Nadal bites the trophy after winning the French Open in Paris on June 5, 2022. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, said he will retire following this year's Davis Cup.
Rafael Nadal to retire at end of season
"It has been some difficult years, these last two especially," the 38-year-old, who won a record 14 French Open titles, said in a video.
Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
Star female jockey Nanako Fujita retires following suspension
By Kanako Takahara
Japan looks to Australia and beyond after beating Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifier
Natalie Nakase named as inaugural head coach of expansion Valkyries in WNBA

Opinion

Shohei Ohtani's success symbolizes a broader resurgence in Japanese sports, with contributing factors including increased investment in sports, modern coaching techniques and a generational shift in mindset.
What baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s success says about Japan
Gearoid Reidy
The phenom has had what many are calling the greatest season ever. But his success is also a story of change in his home country.
A dangerous dance for Israel and Iran
By Abbas Milani
A battle over the kebab’s nationality
By Howard Chua-Eoan
The never-ending tragedy in the Middle East grinds on
Geoengineering can save the planet — if we demystify it
By Lara Williams

ENVIRONMENT

Serhiy Tsapok (left) and a firefighter extinguish the remains of a fire in a forest near Yarova, Sviati Hory National Park, Donetsk region, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, July 29.
Ukraine's vast forests devastated in hellscape of war
By Max Hunder
Both Russian and Ukrainian armies blast thousands of shells at each other every day, shredding the earth in grinding combat that echoes World War I.
How climate change is contributing to the intensity of hurricanes
By Todd Woody
Top of the COPs: The key U.N. climate summits
By Laurence COUSTAL
Europe’s urban dilemma: Saving the past from a warming future
By Sonja Wind
Environment takes center stage as global summits loom
By Julien MIVIELLE

CULTURE

South Korean author Han Kang, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, attends a press conference, in Seoul in November.
Han Kang’s Nobel win underscores essential role of translators as literary tastemakers
By Mike Fu
The trailblazing South Korean author was virtually unknown in the West just 10 years ago — then came Deborah Smith’s translation of "The Vegetarian."
Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90
By Yukana Inoue
South Korean author Han Kang wins Nobel Prize in literature
By Thu-Huong Ha
In Tokyo, the Taro Nasu gallery focuses on conceptual art
By Vivian Morelli
Hold history in your hands at this triennial antiques fair in Tokyo
By Zoria Petkoska

LIFE

The Specialty Coffee Association of Japan's World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition runs through Oct. 12 at Tokyo's Big Sight convention center, where Ogawa Coffee Laboratory is one of many companies showing off advances in coffee roasting and brewing.
On the ground at Japan's biggest coffee conference
By Zoria Petkoska
The biggest impact the java-centric event will have on most people might be how their local brewers make their lattes and pour-overs in the near future.
Studying Japanese is like exercise: The more you do it, the better you'll feel.
By Yuko Tamura
Sega's ninja game Shinobi to get the movie treatment
Man behind Persona games flips to fantasy in latest release
By Kilian Fichou
Starbucks cafes in Tokyo almost alone in keeping Princi baked goods
By Daniela Sirtori

COMMUNITY

Surfing near the Shiretoko Peninsula, Jonathan Dunnett says he noticed a lot of netting, something that might negatively affect the beautiful wildlife there.
Jonathan Dunnett: ‘The ocean is far bigger than we are, and it will humble us.’
By Justin Randall
With his bright orange sail, windsurfer Jonathan Dunnett is pretty visible out on the water. This means he draws attention from other boaters and the odd shark.
What’s a mother to do when your non-Japanese child is bullied in school?
By Harriet Ocharo
Duane Levi: 'Once you are able to create something that has sustainability … you’re going to get help and support.'
By Patrick St. Michel
Saying good riddance to what bugs me about a Japanese summer
By Jordan Allen
‘The people I’d seen in kimono didn’t have as much melanin as I do’
By Baye McNeil

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! takes its final bow
By Matt Schley
Annual festival Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! was born a decade ago when Barakan (left) decided to create a platform to share his love of roots music, which he attributes to growing up in 1960s England.
SUMO
Spate of sumo tour dropouts highlights need to rethink wrestlers' health
By John Gunning
Shonannoumi hits the dirt at the hands of Kotozakura during a bout in Tokyo in May. Shonannoumi is among the many top wrestlers who have dropped out of this month's regional tour due to injury.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan pushes fossil fuel tech in Asia carbon neutrality initiative
By Tomoko Otake
Coal-fired power plants in Bataan, the Philippines, in June 2023. A third of the 158 agreements signed under the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community are linked to fossil fuel technologies, a recent study by a climate research group has found.
COMMUNITY
The forgotten Japanese naturalist who created a U.S. national park
By Drew Damron
Without Japanese outdoorsman George Masa, America might not have the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — so why do so many people in Japan not know he existed?
JAPAN
Experts move to allay replicon COVID shot fears in Japan amid backlash
By Tomoko Otake
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Tokyo on Oct. 1. Experts say fears over the newly approved replicon vaccine are unwarranted.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Dul Saroth (left) and Soeum Samrach, deminers with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, practice using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province in August.
The Japanese tech that could one day make Southeast Asia landmine-free
By Anton L. Delgado

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Sasakawa works for a sustainable blue economy
Sasakawa works for a sustainable blue economy

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Ban on dual nationality is constitutional, Fukuoka High Court rules
By Karin Kaneko
Yuri Kondo (center), who filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Japan's ban on dual nationality, speaks at a news conference in the city of Fukuoka in December 2023.
JAPAN
17-year-old girl found dead in Osaka hotel room was strangled
A security camera footage shows a 17-year-old girl and a man entering a hotel in the city of Osaka on Saturday. She was found dead in the hotel room several hours later.
JAPAN
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
By Karin Kaneko
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
CULTURE
Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90
By Yukana Inoue
Nobuyo Oyama
JAPAN
Ishiba keeps low profile as he makes diplomatic debut
By Gabriel Dominguez and Francis Tang
Ishiba addresses the ASEAN-Japan Summit meeting in Laos on Thursday.