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A failed actor (Koji Seki, left) revisits memories of his ex-wife (Kano Ichiki) after learning about her unexpected death in “Performing Kaoru's Funeral.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2024

‘Performing Kaoru's Funeral’: Ambitious drama reflects on love that doesn’t die

Koji Seki brings gravitas to his role as a man tasked with serving as chief mourner for his dead ex-wife in Noriko Yuasa’s drama.
A strait-laced tax officer (Seiyo Uchino) teams up with a gang of con artists to take down a crooked property developer in “Angry Squad: Civil Servant and Seven Swindlers.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2024

‘Angry Squad’: A caper comedy with a lot of heart

The film’s two-hour running time breezes by as a strait-laced tax officer joins a colorful crew of con artists.
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2024

Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project

The nations also reiterated their “unwavering commitment” to seeing the next-generation supersonic jet take to the sky by 2035.
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2024

Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas

It would be hard to paint Ishiba's trip as a success, with the prime minister committing a series of diplomatic faux pas.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (right) welcomes International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi during a meeting in Tehran last Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 20, 2024

Iran offers to cap sensitive uranium stock as IAEA resolution looms

Western diplomats dismissed Iran's overture as yet another last-minute attempt to avoid censure, much like its pledge of deeper cooperation that never materialized.
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2024

Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy

The package will include cash handouts to lower-income households and subsidies to help families cope with rising utility bills.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shake hands during a signing event in Brasilia on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

Xi and Lula elevate China-Brazil ties in state visit

The state visit capped a regional tour by Xi that showcased Beijing's growing diplomatic clout during a tricky government transition in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden in Brazil for the Group of 20 summit on Tuesday. Biden's reversal of his previous curbs on U.S. landmines comes just days after Washington gave Ukraine the green light to use U.S.-made long-range missiles on targets within Russia.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

U.S. cites new Russian tactics for decision to supply landmines to Ukraine

President Joe Biden's policy reversal comes just days after Washington gave Ukraine the green light to use long-range missiles on targets within Russia.
A Palestinian man points at a damaged building in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
WORLD
Nov 21, 2024

Israeli strikes kill 48 people in Gaza as hospital in north makes distress call

Operations have focused for weeks on the northern edge of Gaza, where Israel has laid siege to three major towns and ordered residents to flee.
The Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 (right) is anchored while being monitored by a Danish naval patrol vessels in the sea of Kattegat, near Jutland, Denmark, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 21, 2024

Chinese ship stirs suspicions after Baltic Sea cables damaged

The Yi Peng 3 bulk carrier was in the vicinity of fiber optic cables connecting several countries when they were damaged.
Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal celebrates after closing out an inning during Detroit's playoff series with Cleveland last month.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 21, 2024

Braves' Chris Sale and Tigers' Tarik Skubal collect Cy Young honors

Both left-handers won the pitching Triple Crown and were the clear favorites in Cy Young Award voting.
NVIDIA's founder and CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address in San Jose, California, on Mar. 18.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 21, 2024

Nvidia's AI chip demand still booming but slowing sales worry investors

The company is in the middle of launching its powerful Blackwell artificial intelligence chips, which will weigh on gross margins initially but improve over time.
The Italian team celebrates after winning the Billie Jean King Cup over Slovakia on Wednesday in Madrid.
TENNIS
Nov 21, 2024

Brilliant Paolini leads Italy to fifth Billie Jean King Cup title

A year after Italy suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Canada in the decider, the charismatic Paolini demolished her Slovakian opponent to clinch the title.
Nylon is wrapped around fiber-optic cables at a SubCom factory in Newington, New Hampshire, in December 2018.
WORLD
Nov 21, 2024

Strategic subsea cables: the vulnerable links that enable our digital lives

Sweden and Finland have opened investigations into potential "sabotage" against cables damaged on Sunday and Monday in the Baltic Sea.
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 21, 2024

'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists

Ko Shinjo’s novel, a bold exploration of the twisted psyches of criminals, is best appreciated as a companion work to the recent Netflix series of the same title.
Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, gestures as he speaks during a rally for then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

Lutnick's China ties draw fire after Trump taps him for U.S. trade roles

The ties raise questions about whether Lutnick could be unduly influenced by Beijing when making decisions as U.S. trade representative and commerce secretary.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with a Hamas commander who Israel says was killed in Gaza months ago.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2024

ICC issues arrest warrant for Israel’s Netanyahu on Gaza ‘war crimes’

The Israeli government has repeatedly denied the allegations and said its operations against Hamas comply with international laws.
A mockup of a Northvolt battery at a factory in Skelleftea, northern Sweden. Northvolt transformed in a matter of months from Europe's best shot at a homegrown electric-vehicle battery champion to a company struggling to stay afloat.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2024

Northvolt files for bankruptcy in blow to Europe's EV ambitions

The firm said it has only enough cash to support operations for about a week.
A push by U.S. antitrust regulators to force the sale of the Google Chrome browser to limit Alphabet's search dominance is likely to run into legal hurdles.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Nov 22, 2024

Legal hurdles ahead for Google's forced sale of Chrome

The proposed remedies have been described as extreme, while a forced sale would not address several issues raised in the DOJ lawsuit, critics say.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes rushes with the ball during a game against the Bills on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 22, 2024

NFL warns players of burglary rings targeting pro athletes

NBC News reported Wednesday that law enforcement is working to figure out whether an international crime syndicate is involved in recent burglaries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2024

Putin, ascendant in Ukraine, eyes contours of a Trump peace deal

The Russian president could broadly agree to freeze the conflict along the front lines, five current and former Russian officials say.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates with the trophy after his club clinched the Premier League in May this year.
SOCCER
Nov 22, 2024

Pep Guardiola signs two-year contract extension with Manchester City

Guardiola's decision means he will spend more than a decade at the club he joined in 2016 and has led to a dazzling array of silverware.
Despite its somewhat grisly inspiration, this decadent cake would fit into most holiday menus.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Nov 24, 2024

A buttery pound cake to die — or kill — for

As a nod to author Asako Yuzuki, I’ve elevated this recipe inspired by her 2017 bestseller with a little of Japan’s yuzu citrus.
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani speaks during an event in Haifa port, Israel, in January 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2024

How an Indian billionaire's alleged bribery scheme took off and unraveled

Gautam Adani allegedly decided to bribe local officials to persuade them to buy 8 gigawatts of solar electricity.
Do Deuce with jockey Yutaka Take aboard wins the Emperor’s Cup (Autumn) at Tokyo Racecourse on Oct. 27.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 22, 2024

Strong group of contenders set to compete for glory

Christmas comes early, as usual, for fans of horse racing in Japan. This Sunday once again sees the Group 1 Japan Cup run at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, just a short distance away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.
Retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson and YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul fight during the heavyweight boxing bout in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15. The fight highlights the need for a national boxing commission to enforce uniform safety standards and prevent exploitative matchups.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2024

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's fight should have been illegal

Among major American sports, boxing is unique for its decentralized structure. There’s no annual schedule, season, commissioner or mandatory rulemaking body.
Suspect Kenichi Hosoya enters the Asakusa Police Station in Tokyo on Friday. The handcuffs and waist ties are blurred for privacy reasons.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2024

Tokyo couple served fresh arrest warrants over family murders

The couple was served arrest warrants for the fourth time, following warrants over the deaths of their second daughter, the husband's father and his sister.
This 6-year-old pug loves being held, snuggling with his favorite blanket, relaxing on a sofa and going for strolls.
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Nov 25, 2024

After some rough times, Tosca needs a home for Christmas

This 6-year-old pug loves being held, snuggling with his favorite blanket, relaxing on a sofa and going for strolls.
Scott Bessent speaks at a campaign event for Donald Trump in Asheville in North Carolina in August.
WORLD
Nov 23, 2024

Trump taps Scott Bessent for U.S. Treasury

Bessent has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production.
Palestinians gather to buy bread from a bakery in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Friday.
WORLD
Nov 23, 2024

Little hope in Gaza that arrest warrants will cool Israeli onslaught

Medics in Gaza said at least 24 people were killed in fresh Israeli military strikes.

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