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Japan's new justice minister Hideki Makihara says abolishing the death penalty would be "inappropriate."
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2024

New justice minister says scrapping death penalty 'inappropriate'

Capital punishment has strong public support in Japan, where scrapping it is rarely discussed.
Walking through Tokyo's varied neighborhoods and the sub-communities within them can be the best way for a tourist, even one with limited time, to take the city in.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 5, 2024

Sure, Tokyo’s trains are amazing. But are they ruining your trip?

Amid a visit to the infinite urban landscape that is Tokyo, what does it mean to maximize your time?
The National Police Agency has noted a major rise in online investment fraud cases, incidents of which have more than quadrupled in the first eight months of this year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 3, 2024

Investment and romance fraud cases triple in first eight months of year

A total of 6,868 reports of scam cases involving losses amounting to nearly ¥88 billion ($600 million) have been reported, the National Police Agency said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav has repeatedly stressed that Israel must take the fight to Lebanon.
WORLD
Oct 4, 2024

Israel's hawkish Yoav Gallant is driving the war in Lebanon

Officials in Israel like Yoav Gallant have called to push the Lebanese militant group away from their shared border to allow displaced people to return.
Port workers from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) participate in a strike at the Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

U.S. port workers, operators reach deal to end East Coast strike

A tentative agreement for a wage hike of around 62% over six years will immediately end a crippling three-day strike.
The value of artificial intelligence companies has skyrocketed, fueling talk of a possible AI bubble.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2024

AI bubble or 'revolution'? OpenAI's big payday fuels debate

To critics, buyers don't really understand the technology, and the market needed for it to thrive is not mature yet.
There's nothing like a tangy sandwich to see the last gasps of summer fade into a crisp Japanese autumn.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Oct 6, 2024

Get yourself in a pickle with this uber-tangy banh mi

As a sandwich, this banh mi is a great hot weather lunch for those last few gasps of summer.
With his robust physique and loving spirit, Yukichi will make one lucky family very happy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 7, 2024

Yukichi was lost and found on the streets of Kyoto

With his adorable face, big round eyes, and healthy appetite, Yukichi will make a wonderful addition to a loving family.
Diego Garcia — the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago and the site of a major military base used by Britain and the United States — is seen in this undated image the U.S. Navy provided.
WORLD
Oct 4, 2024

U.K. cedes Chagos Island sovereignty to Mauritius and keeps air base

Britain's deal also could pave the way for people displaced decades ago to return home.
Nippon Ishin no Kai head Nobuyuki Baba (back left) and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan head Yoshihiko Noda (back right) discuss cooperation during the upcoming general election in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2024

Opposition parties have little time to form united front ahead of polls

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s surprise announcement of an Oct. 27 general election has left others scrambling to coordinate in order to avoid multi-cornered fights.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2024

Masamitsu Yoshioka, last Pearl Harbor bombardier, dies at 106

"I’m ashamed that I’m the only one who survived and lived such a long life,” Yoshioka said in an interview last year.
A protest against the Taliban’s decision to cancel the return of high school-aged girls to school in Kabul in 2022. Women and girls are banned from education in Afghanistan beyond the sixth grade.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2024

Japan shouldn’t work with the Taliban, not even to build schools

Japan's development aid to Afghanistan strengthens the Taliban. Instead, Tokyo should support those, like exiled Afghans, who defend democracy and human rights.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to a reporter on Sept. 27. Aggressive acts toward front-line workers, dubbed "customer harassment," have become a growing problem.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024

Tokyo passes nation's first customer harassment ordinance

The ordinance, however, does not include any criminal punishment for those accused of harassment.
To preserve the integrity of the game in the legalized gambling era, Major League Baseball must double down and maintain its now posthumous ban on Pete Rose.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2024

Pete Rose fans are wrong: He's not worthy of the Hall of Fame

Backing down would undermine the league’s zero-tolerance stance and signal that "permanently ineligible" isn't always permanent.
Containers are stacked at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 5, 2024

U.S. port strike throws spotlight on big union foe: automation

Companies view automation as a path to better profit while unions see it as a job-killer.
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after a strike as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, on Saturday.
WORLD
Oct 5, 2024

Israeli strike hits north Lebanon as raids pummel Beirut suburbs

A source said a Hamas official, his wife and two children were killed in the strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Tripoli.
 A giant mural of Shohei Ohtani on the side of a hotel in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 5, 2024

Japanese baseball fans flock to LA to see playoff-bound Ohtani

Inside Dodger Stadium, the influence of Japanese fans is clear, from Japanese-language merchandise to cuisine that included bento boxes, sushi and fried octopus.
Tomoyuki Sugano (left) with his Giants teammates during a game last month in Hiroshima.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 5, 2024

Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano announces plans to join MLB

The long-time Giants starter has won the Sawamura Award as NPB's best pitcher twice, in 2017 and 2018.
Prominent food critic Yukio Hattori has died after collapsing at his cooking school in Tokyo, it was learned Saturday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 6, 2024

'Iron Chef' star Yukio Hattori dies at 78

Best known for his television appearances, Hattori garnered international acclaim, including the Chevalier award for promoting French cuisine in Japan.
Francesco Bagnaia races to a win during the Japan MotoGP in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 6, 2024

Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP ahead of championship leader Martin

The Italian defending world champion Bagnaia overtook pole-sitter Pedro Acosta on the first lap at Motegi and stayed in the lead to finish 1.189 seconds ahead of Martin.
A man walks past memorial pictures of hostages, most of whom were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, in Tel Aviv on Sept. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2024

Two ceremonies show Israel's conflicting narratives over Oct. 7

The distinction in tone for the ceremonies is at the heart of a public discourse over how to remember the darkest day in Israel's 76-year history.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has replaced his chief of staff and must now review key tax-raising plans that have been questioned over their viability.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2024

Starmer forced into messy reset less than 100 days in power

He has replaced his chief of staff, Sue Gray, and is reviewing key tax-raising plans amid questions over their viability.
A flag with the logo of the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in front of the Baku Olympic Stadium, the venue of the summit, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sept. 19
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 7, 2024

Environment takes center stage as global summits loom

The upcoming session isn't expected to break new ground but will take stock of progress since the last summit secured historic assurances for biodiversity.
Security officials examine the site of an explosion near Karachi's international airport in the Pakistani city on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2024

'Terrorist attack' near Karachi airport kills two Chinese nationals

Separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility over the attack, which it said targeted Chinese nationals.
A man wades through water in an area affected by monsoon flooding in Roshi village in Nepal's Kavre district on Sept. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 7, 2024

Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers

Nepal is reeling from its worst flooding in decades after monsoon rains swelled rivers and inundated neighborhoods in Kathmandu.
Yoshimoto Kogyo, the agency that manages comedy trio Jungle Pocket, announced in mid-September that group member Shinji Saito had been experiencing health issues and underwent hospitalization, and that he requested a hiatus.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2024

Comedian Shinji Saito investigated over sexual assault

The member of comedy trio Jungle Pocket is alleged to have performed nonconsensual sexual intercourse on a woman in a bus at a filming location in Shinjuku.
A showroom in Budapest for electric vehicles made by BYD, a Chinese auto manufacturer, on Sept. 16
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Oct 7, 2024

Climate change and economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs

EU states have voted to impose tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, but experts say this complicates the push to get cleaner cars on the road.
Lakers guard LeBron James defends Suns guard Bradley Beal during a preseason contest in Palm Desert, California, on Sunday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 7, 2024

Lakers father-son duo LeBron and Bronny James play together in preseason contest

LeBron James admitted there were moments on the court that felt surreal.
Players on Nintendo Switch game consoles. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is reportedly weighing deploying more capital to Nintendo and its sector peers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 7, 2024

Nintendo jumps after Saudi fund expresses interest in bigger stake

The Saudi government is keen to mold the kingdom into a global gaming industry player and diversify its oil-heavy portfolio.
According to a recent survey, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leads in public sentiment, with a majority of voters preferring his previously defeated Conservative government. In another poll, half of voters disapprove of Labour leader Keir Starmer's performance after just three months in office.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2024

Tories remain the ‘party party.’ Time for a bouncer.

More of the same could doom Conservatives to a long stay in the wilderness or even organizational collapse. They better get this leadership contest right.

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