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The koji room at Fukuwagura brewery in Mie Prefecture, where metals such as stainless steel, which are easy to manage for hygiene, are widely used
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 30, 2025

Japanese food makers step in to preserve sake breweries' legacy

The initiatives by food companies coincide with a growing recognition of traditional sake-making techniques.
Scottie Scheffler competes during the The Presidents Cup in Ile Bizard, Quebec, on Sept. 29, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 30, 2025

No. 1 Scheffler ready to go in season debut at Pebble Beach

A freak Christmas dinner accident, while using a wine glass to shape ravioli, resulted in a wound to his hand that required surgery and delayed Scheffler's start to the campaign.
At 29 kilograms, Fanta’s size may be intimidating, but he’s easygoing and full of tenderness.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 31, 2025

Fanta-stic cuddler seeks new home

This gentle giant loves squeaky toys and will make a wonderful companion.
IOC presidential candidate Morinari Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Jan 31, 2025

IOC presidential contenders make pitches to voters

They are vying to succeed Thomas Bach as arguably the most powerful person in global sports.
Tokyo saw a net population inflow of 79,285 in 2024, up 11,000 from the previous year and returning to prepandemic levels.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2025

Tokyo area's net population inflow accelerates in 2024

The government aims to reverse the trend in fiscal 2027 to address the issue of overconcentration in the Tokyo area.
Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. Ever since Red Bull gambled on a 17-year-old Verstappen in 2015, both sides have reaped the rewards: 63 wins, 40 pole positions, 112 podiums and four world championships.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 1, 2025

Formula One champion is confronting changes off the track and on

The reigning four-time Formula One champion, who is set to become a father, has his sights set on a fifth straight title, a feat only Michael Schumacher has accomplished.
Norwegian soldiers and U.S. Marines work together during a military exercise in Finnmark, Norway, on March 10, 2024.
WORLD
Feb 3, 2025

NATO scrambles for drones that can survive the Arctic

Governments in the world's far north are seeking to overcome the challenge of flying drones in cold, icy weather as the region comes into the geopolitical spotlight.
Home plate umpire Pat Hoberg calls an out during a game between the Padres and Giants in April 2023.
BASEBALL
Feb 4, 2025

MLB umpire fired for violating league gambling rules

The league said in a statement a decision to dismiss Hoberg made in May 2024 had been upheld following a lengthy appeals process.
The current government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resisted calls for a national inquiry focused on the grooming gangs in Rotherham, and says it will conduct a series of local probes.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2025

'Life's ruined' in U.K. town broken by grooming gangs

Rotherham, once a producer of some of the world's finest steel, is now the epicenter of a major U.K. scandal that has left the town angry, ashamed and needing answers.
The Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai on Jan. 20. China's Finance Ministry said it would impose levies of 15% for U.S. coal and LNG and 10% for crude oil, farm equipment and some autos.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 4, 2025

China hits back with tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump imposes new levies

Trump on Monday suspended his threat of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada at the last minute, but there was no such reprieve for China.
Petra Kvitova plays a forehand return against Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki during the US Open tennis tournament on Aug. 30, 2023.
TENNIS
Feb 4, 2025

Kvitova to make comeback this month after maternity break

The former world No. 2 last played in October 2023 and won titles in Miami and Berlin that year.
Brazil forward Neymar (left) fights for the ball during a training session at Rei Pele training centre, in Santos, Brazil on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Feb 4, 2025

Neymar homecoming is reminder of promise unfulfilled

Last week, 12 years on, he returned to first club Santos — Neymar the celebrity with unimaginable wealth, but a player whose fragile body has been badly diminished by injuries.
Panasonic will restructure low-growth businesses and make changes to its employment structure, according to a recently released statement.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 5, 2025

Panasonic shares jump most in 11 years on restructuring plans

The Osaka-based company will restructure low-growth businesses and make changes to its employment structure.
The new generative AI-powered Alexa represents at once a huge opportunity for Amazon, which counts more than half a billion Alexa-enabled devices in the market, and a tremendous risk.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 6, 2025

Amazon set to release long-delayed Alexa generative AI revamp

The new generative AI-powered Alexa represents at once a huge opportunity for Amazon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 7, 2025

Ukraine keeps its Kursk bargaining chip for any Russia talks

Russian forces have, so far, reclaimed only about half of the area that Ukraine took last year.
Latvia's Minister for Climate and Energy Kaspars Melnis (left) and Rolands Irklis, CEO of electricity transmission state system operator AST, pose with a severed cable after technicians worked on the disconnection of the major power line between Latvia and Russia in Vilaka, Latvia, near the Russian border on Saturday.
WORLD
Feb 9, 2025

Baltic nations disconnect from Russian power grid ahead of linking with EU

The Baltic states have disconnected from Russia's power grid and will synchronize with the EU's system, marking a major step toward energy independence and security.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2025

Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS state news agency that "many different communications are emerging."
U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Osaka in 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Russia seen playing hardball with Trump on Ukraine peace discussions

Donald Trump, who has repeatedly stated he wants to end the war in Ukraine, said he thought he was making progress, though he has not shared how he hopes to end the conflict.
In digital trade, Japan's imports have been rising faster than its exports, amid the dominance of global information technology giants such as Microsoft and Google.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 11, 2025

Japan's trade deficit for digital services rose to record ¥6.6 trillion in 2024

Japan's digital trade deficit is expected to reach ¥10 trillion in 2030, roughly equivalent to its crude oil imports in 2024.
"I hope skaters who train here will go on to shine on the world stage," Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada told the Japan Times at Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a skating rink in Tachikawa, Tokyo, whose establishment she was involved in, on Jan. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 11, 2025

Mao Asada sets out to safeguard the future of Japanese skating

Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a project that involved the three-time world champion, has become a dream destination for skaters.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance attends a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2025

Vance warns Russia of possible sanctions if it refuses good peace deal with Ukraine

The U.S. vice president also urged Europe to spend more on defense.
With the ruling coalition parties holding a majority in the upper house — where a vote will be held on Monday — Friday’s approval makes it all but certain Junko Koeda will join the nine-member board, becoming the second female in the group.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2025

Female BOJ board member’s nomination approved by Lower House

Friday’s approval makes it all but certain Junko Koeda will join the nine-member board, becoming the second female in the group.
“Mornings Without Mii,” Mayumi Inaba’s 1999 memoir, charts the course of the author’s 20-year relationship with her calico cat, Mii.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 16, 2025

'Mornings Without Mii': A cozy cat memoir that gets down in the muck

Mayumi Inaba’s 1999 memoir charts the course of the author’s 20-year relationship with her calico cat, Mii.
Data show that the policies of Japan’s last decade or so have served the rich better than the vast majority of the country’s households.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2025

Assets of Japan’s wealthiest jump to a record $3 trillion

Between 2011 and 2023, the wealth of Japan’s rich more than doubled and super rich tripled.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2025

Trump floats idea of U.S., Russia and China halving defense spending

Trump’s proposal highlights how willing he is to upend standard foreign-policy craft and foster closer ties with two U.S. adversaries.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during the Munich Security Conference in the German city on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 15, 2025

China will have to hit back at U.S. ‘bullying,’ Beijing's top diplomat says

Still, Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to take a broader view of relations, expressing confidence that the two countries will remain engaged long into the future.
Ukrainian soldiers from the Shkval Special Forces Assault Battalion during training exercises in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on Thursday
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 15, 2025

Trump team makes confused start to Ukraine diplomacy

This was a disorienting week for those anxious over how the new Trump administration will fulfill Donald Trump's vow to end the Ukraine war.
Cat-related sweets sold by 7-Eleven in Tokyo. Employees of 7-Eleven have helped develop 23 types of cat-related products this year, compared with just five last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2025

Japan's Cat Day sees companies capitalize on 'a-meow-zing' economic boon

This year, products and services related to cats are estimated to generate ¥414.50 billion more than last year.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky speaks during an interview at the Ukrainian Embassy in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 21, 2025

As Ukraine rift emerges, Kyiv's envoy says Japan must take on bigger global role

The remarks by Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky came amid what appears to be a dramatic reversal in years of U.S. support for Ukraine since Russia's invasion.
People visit the graves of relatives who were killed during Russia's attack on Ukraine, during a large-scale light installation Lights of Memory, as they mark the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2025

Ukraine hemmed in as U.S. backing frays three years after Russian invasion

Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and over 6 million live as refugees abroad since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air.

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