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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2023

U.S.-China trade is close to a record, defying talk of decoupling

Even as the U.S. aims to hold back China's advance and Beijing seeks to counter Washington's global influence, the two economies remain deeply entwined.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Tomakomai aims to give tourism a boost through sharing creative works

Local communities are being encouraged to enjoy making use of creative works, and to share that joy with tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Manga and anime helping Tomakomai to boost tourism sector

In an effort to attract visitors, people in charge of community development in Tomakomai have begun to pay attention to the city's manga and anime resources.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Tomakomai bets on pop culture for tourism boost by embracing cosplay events

The number of visitors to the Tomakomai Cosplay Festa has increased over the years, with about 16,000 people attending in 2019, making it one of the city's most popular events.
The head of a child dummy hits the ground after falling from a balance bike on a slope during a simulation conducted by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2025

Consumer watchdog warns about the dangers of balance bikes for children

Between April 2019 and December 2024, there were 101 reported accidents involving such bikes.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs after attending a Federal Trade Commission trial at a U.S. District Court in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 16, 2025

Zuckerberg defends strategy behind Instagram, WhatsApp deals

The Federal Trade Commission alleges the acquisitions of the two apps give Meta Platforms a social media monopoly, and is fighting to break up the company.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a delegation to Washington for high-stakes tariff talks, as other nations watch to see if Tokyo can secure favorable terms from the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025

If Japan can’t get a good trade deal, can anyone?

The Asian nation is the canary in the tariff coal mine. If it can’t secure a good deal, there’s little hope for others.
Former CDP executive Kenji Eda discusses a possible reduction of the consumption tax rate, in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

CDP divisions over proposed tax cut pose headache for Yoshihiko Noda

The nation’s largest opposition party is preparing for the Upper House poll in July, in which it hopes to win enough seats to make a CDP-led coalition government possible.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki speaks during a news conference at the Diet on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2025

Japan to start discussions on reviewing retrial system Monday

A government advisory panel will start discussions Monday to review the country's retrial system for criminal cases in which guilty verdicts have become final, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Friday.
Lawyers for plaintiffs seeking compensation from the government over their deteriorated health due to working in an asbestos factory speak at a news conference in the city of Osaka on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2025

High court overturns asbestos ruling, ordering government to pay ¥6 million

A Japanese court ruled in favor of an asbestos victim’s family, saying the government wrongly narrowed compensation criteria in 2019.
The proposal reportedly calls for a legal framework that would obligate telecom operators to store communication records for a fixed period.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2025

LDP proposal would require telecom companies to store usage records

The proposal calls for a legal framework that would obligate telecom operators to store metadata and usage records for a fixed period.
A soldier from the U.S.-led coalition holds the hand of a boy during a joint U.S.- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces patrol in the countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria in February 2024.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2025

U.S. to withdraw some 1,000 troops from Syria

President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of Washington's presence in Syria.
Russian service members carry traditional cakes to distribute to local residents ahead of Orthodox Easter celebrations, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2025

Putin is accused of violating the Easter Sunday truce he ordered

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited 59 cases of shelling and five assault actions by Russian units in various front-line areas on Sunday morning.
The first meeting of a subcommittee under the Legislative Council to discuss a review of the retrial system on Monday at the Justice Ministry
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2025

Panel agrees on need to revise retrial system

Public calls for a review of the retrial system, which has not been revised since the country's criminal procedure law was established in 1948, have been growing.
Ukrainian service members fire a multiple rocket launch system toward Russian troops near the frontline town of Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on April 19.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 24, 2025

Trump ramps up pressure on Zelenskyy to accept peace deal

U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace deal that critics fear will favor Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with heads of municipal entities in Moscow on Monday. Moscow has insisted that Ukraine largely demilitarize as a condition to end the war.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 25, 2025

U.S. to demand Putin accept Ukraine’s right to military force

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia to raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sources say.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff prior to their talks in Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 26, 2025

Trump says Russia-Ukraine deal 'very close' after new Kremlin talks

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again rejected suggestions that his country give up on Russian-held Crimea.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday.
WORLD
Apr 26, 2025

Trump and Zelenskyy meet one-on-one in Vatican basilica to seek Ukraine peace

The meeting, their first since an angry encounter in Washington in February, comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump meet, while they attend the funeral of Pope Francis, at the Vatican on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2025

Trump raises Putin doubts after Zelenskyy talks at pope's funeral

The Ukrainian leader said they had discussed a possible unconditional ceasefire with Russia and that their talks had "the potential to become historic."
Pope Francis prays in front of a candle lit to remember victims of abuse by the church, inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin, Ireland on August 25, 2018.
WORLD / Society
Apr 28, 2025

Abuse victims say they saw progress under Pope Francis, just not enough

For abuse survivors, Francis' legacy on the issue is a mixed one of powerful words and at times underwhelming deeds.
Police officers cordon off the scene after several people were killed in a shooting at Vaksala Square in central Uppsala, Sweden on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 30, 2025

Sweden stunned by new deadly gun attack

A shootout at a Swedish hair salon left at least three people dead, police and media said.
Spurs guard Stephon Castle drives to the basket against Raptors forward Ochai Agbaji during a game on April 13.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 30, 2025

Stephon Castle named Rookie of the Year in second straight for Spurs

Castle is the second straight San Antonio player to win top rookie honors — French sensation Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous winner last season.
Police officers work on-site a day after a deadly shooting at Vaksala Square in Uppsala, Sweden, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 1, 2025

Sweden arrests teen after triple killing

Swedish police have arrested a teen suspect after three youths between the ages of 15 to 20 were killed in a shooting at a hair salon on Tuesday.
Vindaloo was rescued from a Gifu temple, along with a number of other dogs, when he was 2 years old.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 1, 2025

A Hokkaido cross that’s more sweet than spicy

Eleven-year-old Vindaloo loves going on walks, and especially enjoys a romp in the snow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff prior to their talks in Moscow on April 25.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2025

The U.S. is letting Putin string it along on Ukraine

Russia is stringing Trump along with empty ceasefire gestures and escalating demands, exploiting his desperation to claim a quick Ukraine peace deal.
People take part in the European Defense Tech Hub hackathon in Amsterdam on March 28.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2025

Mission before money: How Europe's defense startups are luring AI talent

A sense of patriotism stirred by the war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump's upending of security alliances is a motivation for many.
A local resident takes his belongings out of a damaged residential building after a drone attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
May 3, 2025

Trump team has prepped options to pressure Russia to end war

People familiar with the matter cautioned that Trump has made no decision yet as diplomatic efforts were ongoing.

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