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A government report says the excess concentration of population in Tokyo has not changed over the past decade.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024

Overconcentration in Tokyo unchanged over decade, government says

The government reported that the excess concentration of population in Tokyo has not changed over the past decade.
Leaders of six major countries hold a joint news conference following an inaugural summit held in the Parisian suburb of Rambouillet in November 1975.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

G7 becomes political playmaker; major nations to hold 50th summit

The world's major democracies are set to hold their 50th summit, a milestone for the framework.
The Grand Kremlin palace in Moscow
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

How a Russian operative worked to shape Moscow’s story in Europe

The operative has contacted at least six European journalists and at times appears to have offered to pay for planted news articles.
A deminer clears mines in a field outside the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine on June 4. According to the Ukraine Ministry of the Interior almost a quarter of Ukrainian territory is contaminated by mines.
WORLD
Jun 12, 2024

Women deminers step in to clear up Ukrainian land

Almost a quarter of Ukrainian territory is contaminated by mines, according to the Ukraine Ministry of the Interior.
Germany's Toni Kroos during a friendly against the Netherlands on March 26
SOCCER
Jun 13, 2024

Germany braced for Euro 2024 kickoff with France and England favored

The hosts will be looking to make a surprise run on home soil despite the apparent strength of the French and English sides.
Debt rating firms have raised SoftBank Group’s grade as the Tokyo-based company’s earnings from investments begin to stabilize.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

SoftBank’s bond underwriting fee drops for first time in decade

The firm paid brokerages ¥1.10 per ¥100 to underwrite ¥550 billion of seven-year notes for individual investors, according to a company filing.
The Sde Teiman base, which has become synonymous with the detention of Gazans, in the Negev desert of Israel.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 14, 2024

Inside the base where Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians

Since the start of the Gaza war, the Sde Teiman military base has housed detainees who are blindfolded, handcuffed and held without charge or legal representation.
Rory McIlroy prepares to putt on the 18th green during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 14, 2024

McIlroy's superb start could spark end to 10-year major drought

The 35-year-old Northern Ireland star, who last won a major at the 2014 PGA Championship, fired a bogey-free 5-under-par 65.
Ukrainian servicemen patrol in the heavily damaged town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine on May 20. It is time to stop wondering what is on Vladimir Putin’s mind and start making him fear a potential Western response to his aggression.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2024

NATO must not go wobbly on Ukraine

If Russian President Vladimir Putin wins his war of aggression in Ukraine, his next targets could be Poland and the Baltic states.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett attends the opening ceremony of Tungaloy's new plant in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in  November 2011. Buffett says Tokyo executives are good value for money amid a widening pay gap between local and foreign business leaders.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 14, 2024

The pay gap in Japan’s boardrooms is unacceptable

The job market in Japan is, at all levels, much less liquid and executives are less likely to need incentives to avoid jumping ship to rivals.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin during an event in the Moscow region's city of Solnechnogorsk, Russia, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2024

Putin demands Ukraine abandon four regions for peace talks

Putin said Ukrainian forces should pull out from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in return for a cease-fire by Russian troops.
NBA legend Ray Allen high-fives children during a basketball clinic in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Saturday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 15, 2024

Former Celtics great Ray Allen says 'distractions' played role in Game 4 blowout

The two-time NBA champion, who ran a basketball clinic for children in Tokyo on Saturday, also stressed that learning defense is key for developing young players.
Ukrainian soldiers walk among the remnants of a destroyed Russian military convoy in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 2, 2022. Representatives of both countries held peace talks in the early weeks of the Russian invasion but they fizzled.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2024

The sticking points that kept Russia and Ukraine apart

Putin repeatedly referred to the 2022 talks as the foundation for future deals, but many doubt he'd settle for anything less than full subjugation.
Russian warships take part in a rehearsal for the Navy Day parade in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, in July 2019. Without a decisive victory in Ukraine, Russia's influence in the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Middle East will likely decline.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2024

The Ukraine war threatens Russia’s regional influence

The war in Ukraine has undermined Russia’s capacity to project power and looks set to redefine its role in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after making a putt on No. 18 to win the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 17, 2024

Bryson DeChambeau outduels Rory McIlroy in final round to win U.S. Open

DeChambeau parred the final three holes to complete a 1-over-par 71, and that was enough for a one-shot victory.
The Henoko coastal district in the city of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

Okinawa governor's camp fails to secure majority in assembly poll

The tough election result is seen forcing the Okinawa governor to face difficulties managing the prefectural administration.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in March
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

Four Thai court cases that could unleash political crisis

Four cases before the courts on Tuesday involve the country's most powerful politicians.
The Dodgers' Mookie Betts reacts after being hit by a pitch during a game against the Royals in Los Angeles on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 17, 2024

Dodgers star Mookie Betts suffers fractured left hand after being hit by pitch

Betts was hit in the left wrist by a fastball from Royals reliever Dan Altavilla.
The experiences of our protagonist (Yukino Takahashi, right) and her fellow sex workers lead them to wonder if they still have some spark of humanity left in Shimpei Yamasaki’s “During the Rains.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2024

‘During the Rains’ captures a blunt, modern glimpse of Japan’s sex industry

Yukino Takahashi’s self-immolating performance makes her character hard to like but also forces the viewer to contend with the reality of her line of work.
Astronaut Koichi Wakata poses for a photo after holding a news conference on March 29 to announce his retirement from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency at the end of March.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2024

After three decades, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata moves to private sector

Wakata became chief technology officer for the Asia-Pacific region at U.S. startup space company Axiom Space in April.
Rory McIlroy pitches onto the eighteenth green during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 18, 2024

McIlroy to take short break from golf after U.S. Open heartbreak

"I've shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again," the golfer said in the wake of Sunday's loss.
Japan is shifting its defense strategy to prioritize logistics and supply chain resilience, recognizing them as critical components of its overall defense capability.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 18, 2024

Real defense demands more than just being able to fight

U.S. Gen. Omar Bradley famously warned that “amateurs talk strategy and professionals talk logistics.”
Inmates at the Sirindhorn Vocational Training School in Nakhon Pathom province in Thailand receive training on March 21 using an engine donated by Nissan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 19, 2024

Japan-aided juvenile training facility in Thailand offers route away from crime

Support provided by Japanese firms to the Sirindhorn Vocational Training School includes the provision of training equipment.
Vladimir Putin is expected to continue using asymmetric tactics, such as covert operations, sabotage and cyberattacks, to destabilize Europe.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2024

Putin’s 'shadow war' against Europe is intensifying

Vladimir Putin is expected to continue using asymmetric tactics, such as covert operations, sabotage and cyberattacks, to destabilize Europe.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) building in Beijing on May 29. The authority may soon start trading government bonds in the secondary market, according to a speech made by its chief on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2024

PBOC’s new tools may spur big shift in how it manages money

The PBOC is also considering narrowing the interest rate corridor within which market rates are allowed to fluctuate, to signal a clearer policy target.
Renho announces her campaign pledges for the Tokyo gubernatorial election, in the capital on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2024

The campaigners that Tokyo hopeful Renho doesn't want you to know about

The candidate for governor has kept quiet about Japanese Communist Party activities in support of her — ties that could alienate some voters.
Digital crime in Sweden has doubled since 2021 and become a growing risk for the Nordic economy.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 22, 2024

Ditching paper money makes Sweden a haven for digital criminals

Digital crime in Sweden has doubled since 2021 and become a growing risk for the Nordic economy.
Britain's Reform U.K. party leader Nigel Farage attends an interview in London.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2024

U.K.'s Nigel Farage says the West provoked Putin's invasion of Ukraine

The remarks, made in an interview with the BBC aired late on Friday, drew strong criticism across the British political spectrum.
Tokashiki Beach acts as a sanctuary for sea turtles and offers ideal snorkeling waters. It was also the site of the U.S. Army’s preliminary invasion that led to the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 150,000 people.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Jun 23, 2024

On Okinawa's Tokashiki Island, life's a beach — one of the best in the world

Many of the island’s residents first came as tourists, attracted to the exquisite Aharen Beach, and simply stayed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnam President To Lam during a reception in Hanoi on Thursday
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 23, 2024

Putin came to Asia to disrupt, and he succeeded

After stops in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Hanoi, Vietnam, last week that were draped in communist red, Putin left behind a redrawn map of risk in Asia.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami