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The beach on Aka Island, Okinawa Prefecture, where U.S. forces first landed in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
May 26, 2025

How a remote island escaped mass suicide in Battle of Okinawa

Residents had been told that, if captured, women would be assaulted and men mutilated by U.S. soldiers.
Supervisor David Lindsay in the chilling plant beneath the headquarters of the United Nations in New York
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 13, 2025

As world heats up, U.N. cools itself the cool way — with water

As more and more people want to stay cool in a planet that is steadily heating up, energy experts point to this kind of water-based system as a good alternative.
Dr. Raquel Gomez flips a tortilla at the Industrial Microbiology laboratory of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 13, 2025

Scientists in Mexico develop tortilla for people with no fridge

The wheat flour version developed by Raquel Gomez and her team contains probiotics — live microorganisms found in yogurt and other fermented foods.
India's air conditioner market is set to grow from the current 14 million units to 30 million units in terms of volume by 2030, driven by hotter summers and rising disposable incomes.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 13, 2025

Indians buy 14 million air conditioners a year, and need many more

A record 14 million AC units were sold in India last year, with a ninefold increase in residential ownership forecast by midcentury.
People smoking in Yuxi, in China's southwest Yunnan province. China is home to a third of the world's smokers and tobacco-related diseases are a major cause of death in the country — a trend likely to worsen as its population rapidly ages.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 13, 2025

Tobacco town thrives as China struggles to kick the habit

China is home to a third of the world's smokers and tobacco-related diseases are a major cause of death in the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi-U.S. business investment forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2025

Trump’s Middle East visit opens floodgate of AI deals led by Nvidia

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are poised to win wider access to advanced AI chips from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng attends a meeting with global business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 28.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2025

China surrounded Xi aide with seasoned experts to seal U.S. deal

The crew engaging with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was on public display for the first time Sunday.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and French President Emmanuel Macron at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February. The mood at the event was largely optimistic despite growing evidence that chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT are being used by malicious actors.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2025

How much will we risk in the name of AI?

AI safety breaches are a very present danger. Evidence shows that leading chatbots are perpetuating Kremlin talking points, while many leaders tout optimism rather than concern.
Self-Defense Forces personnel collect apparent parts of an Air Self-Defense Force T-4 training jet from a reservoir in Inuyama, Aichi Prefeture, on Thursday. The jet crashed shortly after takeoff a day earlier.
JAPAN
May 15, 2025

Two crew feared dead after ASDF training jet crashes in Aichi

Pieces of the T-4 training aircraft and some of the crew's equipment have been recovered from the crash site — a large reservoir in Inuyama.
“Ambient, Environment, Circumstances — The Typography of Contemporary Art —” is Simose Art Museum’s first contemporary art exhibition.
CULTURE / Art
May 15, 2025

Emerging Asian artists converge at the 'world’s most beautiful museum'

The Shigeru Ban-designed Simose Art Museum celebrates its Prix Versailles architectural award with its first contemporary art exhibition.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) greets interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (left) as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on in Riyadh on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2025

Syrian leader's path from global jihad to meeting Trump

The meeting is a huge boost for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he tries to bring the fractured country under his control and revive its economy.
Solar panels on display at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, on April 16
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2025

Rogue communication equipment found in Chinese-made solar power inverters

The rogue components provide undocumented communication channels that could allow security measures to be circumvented remotely, sources said.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimate the top five makers of hearing aids hold roughly 99% of the global market, which they predict will be worth over $14 billion by next year rising from about $12 billion in 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2025

Trump’s tariffs spare Europe-dominated hearing aid industry

An ecosystem developed over more than a century has given three Danish companies and a Swiss rival a quasi-monopoly on the market for devices that help people hear better.
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2025

For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece

With no script or crew, the animator created "Jinsei," a bold debut inspired by classics such as "Citizen Kane" and "Scarface."
The Colts helmet logo is seen midfield at  Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in February.
MORE SPORTS / Football
May 16, 2025

Colts apologize to Tyreek Hill and Microsoft over schedule release video

"We removed our schedule release video because it exceeded our rights with Microsoft and included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill," the team said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other ministers ahead of a Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2025

Japan enacts bills to make criminal procedures digital

The revised laws will make trial records digital to allow lawyers to view them online.
Tesla's story about keeping used cars for "robotaxis" fits a long pattern of unfulfilled promises to deploy self-driving vehicles — most recently announced for June in Austin, Texas.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2025

Tesla took back leased cars for use as 'robotaxis,' but sold them instead

Despite repeated promises, the robotaxis never came and Tesla flipped many of the off-lease cars to new buyers.
Nadaman Sazanka-so is known for its "kaiseki" (multicourse Japanese haute cuisine), which is deftly executed by chef Takehiko Yoshida.
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 18, 2025

A Japanese dining icon gets a (minor) facelift

Less a purposeful renovation than a prudent refitting, the renewed Nadaman Sazanka-so has retained its old world charm that made it such a celebrated dining destination.
Maserati's Stoffel Vandoorne holds up the trophy after winning the Tokyo E-Prix on Saturday, alongside Nissan's Oliver Rowland (left) and McLaren's Taylor Barnard.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
May 17, 2025

Stoffel Vandoorne rides perfect strategy to Tokyo E-Prix win

The Belgian’s triumph was to the dismay of the loyal Nissan fans at the track, with championship leader Oliver Rowland slipping down to second after starting on pole. 
A woman inspects damage from a tornado in London, Kentucky, on Saturday. More than 25 people have died after severe storms swept through the southern U.S. states of Missouri and Kentucky, officials and local media reports said.
WORLD
May 18, 2025

Severe storms and tornadoes kill more than 25 in south-central U.S.

More than 100,000 people have been left without power in Kentucky, and five counties have declared a state of emergency.
An area is taped off after an explosion at the American Reproductive Centers clinic, in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 18, 2025

Bomb at fertility clinic in California kills one

The blast tore through downtown Palm Springs, ripping a hole in the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of nearby buildings.
Founded with a mission of promoting electric vehicles, Formula E has always placed sustainability at the forefront of its raison d’etre.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
May 18, 2025

For Formula E, ‘sustainability is at the heart’

Now in its 11th season, Formula E's efforts to reduce emissions and promote electric vehicles are paying off.
Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate for South Korea's conservative People Power Party, attends an election campaign rally in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 19, 2025

South Korean conservative presidential candidate open to discussing U.S. troop costs

South Korea's conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo said on Monday he was willing to discuss sharing more of the cost of stationing the U.S. military in the country.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (left) U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (second from left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (second from right) and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's economic revitalization minster, pose for a photo ahead of a meeting in Washington on May 1.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 19, 2025

China-U.S. trade truce prompts nations to consider tougher tactics

After China’s tough negotiating tactics earned it a favorable deal, nations taking a more diplomatic and expedited approach are questioning whether that’s the right path.
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Sunday.
WORLD
May 19, 2025

Israel to let limited amounts of food into Gaza as new ground assault begins

Facing mounting pressure over an aid blockade it imposed in March and the risk of famine, Israel has stepped up its campaign in Gaza.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (center) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (right) take part in a flag-raising ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei, on Jan. 1.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 19, 2025

Taiwan's Lai Ching-te tied up by political chaos after year in office

Analysts say the current dysfunction is distracting lawmakers and eroding public confidence — to the benefit of Beijing.
Tomy's time-honored Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu, or Pop-Up Pirate, is set to go through its first rule change in 30 years in July.
JAPAN / Society
May 19, 2025

Nostalgic games and toys spark renewed interest in Japan

Products from bygone decades have evoked nostalgic memories for adults of a certain age while piquing fresh interest among the younger generation.
The crowded center circle of the Kansai Pavilion at the Osaka Expo, featuring photos and videos of various prefectures
JAPAN
May 25, 2025

Osaka Expo highlights uniqueness of Kansai region

The Kansai Pavilion offers numerous experiences to allow visitors to understand the rich history and culture of the region.
Tomomi Bitoh, seen crossing the finish line in Antarctica, on the first stop of the World Marathon Challenge, is one of the very few Japanese athletes to speak publicly about her experience with egg freezing.
MORE SPORTS
May 19, 2025

The race for more time: Japanese runner decided to freeze eggs for her future

More women in Japan are expressing interest or following through with freezing their eggs in recent years, but only a few athletes in Japan have spoken about it publicly.
Agriculture minister Taku Eto has come under fire for saying at the weekend that he receives so much rice from his supporters that he has enough to sell it.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2025

Amid rice shortage, farm minister comes under fire for saying he gets plenty

Agriculture minister Taku Eto reportedly said at a fundraiser that he gets so much rice from supporters, he has enough to sell it.

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?