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The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced Australian Daniel Mathew Otto, 32, to two years in jail for breaking into a home in Shinjuku Ward in June 2023 and injuring an elderly man who lives there. Otto had claimed that a language mix-up led to the victim thinking he was a robber.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 18, 2024

Australian man claiming language mix-up jailed over Tokyo break-in

He claimed he was trying to warn the home owner of danger by telling him to “Go to a door.” The victim heard him shout "gōtō da" (This is a robbery) instead.
A Palestinian boy holds up a portrait of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a rally in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 19, 2024

Hamas mourns Sinwar, vowing no hostage release until war ends

The killing of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history, had raised hopes of a turning point in the war.
Israeli security forces stand guard near the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea on Saturday.
WORLD
Oct 20, 2024

Netanyahu says Iran-backed Hezbollah tried to kill him

Netanyahu's office said a drone was launched towards his residence but he and his wife were not home and there were no injuries.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Fall meetings signage outside the IMF headquarters in Washington on Sunday
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2024

As poor nations' default wave peaks, a cash shortage could replace it

The issue, and what to do about it when Western countries are increasingly loath to send money overseas, is a key topic at the IMF World Bank autumn meetings this week.
ASEAN leaders pose for a group photo during the 21st ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane on Oct. 10. U.S. President Joe Biden was notably absent once again from this years ASEAN gathering.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2024

The U.S. risks irrelevance in Asia

While the Biden administration has boosted U.S. influence in the short term, the long-term outlook for Washington is one of increasing irrelevance in Asia.
Imports of Japanese koi were suspended in November 2023, when Chinese authorities stopped renewing import permits to fish farms once they expired from the end of October 2023.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024

China resumes imports of Japanese koi fish

Imports were suspended in November 2023, when Chinese authorities stopped renewing import permits to fish farms once they expired.
Limited to fall, "Saba Nouveau" is served with in-flight meals for first-class passengers of Japan Airlines domestic flights and sold at supermarkets in urban areas.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024

Mackerel from Norway boosting presence in Japan

130,000 to 140,000 tons of Norwegian mackerel is consumed in Japan annually, including imports via China and Vietnam.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. The government aims to restart the plant to ensure stable power supplies amid an expected increase in power demand for data centers and other facilities.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2024

Japan's parties divided over nuclear energy amid rising power demand

Political parties have made various pledges on nuclear power ahead of Sunday's general election, ranging from abolishing all nuclear plants to maximizing their use.
Japan's factory activity contracted in October on subdued demand and weak orders.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 24, 2024

Factory activity down for fourth straight month, private-sector survey shows

In the service sector, firms said economic weakness in Japan and overseas had prompted clients to hold back on new orders, the survey showed.
Sayaka Ishii will compete in the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open on Friday.
TENNIS
Oct 24, 2024

Sayaka Ishii making name for herself in tennis while cheering on famous father and BayStars

Like the BayStars, Ishii has battled past higher-ranked opponents and will be hoping to continue to thrive in the role of underdog.
Nanako Fujita competes during a race in 2019. The recent news of Fujita quitting after her suspension for breaking horse racing's strict phone rules shows that bad habits related to smartphone use don't discriminate.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Oct 25, 2024

Horse racing in Japan has a smartphone problem

Nanako Fujita's recent retirement over breaches of smartphone rules put a spotlight on a big issue for horse racing in Japan.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in London on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 26, 2024

As U.S. election looms, Biden aides struggle with Middle East wars

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was dispatched to the region to find a way toward stability, but there was no sign of progress.
A Nvidia chip during the Taipei Computex expo in Taipei on May 29, 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 28, 2024

How a Mumbai drugmaker is helping Putin get Nvidia AI chips

An inconspicuous pharmaceutical company exported 1,111 units of Dell Technologies' most-advanced servers to Russia in April-August of this year.
Hawks infielder Hotaka Yamakawa celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the BayStars in Game 2 of the Japan Series in Yokohama on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Oct 28, 2024

Hawks halfway to third straight Japan Series sweep as series heads to Fukuoka

The Hawks have won 14 straight Japan Series games.
Japanese comedian and Shohei Ohtani impersonator Aki Teriyaki has been to every MLB game Ohtani's teams have played since 2022.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 28, 2024

Meet the tiny, but mighty, Shohei Ohtani impersonator who went to 500 MLB games

Japanese comedian and Shohei Ohtani impersonator Aki Teriyaki has been to every MLB game Ohtani's teams have played since 2022.
Israeli soldiers outside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in central Gaza (UNRWA) on Feb. 8
WORLD
Oct 29, 2024

UNRWA's role as a lifeline for Palestinians through decades of conflict

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees was banned from operating in Israel by the Israeli parliament on Monday.
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (front) stands next to Indonesia's new Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin during a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Jakarta on Oct. 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 31, 2024

Indonesia’s new president faces $186 billion debt dilemma

Indonesia might have as little as $70 billion in government coffers after debt servicing and the required fund transfers to regional governments.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a live interview with U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson in the finale of the Tucker Carlson Live Tour at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Election falsehoods take off on Youtube as it looks the other way

The largest video platform has become a home for election conspiracy theories, half-truths and lies, which provide it with revenue.
Chinese solar panel manufacturer Trina Solar's facility in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, on Aug. 30
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 4, 2024

Chinese solar firms, ever-nimble, go where U.S. tariffs don't reach

Chinese solar firms have repeatedly sidestepped tariffs to dominate the global markets despite U.S. efforts over more than a decade to rein them in.
Smoke billows from a chimney at a combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in Drogenbos, Belgium, on Dec. 6, 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 4, 2024

The world promised to tame methane, but emissions are still rising

World leaders and fossil fuel executives have declared tackling methane — and doing so quickly — a crucial priority.
International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev in New Delhi in March 2023
MORE SPORTS
Nov 5, 2024

French boxing quits international body to keep its fighters at Olympics

The International Boxing Association is involved in a brawl with the International Olympic Committee.
A Palestinian woman carries her child near the ruins of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD
Nov 5, 2024

Israeli strikes kill at least 16 people in Gaza and keep up pressure on north

The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said Israel was scaling back the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza.
There will be considerable consistency in U.S. policy regardless of who wins the presidential election, however, and, unfortunately, many of them will trouble allies and partners.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2024

Regardless of election results, U.S. foreign policy is sure to trouble allies

“Strategic competition between the United States and China is poised to intensify no matter who assumes the U.S. presidency in January 2025.”
The surge in spending came as countries across Africa, including Uganda, attempted to introduce legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people.
WORLD / Society
Nov 6, 2024

U.S. anti-LGBTQ+ groups' spending in Africa soars, report finds

The Institute for Journalism and Social Change found that seventeen American groups spent $5.2 million in 2022, up 47% compared to 2019.
Rikuto Nagata was handed an indefinite prison term for his involvement in a total of six robberies in four prefectures in recent years.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 7, 2024

Man sentenced to indefinite term for serial robberies in Japan

Rikuto Nagata was indicted on charges including robbery resulting in death
A damaged vehicle lies amid the debris in front of building damaged by overnight Israeli airstrikes in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Baal in the Tyre district on Sunday.
WORLD
Nov 11, 2024

Deadly strikes on Gaza and Lebanon as Israel faces aid deadline

Washington set a deadline of this coming week for Israel to get more aid in to Gaza or face possible cuts to military assistance.
People walk along Wall Street in New York.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 11, 2024

Wall Street math wizards are decoding private-market returns

Decoding such illiquid investments is fraught with pitfalls, however, as many modeling mortgage bonds and derivatives before the financial crisis would testify.
People leave the venue during the United Nations climate change conference, known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 12, 2024

COP29: U.S. climate envoy says work will continue despite Trump's return

"For those of us dedicated to climate action, last week's outcome in the United States is obviously bitterly disappointing," Podesta said at the summit.
Shipping containers are seen at the Port of Nanjing in eastern China's Jiangsu province on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 12, 2024

China approaches record $1 trillion trade surplus to world’s ire

The pace of widening puts China on a collision course with some of the world’s biggest economies by aggravating an imbalance in global commerce.
An infrastructure project in the city of Mumbai. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 7.0% growth for India in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025, compared with 0.3% growth for Japan this year and 1.1% next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024

India set to overtake Japan in GDP rankings

Economic stagnation and a weak yen could take Japan's economy to fifth place globally as early as next year.

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