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Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk rides in Tesla's robotaxi at an unveiling event in Los Angeles on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2024

Tesla CEO Musk unveils Cybercab and Robovan as focus shifts to automation

Musk said Cybercab production will start in 2026, with the autonomous taxis available to buy for less than $30,000.
Nobuyo Oyama
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 11, 2024

Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90

Oyama voiced the nation's beloved blue cat-robot in her own inimitable way from the time the show debuted in 1979 until 2005.
Efforts to protect neurological data have proliferated in recent years, as electronic devices available directly to consumers become capable of capturing medical-grade brain data similar to what neurologists would use to diagnose patients.
WORLD
Oct 11, 2024

A new frontier of data privacy in the U.S. — your brain

California's new law defines neurological data as "sensitive personal information," a class of data that includes DNA, precise geolocation and other protected data.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends the East Asia Summit during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 11, 2024

Ishiba clears low bar in diplomatic debut

Experts said Ishiba's visit signaled that he would maintain continuity with the policies set by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, speaks at an event held in November at United Nations headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the second meeting of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo awarded Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to achieve nuclear-free world

The organization was given the honor for its work to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
“The Cats of Gokogu Shrine” centers on a local shrine in Ushimado’s Honmachi district, which has become home to a colony of street cats.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2024

Kazuhiro Soda embraces the wisdom of street cats

The filmmaker turns his camera closer to home in his new documentary, “The Cats of Gokogu Shrine,” and brings a community into focus.
People inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 12, 2024

After heavy Israeli blows, Hezbollah forges new command for crucial ground war

Friends and foes alike are now watching how effectively the Iran-backed group resists Israeli troops that have crossed into Lebanon.
Thursday night's electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Elon Musk's salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2024

Tesla's robotaxi event was long on Musk promises. Investors wanted more details.

Concrete details on how the company plans to transform from an automaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan were missing.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pumps his fist during the fourth inning of Friday's series-clinching win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 12, 2024

Dodgers drop Padres in historic Japanese pitchers' duel to advance in MLB playoffs

Yoshinobu Yamamoto came out on top in a historic duel with Yu Darvish — the contest was the first MLB playoff game between two Japanese-born starters.
New Komeito chief Keiichi Ishii gives a joint interview  at the party's headquarters in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 12, 2024

New Komeito chief targets majority as make-or-break in election

Komeito head Keiichi Ishii says maintaining at least a majority of seats in the Lower House will be the ruling bloc's goal in the Oct. 27 general election.
Toshiko Hamanaka (left), the assistant secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo, and the organization's co-chair, Terumi Tanaka, during a news conference in Tokyo on Saturday, the day after the group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo members hope surprise Nobel win cements nuclear taboo

Senior members of the group noted that the Nobel committee chose Nihon Hidankyo at a time when the threat of nuclear war is becoming more intense.
Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 13, 2024

Amid skepticism, CDP faces once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Oct. 27 polls

The party can capitalize on dissatisfaction against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over a recent scandal, but it must battle voters' deep-seated doubts against it.
Former Japan player Tadanari Lee believes Samurai Blue's victory over Australia in the 2011 Asian Cup final represented a major shift in the rivalry between the two nations.
SOCCER
Oct 13, 2024

Japan and Australia set to write latest chapter of fast-growing rivalry

This will be the fifth consecutive time the teams have been grouped together in the decisive round of qualifiers for the quadrennial showpiece.
A map released Monday shows the locations of the Joint Sword-2024B military drills being conducted by China around Taiwan. China deployed planes and ships to encircle the island in drills Beijing said were aimed at sending a "stern warning" to "separatist" forces on the self-ruled island.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 14, 2024

China kicks off fresh round of large-scale war games around Taiwan

The exercises, code-named Joint Sword-2024B, are intended to 'test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops.'
Houseboats of the indigenous seaborne Bajau Laut community anchor in the waters of Semporna, Malaysia, on Aug. 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 14, 2024

Malaysia's eviction of sea nomads casts light on precarious lives

Many face impoverished, precarious lives and are denied access to health, education or financial services due to a lack of basic paperwork.
President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Hun Sen (center), Honorary President of the CPP Heng Samrin (left) and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (right)
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

The son almost rises: Cambodia's Hun Sen the power behind throne

More than a year after inheriting power from his father, Cambodian PM has yet to hold an open news conference to explain how he will navigate challenges.
Former President Donald Trump makes calls to voters backstage after a town hall-style presidential campaign appearance at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan on Sept. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

A frustrated Trump lashes out behind closed doors over money

Trump has groused about the amount of time he is having to spend raising money, angry that he is not on the trail doing what he draws energy from — his rallies.
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in the Joint Sword-2024B military drills east of Taiwan, in this screenshot from video released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 15, 2024

China says it won't rule out use of force to take Taiwan as war games end

Japan and the U.S. condemned the large-scale Chinese military exercises around Taiwan as Beijing hinted that more could come.
Employees work at a copper smelter in Yantai, Shandong province, in China, on April 26, 2023.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 15, 2024

Inside China's bid to build sway over global metals pricing

After buying mining assets around the world, China wants a bigger say in how the prices of the metals mined are determined.
Renault R4 E-Tech electric cars are displayed during the media day at the 2024 Paris Motor Show on Monday.
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2024

China-Europe rivalry heats up at Paris car show as EV tariffs loom

Struggling European automakers need to prove they are still in the game, while Chinese rivals are aiming to get a foothold in a competitive market.
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto talks to his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo while delivering a speech during an event showing the quick-count results of the general election in Jakarta on Feb. 14.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 15, 2024

How Indonesia's outgoing president steered his son to the vice presidency

Insiders describe how Joko Widodo steered his introverted son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, into politics as part of an effort to maintain influence after leaving office.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako offer silent prayers on Monday for the victims of the Jan. 1 earthquake and the September rain disaster that hit the Noto Peninsula.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2024

Emperor and empress visit Gifu for cultural festivals

The imperial couple attended the opening ceremony of the National Cultural Festival and the National Arts and Culture Festival for Persons with Disabilities.
A newly constructed guard post and fences in North Korea are seen in this picture taken from an observatory in Incheon, South Korea, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 15, 2024

North Korea blows up parts of inter-Korean roads, Seoul says

In response, South Korea's military fired warning shots south of the military demarcation line dividing the neighbors.
Rohingya refugee children look on from their shelter at a refugee camp, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 28.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2024

Stateless speak up as world misses its #Ibelong deadline

They are often deprived of the most basic rights, exposing them to exploitation, destitution and detention.
Israeli tanks on the move in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sept. 22
WORLD
Oct 16, 2024

Israel's demining near Golan signals wider front against Hezbollah, sources say

The move suggests Israel may seek to strike Hezbollah for the first time from further east along Lebanon's border.
Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a toast during the National Day reception on the eve of the 75th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Xi’s stronger grip on legislature shows lack of checks on power

Nearly 70% of laws made in China this year feature language explicitly affirming the party’s authority.
A farmer salvages some of the harvest from a flooded rice field near Hanoi on Sept. 24
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 16, 2024

AI enhances flood warnings but cannot fully erase risk of disaster

One issue is that the effectiveness of an artificial intelligence model is only as good as the information it is fed.
Election workers oversee early voting at a polling station in Marietta, Georgia, on Oct. 15.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Judge blocks Georgia rule to hand count 2024 election ballots

The judge sided with challengers who argued the election board risked introducing confusion and delays into the process.
Young people, including students and youth league officials, sign petitions to join or return to the North Korean army this week, according to state media on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

North Korea says 1.4 million young people apply to join army

Pyongyang's claim comes as it accuses Seoul of a drone incursion that it says had brought the "tense situation to the brink of war."
Donald Trump (left) greets billionaire Elon Musk at a campaign rally for the former president, who is the Republican presidential nominee, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Elon Musk’s $75 million gift cements role as a top Trump donor

The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive officer made seven contributions between July 3 and Sept. 5, according to the Federal Election Commission.

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