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An official speaks during a government-sponsored tour of the 2025 Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 12, 2023

As 2025 Osaka Expo nears, foreign pavilion woes continue to mount

Over 50 countries had been expected to design and build their own pavilions. So far, only two have been greenlighted by Osaka city to begin construction.
Japan faces tough choices amid the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. The issue now is how Tokyo will navigate the conflict.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 12, 2023

Hamas tests the limits of Japan's Israel-Palestine policy

Japan is the lone outlier in the Group of Seven, condemning the Hamas attacks but also expressing concern over potential casualties in the Gaza Strip.
A breaker performs during the Red Bull BC One 2023 Camp Day and National Finals at the Fillmore in Philadelphia on Aug. 26
MORE SPORTS
Oct 12, 2023

Breakers grapple with hip-hop’s Olympic moment

B-boys and B-girls wonder if their art will translate into sport when breaking makes its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Pedestrians walk past a McDonald's restaurant in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023

Hong Kong takes economic hit as Chinese tourists fail to splurge

Changes in travel habits come as the Chinese economy weakens and youth unemployment remains high.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 13, 2023

One of the world’s most common cockroaches may have origins in Japan

The discovery marks what could be the first evidence of the presence of the species during Japan’s Kofun Period.
Fukushiro Nukaga
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

LDP to recommend former finance minister as Lower House speaker

Fukushiro Nukaga, 79, is expected to take over for Hiroyuki Hosoda when parliament resumes next week.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks past then-Foreign Minister Qin Gang (front left) and defense chief Li Shangfu (front right) as he arrives for the closing session of the National People's Congress at Beijing's Great Hall of the People in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

With purges of top officials, is China’s Xi in trouble? Hardly.

The well-known opacity in Beijing may have clouded assessments of how the turbulence is affecting Xi’s grip on power
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem in July 2017.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023

India’s realism comes of age in response to Israel-Hamas war

Unlike other Global South country leaders, Modi wasted no time expressing solidarity with Israel, an ally of India.
Tesla, which opened a factory in Lingang, China, was expected to be one of many large, foreign companies to open facilities in the region. Few have followed.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2023

China’s slowdown casts pall over Xi’s Yangtze Delta project

The setback is particularly obvious in Lingang, a free-trade zone in the southeastern tip of Shanghai and a key part of the Yangtze Delta project.
Ireland captain Johnny Sexton leaves the pitch following his team's quarterfinal defeat to the All Blacks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Paris on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 15, 2023

Ireland's Johnny Sexton ends storied career with 'gutting' RWC exit

A tearful but dignified Sexton appeared at the post-match news conference after his dreams of a fairytale ending were dashed by the All Blacks
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 17, 2023

Japan resumes babysitter discount coupon program amid high demand

The babysitter coupon system was implemented in 2016 as part of the government’s efforts to offer financial aid to working families with children.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 18, 2023

Japan panel compiles new system for foreign technical interns

The report clearly states that the new system is aimed at “securing and developing human resources in fields facing labor shortages.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov takes part in a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2023

Russian foreign minister pledges support for North Korea

The trip by Sergey Lavrov is part of a series of high-profile meetings between the neighbors that started in July.
Obtaining dual nationality and having it uniformly recognized by authorities in Japan is no simple matter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2023

When Japan's dual nationality ban meets a legal gray zone

Lawyer Yuri Kondo decided to naturalize as an American citizen. What followed was a mix of ambiguity and the feeling of a loss of identity.
Jobseekers attend a Business and IT Career Fair at Cape Fear Community College in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, on Sept. 20.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 19, 2023

Biased bots? U.S. lawmakers take on 'Wild West' of AI recruitment

Around 85% of large U.S. employers now use some form of automated tool or AI to screen or rank candidates for hire, according to recent surveys.
Plastic waste in Yangon's Shwepyithar township. In a working-class neighborhood of Myanmar's Yangon, plastic waste is piled a meter high, the toxic product of what a recent investigation says is rampant dumping of Western trash.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Oct 20, 2023

'License to hide': Western plastic waste dumped in Myanmar

For years, sites across Shwepyithar township have been filling up with trash that chokes fields, blocks the drainage of rains and causes fire risks.
A woman takes her meal alone in Tokyo's Yanaka neighborhood. As the country ages, Japan's average caloric intake has been shrinking.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 20, 2023

Table for one? What depopulation in Japan means for dinner.

As Japan’s population ages and more people find themselves isolated, solving their dietary needs is shaping the way the country feeds itself.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2023

Former finance minister elected as Lower House speaker

The 79-year-old Fukushiro Nukaga, a 13-term Diet member and former finance minister, was chosen, replacing Hiroyuki Hosoda.
Neymar moves with the ball during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in Montevideo on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Oct 19, 2023

Neymar to have surgery after tearing ACL and meniscus

The Brazilian star is expected to miss several months after rupturing the ACL in his left knee.
Delegates arrive for the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum to mark the initiatives 10th anniversary in Beijing on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 20, 2023

China aims to remake the world with its Belt and Road initiative

Infrastructure is key to the success of the developing world and the failure to help emerging economies meet this vital need will rightly tar the West.
Valdis Dombrovskis, trade commissioner for the European Union, at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Oct. 13.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2023

EU says lack of U.S. clarity on tariffs sank trade announcement

Valdis Dombrovskis, an executive VP at the European Commission, said the U.S. had previously agreed to work toward removing the measures.
U.S. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 21, 2023

New field of would-be U.S. House speakers takes shape

The GOP has dispensed with Jim Jordan as their nominee for the U.S. speakership and now several more representatives are preparing to enter the fray.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves to supporters upon his return from a self-imposed exile in London, in Lahore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 22, 2023

Exiled former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif arrives home for comeback bid

Pakistan is facing multiple crises ahead of a January election, with Sharif's fiercely popular opponent languishing in jail.
Victor Wembanyama's combination of size and skill has led many to label the Spurs rookie as once-in-a-generation talent.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 23, 2023

Victor Wembanyama set to take center stage when NBA season tips off

Wembanyama will be attempting to lead San Antonio back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.
The Israel-Hamas war is complicating Saudi Prince Mohamed bin Salman's efforts to focus the neighborhood on economic development rather than old feuds.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

War leaves Saudi prince’s dream of a new Mideast in tatters

The Israel-Hamas war is bringing political fissures back to the forefront, complicating the prince's efforts to focus the region on economic development.
Gamers compete during the Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2017.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023

Twitch and YouTube curb big-money deals for gaming superstars

For years, the leading livestreaming sites have competed for top gaming talent to bolster their services.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Oct 24, 2023

Go Kuroda's one-year revolution brings Zelvia to J1 promised land

The western Tokyo club will play in the top flight for the first time in 2024 as it continues to flourish on and off the pitch.
A fishing boat patrols the sea for poaching off the port of Yomogita, Aomori Prefecture, on the night of Sept. 13.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Oct 30, 2023

Aomori sea cucumber fishermen hit hard by China’s seafood import ban

Twenty-seven cooperatives in the prefecture have suspended operations in October, when the fishing season for sea cucumbers starts in a normal year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Oct. 3
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China-linked 'spamouflage' targeted Canadian PM and lawmakers

The campaign, using networks of new and hijacked social media accounts to post bulk messages, took place in August and September.
Women gather for a demonstration during a women’s strike in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 25, 2023

Women strike to highlight inequality in most gender equal society

The protest focused attention on a gender pay gap, the uneven burden of unpaid work within the home and violence that still afflicts women.

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