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The Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, the eventual winner, casts his vote during the island's election in Tainan, Taiwan, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2024

Taiwan's election and its potential impact on East Asian politics

China tried to interfere in the Taiwanese elections through the systematic use of "cognitive warfare," but failed.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Japanese Communist Party picks first-ever female leader

Upper House member Tomoka Tamura takes over the chair of the 102-year-old political party — Japan’s oldest — from Kazuo Shii, who held the post since 2000.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

LDP political funds probe nears close with top lawmakers likely unscathed

Clerical staff of LDP factions will likely face indictment over underreporting of revenues in political funds reports, while party heavyweights will emerge largely unscathed.
A ship transits the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea on Jan. 10. Insurance costs for ships whose seafarers who do brave the waterway have shot up tenfold, including a large increase since the airstrikes.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

Airstrikes on Yemen bring new level of chaos to Red Sea shipping

After U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, Western navies caution ships to steer clear.
The recipe combines daikon with pork belly for a traditional style simmered dish with a twist.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 21, 2024

Recipe: Simmered radish with pork

More than 100 varieties of daikon were once grown around Japan, but now only 10 dominate the market.
A man watches the news on television showing the Pakistani foreign ministry's statement about the country's strikes inside Iran targeting separatist militants, in Peshawar, Pakistan on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 19, 2024

Iran-Pakistan flare-up rooted in restive borderlands, not Mideast strife

Both had launched attacks on each other's soil, targeting what they described as militants and separatists.
Skilled workers walk to a building for a skill test at a Haryana state government recruitment drive to send workers to Israel, at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, India, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 19, 2024

Undeterred by conflict, Indian workers seek jobs in Israel

Masons, painters, electricians, plumbers and farmers say they could make five times more money in a year than they would at home.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2024

Japan to use ex-believers' help for Unification Church victim aid

Some will participate as instructors in the training of consultation staff, to help them understand the feelings of victims.
Doubts about China’s official investment statistics — which measure spending on things like housing, factories and infrastructure — have been fueled by frequent revisions in recent years, and the latest data implies an unusually large adjustment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 19, 2024

Did China’s economy really grow 5.2% in 2023? Not all agree

Doubts over Chinese data, particularly on investment, have resulted in alternative calculations that put its GDP growth last year at as low as 1.5%.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week declared the South his country's "principal enemy," jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

North Korea says tested 'underwater nuclear weapon system'

The test was made in response to joint naval exercises by the U.S., South Korea and Japan that involved an aircraft carrier earlier this week, Pyongyang said.
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka hits a return against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko during their third round match on Friday at the Australian Open.
TENNIS
Jan 19, 2024

No handshakes as Belarus' Sabalenka downs Ukraine's Tsurenko

The match was a one-sided affair, as Sabalenka ruthlessly handed the 28th seed Tsurenko a dreaded "double bagel" in 52 minutes.
Sunset at Cape Puyuni in Hokkaido, Japan. The northern island is home to the indigenous Ainu.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jan 21, 2024

To Bird, a savage. To Chiri, alive and aglow.

When given a pen, Yukie Chiri wrote about the Ainu in ways outsiders never tried to understand.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 19, 2024

Debate grows over whether expo funding should go to Ishikawa recovery

It has been suggested it would be better to postpone, or even cancel, the troubled 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Rie Qudan speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday after being awarded the Akutagawa Prize.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 19, 2024

Akutagawa Prize draws controversy after win for work that used ChatGPT

Rie Qudan won Japan’s most important prize for early career writers for “Tokyo-to Dojo-to,” a novel that “exposes the prophecy of the AI generation.”
Honda’s sales in the United States soared 33% last year and the firm anticipates continued growth but at a more modest pace.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 19, 2024

Honda sees 2024 U.S. sales climbing 10% with boost from hybrids

Honda’s sales in the U.S. soared 33% last year to 1.3 million vehicles — with one-quarter of that total coming from hybrid models.
The Tsukuba Geo Museum is a hands-on exhibition facility.
ESG CONSORTIUM
Jan 22, 2024

New geopark museum, cycle park showcase Tsukuba’s attractions

The Ibaraki city of Tsukuba in November launched a new facility, Mt. Tsukuba Gate Park, that focuses on promoting the charms of the Mt. Tsukuba Area Geopark and supporting Japan’s cycling culture. City officials stationed there explained what the facility offers and how they aim to nurture the civic...
Ryoji Ikeda’s “mass,” a site-specific installation at Helsinki’s Amos Rex museum, presents a stroboscopic video of black concentric rings that fill a square on the floor by rapidly expanding outward.
CULTURE / Art
Jan 20, 2024

Ryoji Ikeda adds to his universe of data in Helsinki

The Japanese composer and multimedia artist’s exhibition in Finland features two new site-specific installations that take advantage of the museum's unique interior space.
A single mom in Kobe moonlights as a sleuth in Simon Rowe’s “Mami Suzuki: Private Eye.”
CULTURE / Books
Jan 21, 2024

'Mami Suzuki: Private Eye': Kobe sleuth's colorful mysteries take readers around Japan

Simon Rowe’s straight-talking detective cuts a sophisticated figure as she solves matters the police won’t touch, all while looking after her young daughter and mother.
A group of Pikachu, three riding a Dragonite, play with Woopers, a Bulbasaur and other resort guests in “Pokemon Concierge.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 20, 2024

Pikachu just wants to help you relax these days

On Netflix’s “Pokemon Concierge,” the hyperactivity of the original gives way to soothing sights and tones that can help grown-up fans calm down.
Houthi supporters rally to denounce the U.S. labeling of them as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" group, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2024

U.S. weighs stepping up fight against Houthis as chaos drags on

The U.S. and the U.K. are exploring ways to expand their campaign against Houthi militants in Yemen without provoking a broader war.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House during an event to welcome mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in Washington, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2024

Biden open to asylum changes to clinch Ukraine and border deals

The U.S. president said he is open to "massive changes” in border policy, including to asylum laws, in order to secure a deal that would unlock Ukraine aid.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an economic event at Abbotts Creek Community Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 20, 2024

Biden the 'anti-Trump': winning strategy or no strategy at all?

Some Democrats are concerned that Biden's campaign has no strong message about what he'd do with four more years.
China's Zheng Qinwen reacts after winning her third round match over compatriot Wang Yafan on Saturday at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 20, 2024

'Queen Wen' taking inspiration from Li Na at Australian Open

The 21-year-old, known to her fans as "Queen Wen," battled into the last 16 with a fighting 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8) victory over compatriot Wang Yafan.
Keisuke Honda is joining an inflow of investment in Japan’s long-neglected startup scene.
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2024

Retired soccer star Honda sets up $100 million Japan startup fund

In a country where celebrities shy away from speaking about their money or investments, the former AC Milan midfielder faces little competition from other sports stars.
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu will be wary of making too many changes after admitting that his tinkering against Iraq "had an effect on the players."
SOCCER
Jan 20, 2024

Shock Iraq defeat exposes Japan frailties at Asian Cup

The 2-1 loss leaves Samurai Blue facing a potential last-16 match with South Korea, assuming Japan still qualifies from its group.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2024

Record-low public support sends shockwaves through LDP

The falling support for the LDP is primarily due to a political funds scandal involving the party's powerful factions.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 21, 2024

Northern lights likely to be seen in Hokkaido again in 2024

Solar activity is forecast to increase toward 2025, likely leading to opportunities to see the ethereal curtains of lights.
AC Milan's Mike Maignan and Olivier Giroud after the team's match against Udinese. Fans in Udine, Italy, aimed racist chants at Maignan during the match, which was temporarily halted due to the abuse.
SOCCER
Jan 21, 2024

FIFA boss condemns 'abhorrent' racism during games in Italy and England

The head of the world governing body said there was no place for discrimination of any kind in soccer or broader society.
Journalist Shiori Ito sheds a tear as she speaks to reporters outside the Tokyo district court on Dec. 18, 2019, after hearing the ruling on a damages lawsuit by her, accusing a former TV reporter of rape.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 21, 2024

Japanese journalist brings lonely #MeToo battle to Sundance

Shiori Ito's fight for justice is the subject of "Black Box Diaries," a documentary she herself directed.
Casey DeSantis introduces her husband, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he makes a campaign visit ahead of the South Carolina presidential primary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2024

Ron DeSantis ends campaign, endorses Trump as New Hampshire vote looms

The move leaves former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as Donald Trump's last remaining challenger for the GOP nomination.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb