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Recent events in U.S. politics, including an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, a favorable court ruling and his nomination at the Republican National Convention, have strengthened the perception he may be “untouchable,” yet nothing is set in stone.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2024

Trump’s wild week and a changing U.S. presidential race

Recent events have reinforced the idea of the “Teflon Don,” an extraordinarily lucky man for whom the laws of politics do not apply.
U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama attend a campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 20, 2024

Secluded at beach house, Biden stews at allies’ pressure to drop out

He considers former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the main instigator but is irritated at ex-President Barack Obama, seeing him as a puppet master behind the scenes.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program fighter jet is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in Chiba in March last year.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2024

U.K. defense chief to discuss joint fighter program with Italy and Japan

There has been speculation that the Labour Party might not recommit to the next-gen fighter program in light of a defense review it recently announced.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance during Trump's first rally with his running mate, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2024

Trump fans yell they want Biden, not Harris, as 2024 opponent

Donald Trump polled supporters at his Michigan rally whether they’d prefer for him to run against President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris. An overwhelming cacophony of voices suggested they want the 81-year-old president as Trump’s opponent.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, gives his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2024

Emerging narratives: Trump is 'a lion’ or he’s 'a lyin’

Is Donald Trump a "man of destiny," as some conservatives are now claiming or a "con man of destiny"? ("Napoleon in a golf cart,” The Free Press called him.)
The 2024 presidential race throws another curveball at the markets with U.S. President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024

How investors are reacting to Biden dropping reelection bid

Many investors are waiting to see who the new Democratic nominee will be, with some uncomfortable about the uncertainty.
U.S. President Joe Biden attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 22, 2024

A confident Netanyahu takes his message to a weakened Biden

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House is seen by many as a sign of U.S. President Joe Biden’s declining ability to impose his will on the world.
The annual number of Self-Defense Forces personnel quitting mid-career has reached around 6,000, accounting for around 2% of all SDF staff.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024

Defense ministry concerned as more SDF staff quit citing workplace issues

The government's Defense Buildup Program, formulated in 2022, emphasized curbing mid-career resignations of SDF personnel as an "urgent issue."
Xander Schauffele of the U.S celebrates with the Claret Jug trophy after winning The 152nd British Open in Troon, Scotland, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jul 22, 2024

Schauffele finds inner calm to win British Open and collect second major

The 30-year-old Californian delivered a faultless, zen-like six-under-par final round.
Paul Watson, leader of the environmentalist association Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, speaks at a news conference in Paris in December 2015.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 22, 2024

Greenland arrests anti-whaling activist on Japan warrant

Paul Watson's arrest is believed to be in connection with an Interpol Red Notice related to Watson's previous anti-whaling interventions in the Antarctic.
Attendees inspect a Lamborghini Revuelto high performance electrified vehicle on the opening day of the Geneva International Motor Show Qatar 2023, in Doha on Oct. 6, 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 22, 2024

In the world of luxury cars, hybrids are the sexiest new thing

Engineers insist the technology is as much about getting more performance out of existing combustion engines as it is about going green.
Yokohama Rubber has agreed to acquire Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s off-the-road tire business as part of its global expansion plan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 22, 2024

Yokohama to buy Goodyear’s off-road tire business for $905 million

The off-the-road business will be a future growth driver, Yokohama Rubber said in a statement about the acquisition.
U.S. soldiers during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from U.S.-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad on August 23, 2020
WORLD
Jul 23, 2024

Iraq eyes drawdown of U.S.-led forces starting September, sources say

The U.S. currently has around 2,500 troops in Iraq at the head of a more than 80-member coalition that was formed in 2014.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters in Tokyo Monday following news of U.S. President Joe Biden's exit from the presidential race.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Kishida aides wary of impact from Biden's withdrawal

Many expect Kishida to make a decision on his approach to the LDP's leadership race after the summer holiday period in mid-August.
Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake speaks at a news conference in Kitadaito, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024

Okinawa island accepts ASDF radar deployment

An ASDF mobile radar will monitor the Chinese military's growing activities in the Pacific.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Taking on Trump, Kamala Harris vows to draw on prosecutorial experience

The U.S. vice president has also promised to drive forward laws to protect abortion rights and ban assault rifles, and focus on rebuilding the middle class.
Bank of Japan officials are divided over whether to raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week, people familiar with the matter say.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024

BOJ is said to see weak consumer spending complicating rate call

Weak consumer spending has prompted the government to cut its fiscal year growth forecast to 0.9%, with central bank likely lowering its projection to 0.5%.
As of Sunday, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical reported 279 deaths and 2,274 hospital visits due to health issues related to its beni kōji supplements, among which 461 required hospitalization.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma's president and chairperson resign over health scandal

For the first time in its history, someone outside of the Osaka-based drugmaker's founding family will become its president.
Nidec separately announced it signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday with Tata Elxsi, an Indian technology service provider, to develop software programs for India and other markets.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 23, 2024

Japan's Nidec lifts annual profit outlook after first quarter

The company raised its expectations for operating profit in the financial year to the end of March 2025 to ¥240 billion ($1.53 billion).
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach announces that the French Alps will host the 2030 Winter Olympics during an IOC session on Wednesday in Paris.
OLYMPICS
Jul 24, 2024

France conditionally confirmed as 2030 Winter Games hosts

France previously staged the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday, where he spoke about his decision to drop his Democratic presidential reelection bid.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024

Biden says he's 'passing the torch' in speech from Oval office

He is the first incumbent president not to seek reelection since Lyndon Johnson in 1968.
The Kestrel I Suborbital Launch Vehicle, operated by AtSpace, sister company of Taiwanese rocket startup TiSpace, at an AtSpace facility in Queensland, Australia, on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Jul 25, 2024

Taiwanese rocket startup may bolster Japan's space hub ambitions

A planned launch has faced regulatory hurdles and delays amid questions over whether Japan should embrace overseas business as it works to grow its space industry.
Men inspect an electric car at a showroom in Riyadh in June. Although the EV market in Saudi Arabia remains small compared with the United States and China, it tripled last year to nearly 800 cars.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 25, 2024

EV adoption gathers steam in fossil fuel-rich Saudi Arabia

The kingdom's EV market tripled last year to nearly 800 cars, according to Saudi business news outlet Al-Iqtisadiyah.
While Japan’s media may influence global perceptions of robots as friendly and lovable, the near-future robots will likely not match the capabilities or roles depicted in TV show's like "Sunny."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 25, 2024

Japan isn't the 'robotopia' Apple TV's 'Sunny' portrays

One of the reasons we still see relatively few robots doing the menial jobs is that human labor is cheap.
People who made hometown tax donations to the city of Narita in Chiba Prefecture take part in a tour on Sunday at Narita Airport in the city, which was offered as a return gift.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024

Japan's hometown tax donations top ¥1 trillion for first time

The number of people who received residence tax breaks through the system is also believed to have hit a record 10 million.
Nissan initially had an early-mover advantage when it launched the Leaf in 2010, the first electric vehicle by a major global manufacturer, but the company recently has been unable to leverage its EV edge.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2024

Nissan's global production cuts imperil CEO’s recovery plan

Nissan’s disappointing results only add to the challenges facing CEO Makoto Uchida.
With the Bank of Japan seen raising rates this year, there are heightened expectations that banks’ profitability will improve.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2024

Expectations high for Japan’s bank results to spur stock rally

Japanese lenders are set to report quarterly results that for the first time fully reflect the end of negative rates next week.
Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga falls on the field after injuring his calf on Friday against the Braves.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 28, 2024

Season over for Mets' Kodai Senga after single start

Senga made his season debut Friday against the visiting Atlanta Braves but lasted only 5⅓⅓ innings before being pulled with the injury.
While traditional hybrid vehicles use gas to turn the wheels, a new crop of cars are burning it exclusively to charge a large onboard battery.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 28, 2024

A new wave of electric vehicles are ready to charge at 70 mph

But while fossil fuels may be a curious catalyst for sparking EV sales, the strategy is arguably far greener than it looks.
Nicolas Maduro speaks to members of the media after casting a ballot in Caracas on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 29, 2024

Venezuela opposition rejects Maduro election win

Venezuela’s political opposition has vehemently rejected the electoral authority’s ruling that Nicolas Maduro was reelected as the nation’s president, calling on the military to intervene. The U.S. and some Latin American neighbors also raised concerns about the official result.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji