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May 05, 2025
 

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The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 4, 2025

Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts

The prefecture's new art museum aims to engage the community through interactive activities rather than merely showcasing boundary-pushing art.
American autoworkers assemble Honda Accords at the Japanese company's Marysville Auto Plant in the state of Ohio in December 2017.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2025

Ford is as American as apple pie. Or is that Honda?

Trump's 25% auto tariffs will raise car prices, complicate manufacturing and prioritize outdated protectionism over industry trends like electrification and software.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 presentation amazed with unexpected game reveals, impressive hardware upgrades and a surprising price announcement, but its two-tier pricing strategy and higher cost left fans both excited and confused.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2025

Nintendo's Switch 2 reveal had a big surprise: The price

An hourlong presentation finally lifted the lid on the Switch 2, which will go on sale June 5 for $450 — though less if you speak Japanese.
South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik looks on during a news conference at the National Assembly in Seoul last December.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 6, 2025

South Korea assembly speaker proposes revising constitution to curb presidency

He proposed a national referendum on constitutional reform to coincide with the presidential election that must be held in less than two months.
Gladstone, Australia, long reliant on fossil fuel exports, is now struggling to reinvent itself as the world shifts toward clean energy, with political uncertainty and economic challenges clouding its prospects.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2025

Cleaning up a giant coal and gas port isn’t easy

Gladstone is now one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel ports thanks to decades of voracious global demand for steelmaking coal and gas.
Beards, once symbols of rebellion and counterculture, are making a comeback among elites, reflecting shifting cultural norms even as biases persist in professional settings.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2025

What does your beard say about you?

During the 19th century, the European monarchies associated beards with dangerous radicals. So did the dangerous radicals.
Wall Street banks, under political pressure and tempted by short-term gains, are abandoning climate commitments and pouring billions into fossil fuels, risking both environmental catastrophe and massive future economic losses.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2025

Wall Street will regret helping the world burn

For an industry in the business of money, it sure has a funny way of ensuring its destruction. 
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran last November.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2025

U.S. and Iran set for return to nuclear talks

While U.S. President Donald Trump called the talks "direct," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said they would be "indirect" and held in Oman on April 12.
Donald Trump’s complaints about Japan’s auto market are based on misconceptions, as Japan has not imposed car tariffs since 1978 and American cars fail to meet local preferences.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 8, 2025

The Japan tariff myth that just won’t die

The belief that unfair trade practices are at fault isn’t only false, but also one of those enduring myths that refuses to die.
While AI-generated simulations of deceased loved ones may offer comfort, they raise ethical concerns about consent, reality distortion and the human experience of grief.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

AI resurrecting the dead threatens our grasp on reality

Experts warn that AI-driven digital immortality could distort reality and emotional well-being, requiring safeguards against unhealthy dependence.
Social engineering scams thrive on poorly monitored social media platforms, and while the UK is pushing tougher laws to hold tech companies accountable, the U.S. resists stricter rules, believing individuals should bear responsibility for avoiding fraud.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

The U.K. is trying to fight social scams. The U.S. not so much.

Social engineering is one of the hardest parts of the trillion-dollar online scam industry to block or disrupt.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

A conversation of the deaf after Trump’s tariffs

Trump likes win-win scenarios, but his version is different from those of his trade partners.
Chiharu Shida of Japan in action during the bronze medal match with Nami Matsuyama against Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah of Malaysia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on Aug. 03, 2024
MORE SPORTS / Badminton
Apr 9, 2025

Japanese badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans

Shida, who won women's doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture.
A large statue of Osaka Expo mascot Myaku Myaku sits near the east entrance of the event's venue in Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2025

After a tumultuous buildup, a first look at the Osaka Expo

Members of the media and other invited guests got a glimpse of the event's shiny pavilions spread over 155 hectares, and the signature Grand Ring overlooking them.
Noriko Shakti has been living in Goa, India, since 2020 and specializes in the tabla, a traditional hand drum from the Indian subcontinent.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 12, 2025

Noriko Shakti: ‘Music reflects my journey and learnings’

The India-based DJ and producer talks about bridging Indian and Japanese traditions in electronic music and advocating for women’s representation in the industry.
The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump "has a spine of steel and will not break.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 10, 2025

Trump shock pushes U.S. and China toward decoupling cliff edge

Trump's 120% tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing’s determination to fight back in kind mean a seismic cleavage is rapidly becoming a reality.
Lee Jae-myung releases a statement to the public at the National Assembly in Seoul in December.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 10, 2025

South Korean presidential front-runner Lee Jae-myung enters leadership race

The presidential election will be held on June 3, after the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol for his December martial law declaration.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles speaks in Sheffield, U.K. in July 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 10, 2025

Australia turns down China's offer to 'join hands' to fight U.S. tariffs

Australia has rejected China’s proposal for a trade alliance against U.S. tariffs, opting instead to diversify its economic ties.
The greenback’s share of global reserves dropped to 58% last year from over 70% two decades ago, reflecting its declining dominance in international trade and finance.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2025

Why buy the dollar if the U.S. becomes an economic island?

The greenback’s share of global reserves dropped to 58% last year from over 70% two decades ago, reflecting its declining dominance in international trade and finance.
Hyde Park's famed Speakers' Corner in London, which some call the home of free speech, is a place where anyone has the right to turn up every Sunday and talk about whatever is dear to their heart.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2025

Britain's free-speech retreat can't be denied

Britain's climate for free expression is deteriorating, as seen in aggressive police crackdowns on peaceful activists and dissenters across the political spectrum.
The opening ceremony for the Osaka Expo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2025

Ishiba warns of divided world at futuristic Osaka Expo opening ceremony

"Having overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the world now faces the crisis over many different divisions," Ishiba told the opening ceremony.
The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito are increasingly divided over economic measures to deal with inflation and U.S. tariffs.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 12, 2025

Ruling coalition divided over consumption tax cut

While some are leaning toward a tax cut, LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama and others are seeking a cash handout instead.
Jared Isaacman (left), U.S. President Trump’s nominee to head NASA, testifies during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Bloomberg
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025

NASA nominee should resist Musk’s pull toward Mars

During a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA administrator, was — in a twist on the Will Smith ’90s tune — gettin’ squishy wit it.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 14, 2025

How China went from courting Trump to ‘never yield’ tariff defiance

Beijing has put civilian government officials on a "wartime footing” and ordered a diplomatic charm offensive aimed at encouraging other countries to push back.
A sign outside the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase & Co in New York in 2013
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 14, 2025

JPMorgan analyst says he now tempers public comments on U.S. tariffs

Michael Cembalest, chair of market and investment strategy and a Wall Street veteran, said he had not been able to fully express his views.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his “madman theory” won’t get Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to scrap his nuclear program.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2025

Why should Iran believe anything the U.S. threatens or promises?

The Iranians — like the Russians — are notoriously shifty negotiators. But so are the Americans, now that they’re led by Trump.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Union summit in Brussels on March 20
WORLD / Politics
Apr 14, 2025

Hungary set to restrict constitutional rights in 'Easter cleanup'

Hungary's parliament on Monday is expected to approve constitutional changes further clamping down on rights for LGBTQ+ people and other groups, part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "Easter cleanup" against his domestic opponents.
Vehicles wait in line to cross into the United States at the Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025

Avoid U.S. travel or take burner devices, Canadian organizations tell staff

Employees have also been given advice on how to minimize information that can be accessed by border agents.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a news conference at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7. Tokyo's focus on economic strength to promote security contrasts with Washington's current era of unpredictability.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2025

For real national security, try a Japanese perspective

Genuine national security starts from a strong economy, one that provides for its citizens, incentivizes growth, production and wealth, and invites foreign participation.
The Trump administration, in a desperate bid to cushion trade war inflation, is pushing for cheap oil, but $50-a-barrel will ultimately widen the very trade deficit the U.S. president wants to reduce.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025

$50-a-barrel oil is a problem for the U.S. trade deficit

If oil prices fall to $50, under that scenario, total petroleum production in America will probably decline by 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2025.
Britain responds after Expo 2025 afternoon tea brews outrage
The café space at the Osaka Expo's British pavilion
Why are rice prices still high in Japan?
Amid shortages, the price of a 5-kilogram bag of rice during the week of April 14 was ¥4,220.
Inflation and high hotel prices curtail Golden Week travels
Travelers in front of a flight information panel in a departure hall at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on April 26
Man arrested over body found in bag in Kawasaki
Hideyuki Shirai (center) at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Saturday
Japan ranks 66th in press freedom, lowest among G7
Japan climbed four positions from last year, with Reporters Without Borders noting that "the principles of media freedom and pluralism are generally respected" in the country.
Japan’s ‘tabi’ sock mecca runs on thread and memories
A seamstress at Kineya Tabi sews together split-toe "tabi" socks, once a major industry for the town of Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture.
Despite shifts in Japan's political landscape, constitutional revision still far off
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been a staunch advocate for constitutional reform.
'Ukiyo-e in Play' showcases traditional art carved anew
The Adachi Institute has been working on creating brand new ukiyo-e prints in collaboration with contemporary artists such as Yayoi Kusama, whose “Mt. Fuji in Seven Colours: When life boundlessly flares up to the universe” (2014) can be seen on display at “Ukiyo-e in Play.”
Ishiba hears advice from across the aisle on how Japan should handle Trump
Prime Minister Shigaru Ishiba and CDP head Yoshihiko Noda at a parliamentary session in Tokyo on April 23.
Don't send in the clones: AI event nixed as Alt accounts get reality check
A screenshot from the website for Alt's AI conference, which was canceled after the company disclosed an investigation into its sales figures.

Podcast

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

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
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