joins other LDP leaders in a show of unity after appointing Hidenao Nakagawa (third from left) as secretary general, Yuya Niwa (second from left) as chairman of the Executive Council and Shoichi Nakagawa (third from right) as chairman of the Policy Research Council. KYODO PHOTO

The House of Councilors race is expected to pose a serious challenge to the LDP.

Our Planet

Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past