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A 737 Max 9 under construction at a Boeing production facility in Renton, Washington
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2024

Boeing tells staff to take 'immediate' action on safety incidents

Of 89 production process audits recently conducted by the FAA, Boeing reportedly failed 33 of them with 97 instances of noncompliance.
Children play around the giant Squid King statue in the town of Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Feb. 27.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 13, 2024

Noto symbol 'Squid King' stands resolute amid quake devastation

Once criticized as "wasteful," the statue's steadfast presence has become a source of solace for local residents as they strive toward recovery.
Shintaro Tajima (left) and his son, Daisuke, pose in their forest in Hita, Oita Prefecture, in January. At their feet is wasabi growing in clusters.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Mar 18, 2024

Oita forestry firm signs carbon trade deal with Line operator

LY, which operates Line and Yahoo services, will purchase 1,500 tons of carbon credit per year from Tajima Forest for 10 years.
Paraguay Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano says that the free trade agreement to be negotiated between Tokyo and Mercosur would include goods and services, including agricultural products, which is very important for Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 13, 2024

Mercosur ‘ready’ to resume FTA talks with Japan, Paraguay foreign minister says

The bloc is keen to expand ties with Asia as it seeks to boost trade and deepen economic integration with partners beyond the U.S., Europe and China.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Forum River Center in Rome, Georgia, on March 9.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 13, 2024

Biden and Trump clinch nominations, kicking off rematch

Both men have already turned their attention to the Nov. 5 general election, holding dueling rallies in Georgia.
Phytochemical Products CEO Makiko Kato (second from right) and Chief Technology Officer and professor Naomi Kitakawa (right) at the startup's laboratory in Sendai
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Mar 18, 2024

Tohoku University startup opens path to waste oil recycling

Its proprietary technology allows it to extract useful compounds from waste oil to produce biofuel and other products.
Kirishima (behind) gets thrown down against Ura on Tuesday. The newly promoted ozeki's 0-3 start in Osaka has been one of the big disappointments of the tournament so far.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 13, 2024

Scandal and poor starts have sumo in a rut in Osaka

While the meet has had a rocky first few days, one of the sport's most promising young wrestlers is proving to be a beacon of light on the horizon.
Yusuke Yamazaki, former president of Nishiyama Farm, arrives at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 13, 2024

Ex-Nishiyama Farm president arrested after deportation from Indonesia

Yusuke Yamazaki had been on the international wanted list for his alleged involvement in investment fraud involving overseas fruit sales.
Results of spring wage negotiations are written on a board at an office of the Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 13, 2024

Major Japanese firms offering solid pay hikes for second year running

Several companies met or even exceeded labor union demands, raising the possibility the Bank of Japan will adjust monetary policy soon.
A young boy (Shion Matsufuji, left) who travels a lot with his father’s theater troupe stays in one place long enough to make a new friend (Jun Saito) in “Confetti.”
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2024

‘Confetti’ spotlights the transformative power of theater

Naoya Fujita’s feature debut is a sweet coming-of-age drama and a celebration of "taishū engeki," an art form that doesn’t get a lot of critical respect.
Veteran peace activist Setsuko Yamazato warns of the gathering “clouds of war” in Chie Mikami’s eight-year chronicle of the militarization of Okinawa.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2024

‘Clouds of War’: The real story of Okinawa is its people

“Clouds of War” is an unwieldy but heartfelt portrait of citizens fighting back against militarization in Okinawa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives an interview at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 14, 2024

In preelection messaging, Putin less strident on nuclear war

In a lengthy television interview, Putin struck a softer tone than in his state-of-the-nation address last month.
The best way to eat spring cabbage is to either treat it like a quick pickle by rubbing the leaves with salt and leaving them to ferment for a brief time, or by cooking it quickly so that the leaves turn even softer.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Mar 17, 2024

Recipe: Spring cabbage has sprung

Although spring cabbage is tender, it isn't suited to Japan’s traditional method of eating the vegetable raw.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani(left) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pose for a portrait on media day at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 21.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2024

See-through baseball pants become eye-opening controversy for MLB

The league's new uniforms have dominated the conversation during spring training.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra takes a photo with a supporter alongside his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra (right), in Chiang Mai on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 14, 2024

Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra makes first appearance after jail release

The controversial billionaire, ousted in a 2006 military coup, prayed at a Bangkok shrine before flying to Chiang Mai to meet family and supporters.
YouTuber and former Upper House member GaaSyy after his release on bail in September
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2024

YouTuber GaaSyy given suspended prison term for defaming celebrities

GaaSyy's acts seriously threatened the victims, the presiding judge said, causing them “enormous financial damage” through online hate.
Plaintiffs of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a ban on same-sex marriage and their supporters hold a banner calling for authorities to allow such unions in front of the Tokyo District Court on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2024

Ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, Sapporo High Court rules

This is the first such ruling by a high court in Japan in favor of plaintiffs challenging the ban.
An image taken from video released by Roman Starovoit, governor of the Kursk region of Russia, last month purportedly shows firefighters working to extinguish flames at an oil depot after a Ukrainian drone strike.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2024

Ukraine, stalled on the battlefield, targets Russia’s oil industry

This year, Ukraine has claimed responsibility for nearly a dozen assaults on Russian oil infrastructure.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that United States Steel should be domestically owned, coming out against Nippon Steel's plan to acquire the company as support from labor unions is becoming more significant for his re-election bid.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2024

Nippon Steel determined to complete U.S. Steel deal

The firm has promised no layoffs or plant closures until at least September 2026.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 15, 2024

How can Kishida punish lawmakers involved in the slush funds scandal?

Next month's by-elections and party polls later this year put the prime minister in a tough spot.
A vehicle developed by Toyota, inspired by the Pokemon character Miraidon, on display in Tokyo on Thursday
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2024

Toyota engineers develop vehicle inspired by 'Pokemon' character

The vehicle will be on display at the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya complex for three days from March 15.
Makoto Uchida (left), president and CEO of Nissan, and Honda President Toshihiro Mibe give a joint news conference in Tokyo on Friday to announce a new strategic partnership in electric vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2024

Nissan and Honda to explore electric vehicle partnership

Analysts said the move was aimed at catching up with Chinese rivals who have stolen a march in EVs while Japanese firms have lost ground.
A woman takes pictures with Kawazu cherry blossom trees, one of the earliest to bloom in Japan, in Tokyo's Sumida district on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024

Economic impact of hanami expected to double this year

Higher tourist numbers and prices, along with a depreciation of the Japanese currency, are among factors contributing to the larger economic impact.
People stand in front of a temporarily closed McDonald's in Tokyo's Shimbashi district on Friday as the chain experienced widespread tech issues.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2024

McDonald's suffers widespread tech outage in Japan and abroad

Many McDonald's stores in Japan stopped taking in-person and mobile customer orders because of the system disruption.
An offshore wind farm near Nysted, Denmark. Japan aims to become a major offshore wind power producer, with the government targeting projects totaling 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 15, 2024

Japanese firms join forces to promote floating offshore wind

Floating offshore wind power is seen as a way to ensure Japan has a stable and sustainable energy supply.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says he is focused on baseball despite all the hype surrounding his Dodgers debut in Seoul next week.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 16, 2024

Ohtani focused ahead of MLB season opener in Seoul

The Dodgers will play the San Diego Padres in a two-game series in Seoul to open the MLB season next week.
Hezbollah members take part in the funeral of four members of one family killed by in an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon, on March 11 in Blida, near the border with Israel.
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2024

Hezbollah tells Iran it would fight alone in any war with Israel

Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel, has shown support for Hamas in the form of limited volleys of rockets fired across Israel's northern border.
Supporters await the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a campaign event in Hyderabad on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 16, 2024

Data dump exposes the fuzzy lines between money and politics in India

Reading between the lines of the spreadsheets full of names poses questions about the intersection of government and business in India.
To squeeze more energy out of the wind, turbines are getting bigger and bigger, which means that ships capable of installing them are in growing demand.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 17, 2024

Offshore wind’s next big problem: Not enough ships

As economies go green and utilities retire fossil-fuel power stations, wind is emerging as one of the most popular forms of alternative energy.
Members of the U.S. Special Operations Command train with their South Korean counterparts during the annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 17, 2024

U.S. commandos laud training for the 'unexpected' in North Korea's shadow

The Korean Peninsula joins the South China Sea and Taiwan as military flashpoints with the potential to involve the region and the world.

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