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In the new Disney+ series “House of the Owl,” Min Tanaka (left) plays a powerful political fixer, or “kuromaku,” who has a troubled relationship with his adult children, particularly his idealistic son, played by Mackenyu.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 18, 2024

'House of the Owl' brings Hollywood values to Japanese TV

Min Tanaka plays a powerful political fixer in the 10-episode show, which centers on the behind-the-scenes machinations of "kuromaku."
Protesters hold images of Aung San Suu Kyi and a flag of Myanmar during a demonstration outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok on Feb. 1, 2023, to mark the second anniversary of the coup in Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2024

Jailed Myanmar leader Suu Kyi moved to house arrest

During her months-long trial, Suu Kyi reportedly suffered dizzy spells, vomiting and at times had been unable to eat because of a tooth infection.
Indonesia's Mount Ruang spews hot lava and smoke as seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2024

Thousands evacuated as Indonesia volcano erupts

Authorities said they were rushing to evacuate 11,000 residents from the nearby area that included the remote island of Tagulandang.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (right) talk as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (center) uses a phone during an informal European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

EU weighs response to Russian 'interference' in election run-up

Several EU states want to sanction Russia for their suspected disinformation campaigns ahead of European elections set for June.
Efforts by Russia and China to shape U.S. politics through propaganda and cyberattacks have been less pronounced during this year’s election cycle than they were in 2016 and 2020, Microsoft said on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

Microsoft sees slowing in Russian and Chinese efforts to sway U.S. vote

Researchers concluded that there have been few signs of people being broadly swayed by sophisticated deepfake videos made with AI by the nation-states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during the signing of the Rasht-Astara railway agreement in May 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

New 'sanctions-proof' transport routes put Russia at heart of global trade

Shipping and rail networks via Iran and an Arctic sea passage could strengthen Moscow’s pivot toward China and India and away from Europe.
As well as its successes through director Hayao Miyazaki (right), Studio Ghibli has been equally successful with its business and marketing acumen, which are led by producer Toshio Suzuki (left).
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 18, 2024

Cannes announces honorary Palme d’Or for Studio Ghibli

This marks the first time the honorary award is going to a group instead of an individual.
Machida supporters wave giant flags during the team's game against Vissel Kobe at National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 18, 2024

Upstart Zelvia shows that, in the J. League, it’s anyone’s game

The fast start by Go Kuroda’s men has highlighted the remarkable parity in the Japanese game when compared with top competitions in Europe.
A volunteer sits near a Starlink terminal constructed for local residents at a street in Kherson, Ukraine, in November 2022.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 23, 2024

Starlink highlights economic security challenges facing democracies

The system has stirred a variety of debates over the issue of military application of civil technology.
Lt. Saw Kaw, a soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army in charge of the Cobra column, walks with his team members after inspecting the house of a high-rank Myanmar soldier at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy in Myanmar on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

In rebel-held Myanmar town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink

Armed groups in Myanmar are striving to work together to repel the junta after rebels took control of a crucial trading-post town last week.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield poses for a photo with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

U.S. envoy to U.N. uses Japan visit to bolster U.N. Security Council

“The Security Council of 70 years ago does not reflect the realities of today,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
South Korean officials count ballots following a parliamentary election on April 10. President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative bloc is set for a major setback in a vote for a new parliament, exit polls showed, likely meaning he will be in a weak position for the remaining three years of his term and face political gridlock.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

Billionaire families lose hope for tax cut after Korean vote

South Korea’s regular maximum inheritance levy of as much as 50% is the second-highest among members of the OECD, after 55% in Japan.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi arrives for his faction meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

Motegi faces bumpy road after faction dissolution

Motegi has never sought to conceal his aspirations for the top spot, but his prospects may now be dwindling.
In “Evil Does Not Exist,” Hitoshi Omika plays a single father and village handyman who a Tokyo company tries to recruit as the caretaker of a new glamping site that threatens the area’s natural environment.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 19, 2024

Ryusuke Hamaguchi ponders the dangers of disrupting the rural idyll

"Evil Does Not Exist," which delves into humanity's relationship with nature, was directly inspired by a collaboration with musician Eiko Ishibashi.
A reported strike against Iran by Israel on Friday came against the backdrop of Iran's support for the Palestinian Hamas militant group, whose assault into Israel on Oct. 7 triggered Israel's invasion of Gaza.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2024

Tehran signals no retaliation against Israel after drones attack Iran

Iran's response appeared to be gauged toward averting a region-wide war.
Lizi Haidarzhy, whose mother and 4-month-old brother, Tymofii, were killed in a Russian drone attack, wakes up from a nap in Odesa, Ukraine.
WORLD / Society
Apr 19, 2024

A drone strike in Odesa shatters a family’s life

The family’s story and grief have resonated widely in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian lieutenant colonel examines the remains of his aircraft on the outskirts of the town of Izyum, Kharkiv region, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 19, 2024

Ukraine’s allies see bleak times without more air defenses

G7 ministers are expected to agree to step up shipments of military equipment and to reaffirm their "unwavering determination” to support Ukraine.
David Inoue, the executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, in Farragut Square, near the building that used to house the War Relocation Authority, in Washington. Inoue says his group has been more divided than it has been in decades on how it should respond to the Israel-Hamas war.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2024

War in the Gaza Strip causes surprising rift within Japanese American group

A new generation is pushing one of the largest Asian American civil rights groups to sever ties with prominent Jewish American organizations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign rally in Agartala, India, on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 19, 2024

As India's election kicks off, extreme heat poses threat to voters

Polling stations are bracing for blazing temperatures following warnings from the nation's meteorological service.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he announces a preliminary agreement with Intel for a major CHIPS and Science Act award, during a visit to the Intel Ocotillo Campus in Chandler, Arizona, on March 20.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2024

Latest Biden chip deal highlights U.S. semiconductor successes

Samsung is the latest beneficiary of Washington’s efforts to shore up precarious supply chains and protect its national security interests.
The world is waiting to see if tit-for-tat missile and drone strikes by Israel and Iran will end after one exchange or escalate into a wider war that threatens the region. 
EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2024

Stop the slide toward catastrophe in the Middle East

Tensions mount as Israel and Iran trade strikes, threatening regional stability.
North Korea conducts a test launch of a "Pyoljji-1-2" new-type anti-aircraft missile in this photo released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 20, 2024

North Korea tests new 'super-large warhead' and anti-ship missile

Pyongyang's “strategic cruise missiles," which the warhead is designed for, are intended to carry nuclear bombs.
The Malaysian state of Sarawak is blessed with the rivers and heavy rainfall needed to create hydropower that can generate clean electricity needed for emissions-free hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 20, 2024

Clean hydrogen’s best bet may be a rainforest state in Borneo

The state is hoping an abundance of hydropower can help it defy challenges that are clouding the fuel’s prospects elsewhere.
Boxes of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 developed by Walvax Biotechnology and Abogen Biosciences
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2024

China's drugmakers can't sell mRNA shots but haven't quit yet

While Chinese firms are pursuing new targets for the novel messenger RNA technology, they face a tough path, crimped by a lack of revenue.
The United Arab Emirates was battered on Tuesday by its heaviest downpour since records began in 1949.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 20, 2024

Dubai floods expose weaknesses to a rapidly changing climate

The United Arab Emirates was battered this week by its heaviest downpour since records began in 1949.
China's Olympic gold-medal winning 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay team celebrates on the podium at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 29, 2021.  Zhang Yufei (third from left) is among 23 top Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up to the Games.
OLYMPICS
Apr 20, 2024

Top Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned drug, then won Olympic gold

The episode sharply divided the anti-doping world, where China’s record has long been a flashpoint.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage for a campaign event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 2.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2024

Deconstructing the spectacle and stagecraft of a Donald Trump rally

Trump's rallies are a defining feature of his presidential campaigns: all-day spectacles blending evangelical revivalist meeting and carnival.
Raptors center Jontay Porter during a game against the Pistons in March. Porter wagered money on his own team to lose, pretended to be hurt for betting purposes and shared confidential information with gamblers, leading to a lifetime ban from the NBA.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 21, 2024

In latest gambling scandal, some see glimpse of sports’ future

There are those who worry that recent sports gambling scandals are just the tip of the iceberg.
Iranians at an anti-Israeli rally after Friday prayers in Tehran. An Israeli airstrike on Iran on Friday damaged an air defense system, according to Western and Iranian officials, in an attack calculated to deliver a message that Israel could bypass Iran's defensive systems undetected and paralyze them.
WORLD
Apr 21, 2024

Israel’s strike on Iran highlights its ability to evade Tehran’s air defenses

The strike Friday was the latest salvo between the two countries this month that have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
From left: Willy Mnangat, Robert Keter, He Jie and Dejene Hailu Bikila cross the finish line in the Beijing half-marathon on April 14. He crossed first but the top three were later disqualified after it appeared they let He win.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Apr 21, 2024

Beijing half-marathon runners stripped of medals after controversial finish

A Chinese runner crossed the line first in a bizarre finish after three others seemed to deliberately allow him to win.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic