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U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, addresses a crowd of supporters during a campaign event at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 27, 2024

J.D. Vance’s ‘cat ladies’ insult sparks criticism of Trump’s VP pick

Comments JD Vance made in 2021 disparaging "childless cat ladies” are drawing criticism from not only Democrats, but also some members of his own party.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  shows his book to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the former president's private club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 27, 2024

Trump offers Israel's Netanyahu warm words after White House friction

It was as much as Netanyahu could have hoped for in making the trek to Florida after he gave a speech to Congress that was criticized by Democrats.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington in April. In July, Russia's defense minister said he needed to talk to Austin about an alleged Ukrainian operation. What happened next remains murky.
WORLD
Jul 27, 2024

A mysterious plot prompts a rare call from Russia to the Pentagon

Russia’s defense minister said he needed to talk to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about an alleged Ukrainian operation. What happened next remains murky.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign fundraising event at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 28, 2024

Harris says she is 'underdog,' as Trump goes on offense

The candidates' dueling appearances capped a whirlwind week with Harris ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket.
 U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris waves upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 30, 2024

As Democrats embrace Harris, some pivotal House candidates hold back

In the 35 competitive races that will determine control of the House, 12 Democratic incumbents or challengers have so far held off on endorsing Harris.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (second from left), Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo (second from right), and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro pose for a photo ahead of the allies' "two-plus-two" meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 30, 2024

Philippines gets 'unprecedented' aid — and reassurances — during talks with U.S.

Manila will receive $500 million in security assistance, months before the U.S. votes in a contentious presidential election.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks at a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Saturday. Trump, in an interview broadcast Monday night, repeated his recent assertion that Christians will never have to vote again if they vote for him this November, and brushed aside multiple requests to walk back or clarify the statement.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 31, 2024

Trump again says Christians ‘won’t have to vote anymore’ if they vote for him

Such comment were especially striking given his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his shattering of other democratic norms.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro visit the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on July 13.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 3, 2024

Harris secures Democratic presidential nomination as hunt for VP pick heats up

The vice president, 59, was the sole candidate on the ballot for a five-day electronic vote of nearly 4,000 party convention delegates.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 event in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 27.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 6, 2024

Cryptoverse: Trump's bitcoin stockpile plan stirs debate

A strategic reserve would be one use for the massive amount of bitcoin held by the U.S. government, but the jury's out on whether it's feasible.
Despite China’s advocacy for “no first use” as a global standard and its call for inclusion in international law for nuclear weapons, many analysts view it as a political statement rather than a practical strategy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 6, 2024

China’s 'no first use' nuclear policy rings hollow for many

Critics argue that China's NFU policy is less credible due to its expanding nuclear arsenal and the secrecy surrounding
Avocados hang off a tree at an orchard in Tancitaro, Michoacan state, Mexico
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Aug 7, 2024

Avocado goldrush links U.S. companies with Mexico's deforestation disaster

The U.S. demand for avocados divides communities in Mexico, where it is both a driver of economic growth and a catalyst for environmental crises.
An archival photo depicting a CWAJ board meeting from April 6, 1966
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Aug 15, 2024

From the division of war, 75 years of intercultural aid

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the mission of the College Women’s Association of Japan remains straightforward yet ambitious: Women supporting women.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (second right) takes part in the inauguration ceremony for the Deep Tech Lab - Quantum in Copenhagen on Sept. 29.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2024

The growing strategic race in emerging technologies

Japan’s security and trading partners are increasingly serious about developing quantum capabilities. Japan has to do more to both keep pace.
After 80 years, Toshimizu Ishii is speaking out on his experience making balloon bombs during World War II.
JAPAN / History
Aug 14, 2024

96-year-old recounts WWII experience in Fukushima balloon bomb exhibit

"Back then, I didn’t think much about it," Toshimizu Ishii admitted. "But now, I see how senseless it all was."
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 17, 2024

How Trump’s intimidation tactics have reshaped the Republican Party

Those seen as disloyal to Trump and his Make America Great Again agenda have been the target of threats by his most ardent supporters.
A drone view shows Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, on Aug. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

Trump earns big from Florida golf resorts as his other businesses flag

The health of Donald Trump’s golf business is a bright spot at a precarious moment for the Trump Organization.
Robert C. Neff, passed away at after a long illness at 77 years old on July 31, 2024, at his home in Hayama, south of Tokyo.
COMMUNITY
Aug 25, 2024

The American journalist ahead of the game on an ascendant Japan

Neff was part of a golden age of magazine journalism as Tokyo bureau chief for Businessweek magazine and a lover of hot spring retreats.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris arrives onstage Thursday to speak on the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2024

Kamala Harris charts her vision for the United States

Harris’ speech capped a week featuring the Democratic Party’s brightest stars, showcasing a broad, diverse and inclusive party.
South Korean flags in Mokpo, South Korea, on  Aug. 16
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 26, 2024

South Korea sees U.S. by its side regardless of who is in White House

North Korea, meanwhile, sees U.S. policy toward it as remaining hostile regardless of who is in the White House.
Instead of secretly arming against the combined nuclear forces of China, Russia and North Korea, the U.S. must launch a global campaign to restart arms control.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2024

Why is the U.S. fighting nuclear threats behind closed doors?

Secret armaments or doctrinal shifts without public messaging will only make adversaries more paranoid and a full-on arms race all but inevitable.
There is a significant divide between security experts, who emphasize the unquantifiable risks of geopolitical instability, and economists, who focus on the measurable costs of restructuring supply chains.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2024

Traditional economics fail the geopolitical test

The seemingly yawning gap between the views of the security specialists and the business and economics types is striking.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris applauds during a campaign event in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 30, 2024

Harris widens lead over Trump with boost from women and Hispanics

Harris leads Trump 45% to 41% in the poll published Thursday.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's public search facility in Alexandria, Virginia
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2024

U.S. funded over 1,000 patents for China-based researchers, data shows

The U.S. patent data could amplify calls to cancel or renegotiate the landmark U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks on stage in front of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Desert Diamond Arena, in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 23.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 4, 2024

How Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pact took shape

A near assassination, a couple of phone calls, and six weeks of secret talks, embarrassing missteps and private misgivings, led to the unlikely alliance.
By 2018, the number of children registered for adoption had dropped to around 15,000, down from about 44,000 in 2009, according to official statistics.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 6, 2024

China stops foreign adoptions, ending a complicated chapter

The ban raises questions for many of the hundreds of families in the United States who were in the process of adopting children from China.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign stop at Northwestern High School in Detroit on Sept. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Harris’ combative debate style will get its biggest test against Trump

Much of Kamala Harris' debate performance will depend on whether she can successfully adapt to an opponent best known for his unpredictability.
Attorney General Merrick Garland sits between Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and FBI Director Christopher Wray during a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, in Washington on Sept. 4. Federal prosecutors say Russia secretly paid the American company Tenet Media to push pro-Kremlin messages from social media influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Russia secretly worms its way into America’s conservative media

The latest indictment reflects the growing sophistication of the Kremlin’s long-standing efforts to shape American public opinion and advance its geopolitical goals.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris shakes hands with former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2024

Harris rattles Trump in combative U.S. presidential debate

The Democratic vice president put her Republican rival on the defensive with a stream of attacks on abortion limits, his fitness for office and his myriad legal woes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy as he arrives at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 14, 2024

Diplomacy over Ukraine war is about weapons more than peace talks

For both Ukraine and Russia, battlefield gains now might provide an upper hand in any negotiations later. That’s reflected in their discussions over arms with allies.
The U.S. team celebrates on the 18th green after clinching their victory over the European team to win the Solheim Cup in Gainesville, Virginia, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Sep 16, 2024

U.S. team savors Solheim Cup triumph after enduring long wait

Captain Stacy Lewis praised her players for their tenacity and fortitude in pressure-packed situations.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight