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Then Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks at a news conference at the State Department in Washington in January 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2024

Japan lawmakers create group to investigate UFO security 'threat'

The nonpartisan group, which counts former defense ministers among its 80-plus members, will urge Japan to ramp up abilities to detect and analyze UFOs.
About 1 to 1.8 out of 1,000 people in Japan are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2024

Japan researchers develop drug to visualize Parkinson’s disease in living patients

The study could help better our understanding of such neurodegenerative diseases, for which there are currently no cures.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin,” once the victim of high waves that dragged it into the sea, sits at the end of a pier on the south side of Naoshima.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 6, 2024

The sweaty pleasure of Japan’s inconvenient art

This week, writer Thu-Huong Ha is our tour guide into the world of Japan’s inconvenient art movement.
Amid low approval ratings since the Liberal Democratic Party slush funds scandal came to light, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making the political funding bill's passage his No. 1 priority for the current session of parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2024

LDP's political funding bill clears Lower House

The bill's passage marks a watershed moment in a monthslong debate sparked by a slush funds scandal that engulfed the ruling party.
Voters show their index fingers marked with indelible ink after casting their ballots at a polling station in Amritsar, India, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2024

India keeps its glorious, messy tradition alive

"People were fed up with the BJP,” a local business leader said. "People will not always fall for the caste or temple-mosque politics."
The Kabukicho area in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, where Toyoko, the area next to Toho Cinemas cinema complex where lonely young people flock, is located.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 6, 2024

'Ex-King of Toyoko' held for alleged indecent acts with 11-year-old

The 21-year-old university student has remained silent on the allegations against him, according to police.
A popular photo spot with a view of Mount Fuji in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on May 21.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2024

Don’t look now but the Mount Fuji barrier is getting even higher

The move follows the installation of a black screen in a nearby town to block a view of Mount Fuji rising from behind a convenience store.
The United States' Saurabh Nethralvakar celebrates after the team's win over Pakistan at the Twenty20 World Cup in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Jun 7, 2024

U.S. stuns cricket world with historic upset of Pakistan at T20 World Cup

The Times in the U.K. called it "one of the biggest upsets in cricket history."
The effort by the United Kingdom, France and Germany to ramp up pressure was also visible this week at the International Atomic Energy Agency, where they successfully pushed a resolution critical of Iran despite U.S. reservations.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2024

Europeans detail Iran's nuclear violations in diplomatic gambit

The move by Britain, France and Germany is said to be aimed at pressuring Tehran into resolving the issue diplomatically.
Postage rates for sealed letters and other documents are expected to be raised by 30% as early as October, the first rise in 30 years aside from when prices increased along with consumption tax hikes.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2024

Postage rate hikes seen denting New Year's card tradition in Japan

The tradition of sending New Year's greetings on postcards began in 1873 with the introduction of postcards.
Serve this savory parfait chilled with rustic bread, crackers or other charcuterie.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Jun 8, 2024

Broaden your parfait horizons with chicken liver

Spices and herbs can be adjusted to individual tastes or even omitted, but the gelled wine topping is fairly classic, set here with seaweed extract.
A bank and two securities companies under Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group could face punitive action for allegedly sharing customer information without consent, sources said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2024

MUFG units could be penalized for sharing client information

MUFG Bank and the securities firms exchanged information related to clients’ mergers and acquisitions without their consent, sources say.
Novak Djokovic speaks during a news conference after defeating Francisco Cerundolo during the French Open in Paris on June 3.
TENNIS
Jun 7, 2024

Novak Djokovic says knee operation 'went well'

The 24-time Grand Slam winner was forced to withdraw ahead of his Roland Garros quarterfinal against Casper Ruud.
Amid the rising popularity of saunas, the Consumer Affairs Agency is urging users to exercise caution following a spike in the number of sauna-related accidents.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024

Japan's consumer watchdog warns of accidents in the sauna

Users are urged to exercise caution to avoid severe injuries amid a spike in accidents as saunas become more popular.
Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) and LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi sing the LDP song at the party's annual convention in Tokyo on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 8, 2024

Kishida could break with Motegi and Aso over fund regulation

To secure backing for the bill, Kishida chose to concede to external parties rather than side with his right-hand men in the LDP.
Bharatiya Janata Party supporters celebrate after India's general election results in New Delhi on Tuesday. The BJP emerged with 240 seats, making it the single largest party in the assembly, but well short of the 272 seats it needs for a majority.
EDITORIALS
Jun 7, 2024

India’s election humbles Modi and his party

Even as Prime Minister Modi and the BJP claimed a historic third term, voters recognized the need for moderation in some of its policies.
Shizuoka Gov. Yasutomo Suzuki (left) meets with JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa in the city of Shizuoka on June 5.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024

Kishida maintains 2037 target for Tokyo-Osaka maglev line

Prime minister pledges support of the central government in helping stakeholders meet the deadline.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, attend a British-organized ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday in Ver-sur-Mer, France.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2024

U.K.'s Sunak apologizes for skipping main D-Day event

Political opponents accused Sunak of "a total dereliction of duty" by skipping a major international ceremony.
Farm labourers, with their faces covered for protection from heat, work in a field on a hot day in Karnal, India, on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 7, 2024

Everyone you know will eventually be highly vulnerable to extreme heat

Intense heat waves in recent years offer a stark warning of what’s at stake for humanity and particularly the vulnerable elderly population.
Germany's Alexander Zverev during a match at the French Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jun 7, 2024

Alexander Zverev settles abuse case brought by former girlfriend

The agreement, according to German media, includes a monetary condition of €200,000 ($217,820), with the player not found guilty of any wrongdoing.
A Mirage 2000-5F jet fighter takes off from an air-base in France in March 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 8, 2024

French Mirage jets to join U.S. F-16 in patchwork Ukraine air force

Kyiv hopes the defense upgrade will bolster its counteroffensive against Russia, but integration challenges remain.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning his semifinal match against Italy's Jannik Sinner.
TENNIS
Jun 8, 2024

Alcaraz and Zverev win to set up tantalizing French Open final

Having already captured a Wimbledon and U.S. Open trophy at the age of 21, Alcaraz became the youngest man to reach major finals on all three of the sport's surfaces.
Indonesian gymnast Rifda Irfanaluthfi practices at the gymnastics training center in Jakarta on May 16.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jun 8, 2024

Indonesia's first Olympic gymnast encourages others to 'dream higher'

Rifda Irfanaluthfi's feat is even more impressive considering Indonesia does not yet have a national training center for gymnastics
RB's Yuki Tsunoda arrives at the circuit Saturday ahead of qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jun 9, 2024

Yuki Tsunoda staying with RB F1 team in 2025

The 24-year-old has scored points in five of eight races so far for the Italy-based team and RB said they had taken up an option to keep him.
People wait for the start of the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival in Tokyo last year, marking the return of the event after pandemic-era cancellations.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 9, 2024

Start circling the dates for fireworks season now

When you think of a Japanese summer, inevitably you'll think of fireworks. The displays have been a part of the culture for centuries.
Russian officials have increasingly been threatening not to extend the visas of African students and young workers unless they agree to join its military and fight against Ukraine, sources say.
WORLD
Jun 10, 2024

Russia is sending young Africans to die in its war against Ukraine

Moscow has also been enlisting convicts from its prisons, one source said.
Travelers in a departure hall at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on April 26. For environmentalists, the resurgence of tourism will be met with dismay as it drives an accompanying surge in carbon emissions, but for the oil industry, the revival is a welcome boost.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 10, 2024

The world’s flying again and jumbo jets are burning fuel like it’s 2019

But despite this year's record number of flyers, increased efficiency will likely hold back fuel consumption to prepandemic levels.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban applauds after the announcement of the partial results of the European Parliament and municipal elections, in Budapest on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 10, 2024

Europe's far right seeks policy influence to match seat gains

Their election wins reflect a rising trend in the West to turn toward more far-right alternatives.
A U.K. biannual customer satisfaction index based on a survey of 15,000 consumers fell to its lowest since 2015 in January and has declined for three straight periods.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2024

Bad service is in the U.K.’s cultural DNA

While the U.K. could treat its customers better, not doing so is a choice. Why? There's a strain of British society that doesn’t accept the idea of service.
The Asia Peace March is held in observance of Human Rights Day in Tokyo in December 2021. This year, as Japan sits on key U.N. bodies, the government can show leadership in tackling human rights issues in Asia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 7, 2024

Japan can aid in preventing human rights slide in Asia

As a stable democracy and big development donor, Japan should lead in tackling human rights abuses in countries like China, North Korea and Myanmar, and across Asia.

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