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Then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (center) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Chiao Kuan-Hua (left) and Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping in New York in 1974. Kissinger died last Wednesday at age 100.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2023

Kissinger had a profound impact on Taiwan

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shifted Washington away from Taiwan in favor of Beijing, catalyzing the island’s diplomatic isolation.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2023

Nihon University chair vows to continue reforms despite calls to quit

The vice president and president have decided to resign to take responsibility for a drug scandal involving the American football team.
Referee Tom Foley reacts during a Premiership Rugby game in September 2021. Foley has said that he will step away from international match officiating for the foreseeable future due to online abuse.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 5, 2023

Top referee Foley stands down from international rugby over abuse

Tom Foley has previously reported receiving death threats to himself and his family in the wake of this year's Rugby World Cup final.
An Israeli soldier fires from a window in the Gaza Strip on Monday. The United States has cautioned Israel to do more to avert civilian casualties as military operations shift to the south, where many Gaza residents are seeking refuge after fleeing the devastated north.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2023

Two civilian deaths for each Hamas fighter in Gaza, Israel admits

The Israeli military is hoping to reduce noncombatant deaths via high-tech mapping software amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's energy minister, during an interview at the Energy Ministry in Riyadh on Monday
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 5, 2023

Saudi Arabia says 'absolutely not' to oil phaseout at COP28

About 200 countries must come to a consensus decision at the meeting in Dubai.
Eiko Takeuchi talks about a traffic jam during last winter’s heavy snow along National Route 8 in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, on Sept. 18.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 11, 2023

Evacuation plans for nuclear incidents called into question

Effectiveness of preparations as a “last line of defense” to save residents in the event of a nuclear disaster are in doubt.
The former lead singer of The Pogues, Shane MacGowan, attends the funeral service of his mother in Silvermines, Ireland, in January 2017.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2023

The life of the Pogues' frontman and the ‘banality of crazy’ in U.S. politics

The current focus on performative acts in politics diminishes serious policy debates, leading to social and political divides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly canceled a scheduled videolink appeal to U.S. senators for more funding.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

U.S. senators face off at Ukraine briefing after Zelenskyy pulls out

Several Republican senators walked out of a classified briefing on Ukraine as it descended into a row over the border crisis.
Canada forward Christine Sinclair waves to the crowd after her final international game came to an end on Tuesday in Vancouver.
SOCCER
Dec 6, 2023

'Perfect ending' as Canada star Christine Sinclair bows out

A record crowd of 48,112 at Vancouver's B.C. Place — renamed Christine Sinclair Place for the night — was on hand to salute the Canadian captain.
Australian coach Graham Arnold prior to his team's 2026 World Cup qualification match on Nov. 16 in Melbourne.
SOCCER
Dec 6, 2023

Mideast teams best suited to Asian Cup's scheduling: Australia coach

Graham Arnold noted that his country — as well as Japan and South Korea — has many players based in Europe, making the January scheduling difficult.
Experts have warned that the central government must take decisive action to curb illicit activities related to online casinos.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2023

Use of illegal online casinos rising, along with debt concerns

Experts warn that the central government must take decisive action to curb illicit activities.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane following a news conference to announce his debut in Japan Rugby League One
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 7, 2023

World Cup stars 'make some coin' as Japan rugby season kicks off

Seven All Blacks and six Springboks from the World Cup final are now in Japan Rugby League One as it looks to take its profile to a new level.
People wait to board trains at the Hongqiao railway station in Shanghai ahead of the National Day holiday on Sept. 28.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 7, 2023

China holds back from easing of Mao-era rules, in blow to economy

An internal passport system has largely tethered people's destinies to their place of origin since the 1950s.
A field study by elementary school students takes place in the Izawa River basin in Shiso, Hyogo Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 24, 2023

Unveiling Shiso, a hidden gem of nature and coexistence

With 90% of its area covered by forest, the Hyogo city boasts picturesque streams and a bounty of access points to refreshing natural spring water.
A pharmacist holds a box of Novo Nordisk A/S Wegovy brand semaglutide medication.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 7, 2023

Can Wegovy fight alcoholism? For Big Pharma, this isn’t a priority

Reluctance underscores reasons why no new treatment has been approved for alcoholism in nearly 20 years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2023

If Kissinger was serving as the U.S. secretary of state

There was no other U.S. diplomat whose reputation in Japan and China was as polar opposite as that of Henry Kissinger.
After becoming a TikTok trend in Japan in 2022, artist imase’s song “Night Dancer” found popularity abroad in 2023, particularly in South Korea, where it became the first Japanese song to ever enter the nation’s Melon Top 100 Song Chart.
CULTURE / Music / 2023 in Review
Dec 8, 2023

J-pop's global ambitions came closer to reality in 2023

Duo Yoasobi's "Idol" was a true international breakout, while a viral trend turned imase into a pop ambassador between Japan and South Korea.
Team Europe's Jon Rahm lines up a putt during the Ryder Cup in Rome in October. The two-time major champion is heading to LIV Golf after signing a mega-deal with the PGA Tour rival.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 8, 2023

Jon Rahm joins LIV in deal reportedly worth over $300 million

The Spaniard's deal is another hit for the PGA Tour as it races to finalize an agreement to ally with the Saudi-backed league.
The judges' tower in Teahupo'o in Tahiti, French Polynesia, during a pro surfing event in August. Residents of Teahupo'o have protested plans by Olympic organizers to build a 14 meter aluminum tower ahead of the 2024 Games.
OLYMPICS
Dec 8, 2023

Safety is top priority, Paris Games boss says amid surfing tower row

Last week, a barge bringing the aluminum tower to the Tahiti site of Teahupo'o damaged the coral reef, bringing work to a halt.
Kubura fishing port and Kubura district on the island of Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2023

Frontier islanders decry lack of plan to aid fleeing Taiwanese

Concerned about the potential for a China-Taiwan conflict, Japan has embarked on its biggest defense buildup since World War II.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to present medals to soldiers in Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 9, 2023

Putin, bidding to cement his legacy, will seek re-election

In the absence of genuine political opposition, Putin is all but assured of winning another six-year term that will prolong his authoritarian grip.
Delegates arrive at Dubai's Expo City during COP28 on Saturday
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 9, 2023

Oil is everywhere at COP28, vexing those seeking its demise

To many of the activists in attendance, the prominence of the oil and gas industry is a travesty.
Justinas Stankus, 38, who came to Canada from Lithuania in 2019 and is studying at the University of Toronto, walks his dog in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
WORLD / Society
Dec 11, 2023

Canada's surging cost of living fuels reverse immigration

The rate of immigrants leaving Canada hit a two-decade high in 2019
A tourist poses for a photograph under signs for karaoke nightclubs in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong. The government crackdown on neon signs stems from safety and environmental concerns, but the campaign evokes the fading of the city itself.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 11, 2023

Where did all the Hong Kong neon go?

A government crackdown on neon signs stems from safety and environmental concerns, but the campaign evokes the fading of the city itself.
Central Dublin, near where recent protests and riots took place. The uproar came after a stabbing attack left three young children and two adults injured.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 11, 2023

Dublin’s riot was not a surprise to those who watch the far right

The disorder on Nov. 23 may have appeared to come from nowhere. But experts say it showed deep social problems and an emboldened anti-immigrant movement.
Former England player Sarah Hunter (right), now a member of the team's coaching staff, says her side will set its sights on winning the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 12, 2023

Women's Rugby World Cup to start in Sunderland, end at Twickenham

England, runners-up at the last two editions, will kick off the tournament at the 48,707-seater Stadium of Light on Aug. 22.
Palestinian children grieve those killed following Israeli airstrikes, at the Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 12, 2023

Palestinians starve as Israel's war on Gaza drives fear of exodus

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and residents say it is impossible to find refuge or food.
Naoya Maekawa, an associate professor at Fukushima University, speaks of the importance of passing on lessons from Japan's 2011 disasters.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 18, 2023

Knowledge of 2011 disaster declining among young, survey shows

An academic behind the survey says memories of the disaster are fading.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 12, 2023

Funding scandal deepens as parliament session draws to a close

The probe into a Liberal Democratic Party funds scandal looks likely to deepen in the coming days, making the political scene increasingly unpredictable.
Shingo Takashima, a 26-year-old doctor, killed himself three months into his specialty doctor training at a general hospital in Kobe.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Dec 13, 2023

Young doctor’s suicide highlights overwork culture at Japan hospitals

The issue is coming into sharper focus ahead of the April implementation of a legal cap on doctors’ overtime.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan