Search - 2018

 
 
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.
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori attends a trial as a witness at the navy base in Callao, Peru, on March 15, 2018. Picture taken through a window.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Peru’s top court orders Fujimori released from prison

Fujimori’s lawyer told reporters that the former president would most likely be released from prison Wednesday.
Outfielder Juan Soto is on the move to the New York Yankees in a blockbuster, seven-player deal.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 7, 2023

Yankees to acquire slugger Juan Soto in blockbuster trade

The Yankees will send four pitchers, including Michael King and Jhonny Brito, as part of the package to land the star outfielder.
Naomi Osaka in action during the third round of the Australian Open in January 2022
TENNIS
Dec 7, 2023

Osaka and Nadal set for Grand Slam comebacks in Australia

Osaka gave birth to daughter Shai in July and has not played since September 2022, having also struggled with her mental health.
Workers organize used clothing for packaging at a warehouse near Barcelona on Aug. 1.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 7, 2023

How to fix the carbon crisis in fast fashion

Positive partnerships between brands and manufacturers are crucial for the sector to achieve its net-zero goals.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 7, 2023

Feeling anxious? Wastewater, heat and Japan’s year in climate

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about....
Naomi Osaka in action during the 2022 U.S. Open in one of her final tournaments before her pregnancy leave
TENNIS
Dec 8, 2023

Returning Osaka targets Paris Olympics and more Grand Slam titles

The 26-year-old former world No. 1 is set to return to competition at the Brisbane International starting at the end of the month.
The day after the Fukuoka District Court dismissed her lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of Japan's dual nationality law, Yuri Kondo, 76, was in high spirits as she drove to see family and friends.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 8, 2023

Japan-born U.S. national Yuri Kondo continues dual citizenship fight

The dismissal of her lawsuit over the dual nationality ban has implications for tens of thousands of people, and Kondo says she'll keep fighting for them.
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.
Shakhtar Donetsk players celebrate defender Mykola Matviyenko scoring the opening goal against Antwerp during a UEFA Champion's League Group H match in Hamburg on Nov. 28.
SOCCER
Dec 11, 2023

War-torn Shakhtar Donetsk looks to Saudi Arabia for financial boost

Deals with clubs in the Saudi Pro League may lead to lucrative player transfers and exhibition matches in the Gulf nation next season.
Split over the leadership of Sam Altman, board members and executives at OpenAI turned on one another. Their brawl exposed the cracks at the heart of the artificial intelligence movement.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 11, 2023

Inside OpenAI’s crisis over the future of artificial intelligence

From the moment it was created in 2015, OpenAI was primed to combust.
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.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 11, 2023

Kishida likely to shake up Cabinet in wake of political funds scandal

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is reportedly considering removing all members of the faction once led by his late predecessor Shinzo Abe.
The partnership between Nissan and Renault was jolted in 2018 by the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, chairman of both companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2023

Renault selling part of Nissan stake to partner for €765 million

The move follows last month’s finalization of a plan for Renault to reduce its interest in Nissan.
Hamas leader Yehia Sinwar addresses an anti-Israel rally in Gaza City in May 2021.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2023

Can the governments that grew Hamas destroy it?

This is a war in which Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and E.U., need only survive to win.
Shohei Ohtani is joining a franchise that has long been a trailblazer in an increasingly diverse and global game.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 13, 2023

In a land of stars, Los Angeles can’t stop talking about Ohtani

Dodgers fans were still beside themselves days after Ohtani agreed to the most lucrative contract in sports history.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 14, 2023

Japan’s next-gen fighter project with U.K. and Italy hits milestone

The three countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental organization, divide up work share and set out the roles of each partner.
The Dodgers officially introduced two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani during a news conference on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 15, 2023

Another extraordinary milestone for Shohei Ohtani

Dodgers secure baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani with record-breaking $700 million contract.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2023

Henoko base relocation project enters new phase in Okinawa

The project to relocate a U.S. military base to the Henoko coastal area is entering a new phase five years after land reclamation began there.
A pair of wolves carved from wood exhibited at Mitsumine Shrine’s museum in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Dec 15, 2023

In praise of wolves

Premodern Japan's reverence of wolves mirrors its close bond with nature, a state eventually disrupted by the ecological impact of industrialization.
Kokusai Electric CEO Fumiyuki Kanai foresees sustained investment in China and plans to increase staff there.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2023

Japan’s Kokusai aims to build on 66% rally as China demand booms

The producer of chip fabrication equipment will enlarge its Chinese footprint to tap the growing market, according to CEO Fumiyuki Kanai.
A 24-year-old convenience store worker (Erika Karata) is drawn out of her shell thanks to a renewed friendship in “When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 21, 2023

‘When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty’: Hidden strengths emerge despite daily grind

With an unhurried pace, Yuho Ishibashi’s drama quietly portrays the pressures of modern work culture and the importance of friendships.
Worshipers pray to the sea goddess Mazu at the Dajia Jenn Lann Temple in Taichung, Taiwan, on Nov. 9.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2023

China finds sudden faith in 'peace goddess' ahead of Taiwan vote

China sees faith in a sea goddess with origins in Fujian province as the "axis" of its influence operations, according to an intelligence analysis.
Some analysts say China seeks ambiguity in defense relations to constrain what Beijing sees as U.S. military provocations in the region.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2023

U.S. and China top brass speak for first time in over a year

U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown and Gen. Liu Zhenli of China's People's Liberation Army touched on "a number of global and regional security issues."
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023

Some foreign fourth generation descendants of Japanese to be given long-term residency

The Immigration Services Agency will revise the residency status system to allow such people to effectively stay in Japan indefinitely.
JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft is expected to land on the lunar surface in early 2024.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 21, 2023

One small step for a JAXA spacecraft, one giant leap for exploration

In 2024, we can look forward to the arrival on the moon of JAXA's SLIM spacecraft. Its groundbreaking accuracy could further propel space exploration.
Well-wishers light candles as people mourn the lives lost in Thursday's mass shooting, outside Charles University in Prague on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2023

After Czech mass shooting, shock, grief and a focus on guns

As police Friday scrutinized online threats of copycat attacks, students at Charles University proposed a simple way to prevent any recurrence: ban guns.
Jargal Lhagvasuren practicing an aerial routine at the Mongolian Circus School in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on May 18. Contortionists and acrobats with celestial skills train in squalid conditions as the promise of a former sumo wrestler to restore the national circus to its past glory has gone mostly unfulfilled.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 26, 2023

Mongolians are circus stars all over the world, except at home

The promise to return state circus in Ulaanbaatar to its former glory remains unfulfilled, forcing trained performers abroad.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2023

Has the funding scandal doomed the Abe faction?

With criminal investigations under way, there is impetus for the younger generation of the Abe faction members to break away and form a rebranded group.
Local media in China exposed a secretive surrogacy service that may be helping to deliver more than 300 babies a year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 27, 2023

Chinese media expose prompts probe into illegal baby surrogacy

Despite Beijing’s repeated crackdowns and an outright ban, underground surrogacy services continue to thrive in China.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40