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People pray during a visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15, the 79th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2025

Why only Japan is criticized for honoring its war dead

Other countries honor the ultimate sacrifice regardless of whether the war was just, later judged a mistake or involved actions that could be seen as war crimes.
Rice paddies in the city of Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Rice is a major crop for Hokkaido, with the region having produced 562,400 tons of it last year.
BUSINESS / Economy / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jun 30, 2025

U.S. import pressure raises concerns for Hokkaido agriculture

The U.S. is nudging Japan to import more rice, soybeans, and maize — vital crops that support Hokkaido's economy.
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's earthquake website shows numerous seismic activities in the 24 hours through 11:18 a.m. on Monday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 23, 2025

Over 200 earthquakes have shaken Tokara islands since Saturday

As of 2 p.m. on Monday, more than 200 earthquakes registering shindo 1 or higher on the Japanese seismic intensity scale had been observed.
AI is not only transforming the applications we use; it is also reshaping the very process of software development, threatening to render much of today’s tech sector obsolete.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2025

How artificial intelligence will disrupt Big Tech

AI is already starting to cannibalize established giants and also to reshape the profession of software engineering.
About 41% of LGBTQ+ teens could not find people or places they could consult with about their struggles with gender identity or sexual orientation.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025

Over half of LGBTQ+ teens in Japan have considered suicide, survey finds

Of the 90% of junior high and high school students who said they had experienced harassment at school, 64% said such harassment came from teachers.
Miho Koshiba started her career in finance before she founded the Mirai Institute, a think tank that operates the Midori.so coworking space with an ever-growing cosmopolitan community across seven locations in Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 28, 2025

Miho Koshiba: ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if people looked forward to Mondays?’

The cofounder of the Midori.so coworking space shares her inspirations and aspirations for career and community.
The Japanese anime industry has been facing chronic labor shortages linked to poor working conditions that have led to a decrease in the number of productions.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025

Japan to set up body to improve anime industry working conditions

The move is part of a five-year action plan aimed at boosting overseas sales of Japanese content such as manga and video games to ¥20 trillion in 2033.
Chelsea's Liam Delap celebrates after scoring his first goal with the club as part of a 3-0 victory over Esperance on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
SOCCER
Jun 25, 2025

Delap notches first for Chelsea as club eases into Club World Cup last 16

A game played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day in Philadelphia was decided by two goals in first-half stoppage time.
People cross a street under the hot sun in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2025

Last week’s heat wave in Japan not possible without climate change, analysis shows

The heat wave, which came shortly after the rainy season was declared, caused a surge in ambulance calls for heat-related illnesses.
Apartment rents in the capital climbed 1.3% from a year earlier in April and May for the largest gains since 1994, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025

Tokyo rents rising at fastest pace in 30 years backs case for BOJ rate hikes

Bigger outlays for accommodation are likely to further fuel a change in inflation expectations and behavior among households of all sizes.
Softbank has invested $15 million in a startup's climate monitoring stations that are designed to capture real-time data on wildfires, flooding and greenhouse gases.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025

SoftBank backs startup building giant floating climate stations

The massive, bullet-shaped helium balloons will monitor climate data and bring connectivity to hard-to-reach areas.
Investigators say the group chat members were using pseudonyms to hide their identities, suggesting they were largely unaware of each other’s true backgrounds.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Teachers sharing indecent photos of girls in a group chat elicits outrage in Japan

The coordinated voyeurism of the teachers came as a strong shock, undermining people's confidence in those in the role.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that terror victims can sue the Palestinian Authority and PLO in American courts, a decision likely to impact future cases and the law.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2025

Foreign terror has a price in U.S. courts

The lower courts dismissed the cases on the ground that they lacked jurisdiction over the defendants. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed.
Fans bid fareweel to the four pandas residing at Adventure World in Wakyama Prefecture on Friday, their last viewing day before being returned to China on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025

Fans bid farewell to four pandas in Kansai ahead of return to China

Rauhin, 24, and her three daughters — 8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin — will be transferred to China on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a news conference at the White House on Friday in Washington.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 28, 2025

Trump says he will 'get the conflict solved with North Korea'

Trump also appeared to spotlight fears among U.S. allies that his administration could put their security in jeopardy by not adhering to alliance commitments.
A woman wearing sun-protective clothing in Beijing on June 23
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 30, 2025

China’s scorching heat poses summer test for electricity grid

Eastern China may face a "long-lasting high temperature war,” the state weather bureau said last week.
Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on June 15.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jul 2, 2025

F1 has a plan if Middle East races cannot happen, says chief

Qatar is due to host the penultimate round of the championship on Nov. 30 with Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina following on Dec. 7.
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jul 7, 2025

A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan

Owning a dog in Japan may seem daunting, but having these tools and tips in mind can ease your journey and bring you lots of joy.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) meet with Nippon Steel Chairman and CEO Eiji Hashimoto (center), President and Chief Operating Officer Tadashi Imai (second from left), and Vice Chairman and Executive Vice Present Takahiro Mori (left) at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025

Nippon Steel aiming to prove value of Japan-U.S. cooperation, chairman says

PM Ishiba explained that Tokyo is continuing to urge the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to review its high tariffs.
Emperor Naruhito speaks during a news conference at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday ahead of his visit to Mongolia together with Empress Masako from Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Emperor to mourn Japanese detainees who died in Mongolia

The Emperor last visited Mongolia in 2007, when he was Crown Prince.
Albin Enbacke is among the train drivers responsible for ferrying iron ore from the Kiruna mine.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Sweden’s arctic railway prepares for a more militarized future

Should Finland’s border with Russia ever become an active front, the track would be one of the best ways for NATO to transport vehicles and supplies.
Shuhei Nakata, president of Nakata Kogei — a wooden-hanger maker in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture — says a revised work evaluation system and a strict policy against workplace harassment has helped to attract women to the company.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 14, 2025

Fukushima looks to local initiatives to combat population decline

The measures will bring the area in line with other parts of Japan that are proactively trying to retain residents.
The Demilitarized Zone — the border area separating the two Koreas — is one of the most heavily mined places on earth.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

North Korean man detained after crossing land border, Seoul says

Defections across the land border are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides.
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jul 6, 2025

Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste

Some scholars and activists are raising concerns that Indigenous voices are not being heard amid the debate over whether to host nuclear waste storage facilities.
The Culver City Express Car Wash remains closed after a raid by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency detained many of its workers in Culver City, California, on June 11.
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2025

Immigration raids derail Los Angeles economy as workers go into hiding

Few places in the U.S. are feeling the shock as acutely as Los Angeles, a longtime sanctuary city and home to one of the nation’s largest migrant labor forces.
A pastry chef prepares croissants for sale at a Bakehouse bakery in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong on July 25, 2024.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 7, 2025

Butter’s global price surge hits croissants and kitchens alike

Around 70% of the butter exported around the world comes from Europe and New Zealand, and each began 2025 with historically low stockpiles.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 7, 2025

Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll

In their campaign promises, parties are offering different solutions to problems caused by the record number here to visit, work and invest in real estate.
Palestinians collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2025

Proposal outlines large-scale 'Humanitarian Transit Areas' for Palestinians in Gaza

One source said the plan, which calls the camps "large-scale" and "voluntary" places for the Gazan population, was recently discussed in the White House.
A satellite image shows an overview of new rare-earth mines in Myanmar's Shan state on May 6.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 8, 2025

China risks global heavy rare-earth supply to stop Myanmar rebel victory

China has threatened to halt buying the minerals mined in KIA-controlled territory unless the Kachin Independence Army stops trying to seize full control of a key town.
Emperor Naruhito attends a welcome ceremony with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2025

Emperor and empress attend welcome ceremony in Mongolia

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako met with the country's president and his wife as part of a weeklong visit that comes on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

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Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear