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Armed French soldiers patrol Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower Stadium, Champ de Mars Arena and Grand Palais Ephemere venues under construction for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Paris on April 1.
WORLD / Society
Apr 16, 2024

Is fractious France ready for an Olympics party?

The buildup has been marred by rows that go to the heart of a bitter national debate about identity and race.
A direct military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities by the U.S. and its allies would likely only delay its program while risking regional war and increasing the likelihood of Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons in the long run.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2024

Iran hawks want to strike now. They're wrong.

One thing Iran hawks get right, starting with the contention that by attacking Israel directly on Saturday night, Iran changed rules of engagement.
Chinese runner He Jie, Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat take part in a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Apr 17, 2024

Did three African runners let a Chinese runner win a race in Beijing?

The results of a half-marathon are under investigation after footage of the finish led many to question whether three runners had deliberately slowed down.
Newly employed workers of government ministries and agencies listen to a video message by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a training session in Tokyo on April 3.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2024

Japanese students losing interest in civil service

Public-private job search timing affects student behavior, especially in new graduate hiring.
“Beyond the Fog” depicts the struggles of a family-run inn through the eyes of the proprietor’s 12-year-old daughter (Shuri Miyake, right, with Asami Mizukawa).
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2024

‘Beyond the Fog’: Evocative mood piece leaves a dreamy impression

Daichi Murase’s understated drama about a dying community in rural Nara Prefecture benefits from Takeshi Dodo’s beautiful cinematography.
A Tokaido shinkansen. It is unclear whether the snake was venomous or how it ended up on the train, and there was no injury or panic among passengers.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024

Snake on a train: Discovery of serpent delays Tokyo-Nagoya shinkansen

Shinkansen customers can bring small dogs, cats and other animals, including pigeons on board — but not snakes.
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.
Real Madrid players celebrate during a penalty shootout against Manchester City on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Apr 18, 2024

Real Madrid exact revenge on Man City to reach Champions League semis

City's defense of the competition came to an end after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic saw spot kicks saved by Madrid's unlikely hero Andriy Lunin.
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.
Makoto Hasebe in action during a Europa League game in December 2021
SOCCER
Apr 18, 2024

Frankfurt's Japanese veteran Makoto Hasebe to retire at age 40

Hasebe made his international debut in 2006 and featured in 114 games for Japan while serving as captain from 2010 to 2018.
Countries in Southeast Asia have implemented a range of counterterrorism policies and measures, each with their strengths and challenges. However, the effectiveness of such policies remains a subject of debate.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2024

Southeast Asia needs to step up its counterterrorism game

While Islamic State and al-Qaeda have lost ground in the region, they are still capable of recruiting and inspiring local groups to join extremist causes.
Iran is now enriching uranium to up to 60% purity and has enough material enriched to that level, if enriched further, for two nuclear weapons, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency's theoretical definition.
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Apr 19, 2024

As the 2015 nuclear deal crumbles, how close is Iran to weaponization?

With the possibility of Israel retaliating, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said the nation might review its "nuclear doctrine."
Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, holds a baseball thrown by former Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo during a no-hitter in 1996 while seated next to a Dodgers uniform used by Shohei Ohtani this season during a news conference at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Tokyo
BASEBALL
Apr 19, 2024

Baseball Hall of Fame to highlight history of Japan-U.S. ties in new exhibition

The exhibition, "Yakyu/Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game between Japan and the United States," is slated to open in July 2025.
Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding that soldiers from the United States Army leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in the capital, Niamey, on April 13.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2024

U.S. to withdraw military personnel from Niger

There were a little over 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger as of last year, where the U.S. military operated out of two bases, including a drone base.
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.
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Apr 21, 2024

Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time

From Okinawa to Australia, “passive acoustic monitoring” projects are feeding scientists with data about changes to ecosystems and biodiversity.
Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk gets in a Tesla car as he leaves a hotel in Beijing in May last year.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Apr 22, 2024

Elon Musk’s robotaxi dreams plunge Tesla into chaos

The idea of creating an autonomous taxi service has been kicking around Tesla for at least eight years.
A robotics company’s research and development center in Shenzhen. Chinese firms struggle to attract the private equity and venture capital funds that U.S. companies enjoy.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2024

China needs a better innovation ecosystem

Chinese firms struggle to attract the private equity and venture capital funds that U.S. companies enjoy, putting a damper on their ability to innovate.
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2024

Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub

Massive redevelopment plans for the former site of Japan's world-famous fish market aim to turn the waterfront land into the new face of Tokyo.
Shohei Ohtani has been appointed as the new technology ambassador for Rapsodo, the company announced Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 22, 2024

Shohei Ohtani signs deal with sports technology company Rapsodo

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has signed a deal to become the technology ambassador for Rapsodo, the company announced on Monday.
The start of the 2023 edition of the Mount Fuji 100
MORE SPORTS
Apr 23, 2024

Iconic Mount Fuji 100 enters new era with World Trail Majors

The race — perhaps now more than ever — is a bucket list event for countless runners around the world.
Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in a legal fight over homelessness and a bid by Grants Pass, Oregon, to enforce local laws against people camping on public property
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court scrutinizes laws used against the homeless

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case about whether a city in Oregon banning camping outside on public streets and parks violates the Constitution.
A monument for the Great Kanto Earthquake on the premises of the education ministry in Tokyo
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2024

Use of disaster monument symbols expanding five years after launch

As of March, the number of these symbols put on maps maintained by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan has surpassed 2,000 nationwide.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the Manhattan Supreme Court on the sixth day of the hush-money trial against him on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 24, 2024

Ex-tabloid CEO says he bought and killed stories about Trump affairs

The National Enquirer's ex-CEO said he deliberately didn't publish stories about Donald Trump's affairs to help the former president's 2016 election.
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ever-growing tensions in the South China Sea all point to an uncomfortable truth for Southeast Asian nations, as well as the U.S.: In this standoff, China is winning.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 24, 2024

Xi’s armada is winning the battle for energy in South China Sea

China’s increasingly assertive stance has sparked a flurry of diplomatic and military efforts aimed at countering Beijing’s footprint.
Private detective Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki) goes beyond the call of duty to protect a client at a cosplay convention in “City Hunter.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 25, 2024

A star turn isn’t quite enough to make ‘City Hunter’ soar

Ryohei Suzuki is in peak form as a lecherous private detective in an otherwise middling Netflix live-action manga adaptation.
Despite the potential benefits AI might have for bank customers, like finding the best interest rates, there are concerns about the destabilizing effects it may have on financial stability.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2024

Generative AI is coming for your bank. Maybe.

Tech investors reckon that supersmart agents will soon upend the business model of traditional banks, but there are caveats.
After a string of contractual issues over guarantor service for the elderly, the government aims to introduce specific regulations to ensure that users can access support with confidence.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 25, 2024

Japan to draw up guidelines for elderly guarantor services

Demand for guarantor services is rising due to the growing number of elderly living alone
Ryohei Suzuki is plays assassin and detective Ryo Saeba in a new live-action "City Hunter" remake from Netflix.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 25, 2024

'City Hunter' manga hero drops the sexism for new live-action film

Lead actor Ryohei Suzuki says production had to strike a balance between his character's reputation and modern sensibilities.
Kenji Imata, mayor of Togo, Aichi Prefecture, speaks during a news conference in the town on Thursday after a third-party committee found he had continuously engaged in "power harassment" and sexual harassment against several town employees.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024

Two town mayors in central Japan resign over harassment scandals

Kenji Imata of Togo, Aichi Prefecture, and Kazuo Okazaki of Ikeda, Gifu Prefecture, have stepped down.

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