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Nine candidates, including Toshimitsu Motegi at the podium, attend a kick off event on Thursday for their campaigning in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2024

Ishiba and Koizumi speed ahead as LDP presidential race kicks off

Despite a decline in the LDP’s image due to a large-scale political funds scandal, Ishiba and Koizumi have remained surprisingly popular with the public.
The Tokyo Ballet’s 60th anniversary program includes Maurice Bejart’s famous shorts, such as “Bolero.”
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 13, 2024

The Tokyo Ballet marks year of rebirth with tributes to history and innovation

Long-time collaborator Bejart Ballet Lausanne brings masterworks to Japan for The Tokyo Ballet's 60th anniversary celebrations.
The government is considering asking more people age 75 or over to pay 30% of their medical costs.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 13, 2024

Japan may require more elderly people to foot 30% of their medical costs

Currently, those age 75 or older pay in principle 10%, while those with preretirement levels of income pay 30%.
Workers with picket signs outside the Boeing Seattle Delivery Center during a strike in Seattle on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2024

Boeing and union negotiators to resume talks next week amid strike

A long strike could further damage Boeing's finances, already groaning due to a $60 billion debt pile.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speak to the media outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington on Friday following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 14, 2024

Biden hasn’t let Ukraine strike deep into Russia. Could Britain change that?

A trip to Washington by Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, came after President Vladimir Putin of Russia warned that the allies’ next step could mean war for NATO.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani goes through his throwing routine before a game against the Rays at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Aug. 23.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 15, 2024

Dodgers manager leaves door slightly open for Shohei Ohtani to pitch in playoffs

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that there is a slight possibility the 30-year-old star could be able to return in October from elbow surgery.
Pep Guardiola has guided Manchester City to six Premier League titles.
SOCCER
Sep 15, 2024

Manchester City's Pep Guardiola says Premier League clubs keen for team to be punished

A long-awaited hearing into charges brought by the Premier League in February 2023 is finally set to get underway on Monday.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello speaks at a news conference Saturday in Caracas after three American citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were detained in the country on suspicion of plotting to destabilize it through "violent actions," the government in Caracas said.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2024

Americans and Spaniards held over alleged plot to 'destabilize' Venezuela

The arrests come during heightened tensions after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was accused of stealing the country's election.
Kirin Holdings and others have established the technology to grow hops indoors.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 22, 2024

Brewers developing climate change-resistant beer ingredients

Reduced barley yields stemming from droughts and extreme temperature could see beer prices rise in Japan, some experts have said.
Students sit under a misting system during recess at Hikarigaoka Haru no Kaze Elementary School in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Society / Boiling Point
Sep 16, 2024

Japan’s schools battle to keep kids cool, with or without AC

With extreme heat affecting both health and study, schools are racing to plug AC gaps while experimenting with creative, cheaper solutions.
Fruits and vegetables sit wrapped in plastic in a supermarket in Tokyo in 2021
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 16, 2024

'Easy, convenient, cheap': How single-use plastic rules the world

Negotiators hope to reach the world's first treaty on plastic pollution this year, but single-use plastic remains hugely popular as a cheap and convenient choice.
Campaign spending in the U.S. has surged, with dark money and Super PACs dominating elections.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2024

Dark money is a cancer on U.S. lawmakers — but it’s curable

Nearly three-fourths of Americans voters say lobbyists and special interests wield too much influence compared to constituents.
President Masoud Pezeshkian takes questions during his first news conference in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD
Sep 17, 2024

Iran president pledges to stop morality police confronting women

The death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022, days after the morality police arrested her for an alleged breach of dress code, triggered monthslong protests.
The Mountain Pass mine, operated by MP Materials in California, is the only rare earths mine in the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2024

China’s grip on rare earths undercuts projects from U.S. to Japan

Japan's experience reducing its dependence on China shows that rare earths projects take longer and are more expensive than initially expected.
Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives for the 2018 Met Gala in New York. Combs — the rap mogul whose star has plunged after a wave of sex trafficking and assault lawsuits against him — was arrested in Manhattan late on September on Monday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 17, 2024

Rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested in New York amid assault lawsuits

The attorney for the Southern District of New York said the arrest stemmed from a sealed indictment filed by his office, which they expected to unseal the next day.
A mongoose on a road in Nago, northern Okinawa, in December 2022. The mongoose was first introduced to Japan in Naha in 1910 for the purpose of exterminating the local habu snakes and rats.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 23, 2024

After Amami-Oshima success, Okinawa's mongoose eradication in focus

Okinawa island's much bigger resident population makes it a challenge to get rid of the animal.
In China, discussing feminism is apparently forbidden, as seen with the controversy over the maker of Black Myth: Wukong censoring feminist topics during streaming, despite its global success and praise for visuals and gameplay. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2024

Wukong makes equal rights for women a taboo topic

Women are increasingly active consumers in the gaming industry: The growth rate of new female gamers in Asia is nearly double that of males.
Phillies players celebrate after a win over the Marlins in Miami earlier this month.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 18, 2024

DraftKings sued by MLB Players Union for using names and images

Revenue has expanded at DraftKings as it attracted more loyal bettors, even as it faced increased competition from online peers and legacy casinos.
French Ambassador Philippe Setton says that, despite previous differences over whether Japan should host a NATO liaison office, Paris aims to deepen ties with Tokyo "in all security areas."
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2024

France-Japan military pact expected by year-end, envoy to Tokyo says

Concerns over the worsening security situation in the Indo-Pacific are speeding up negotiations on a visiting-forces pact between France and Japan.
Marina Tsukada’s “Mitsuki, Sekai” features young nonprofessional actors in the director’s native Nagano Prefecture as their characters mature from childhood to adulthood.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 19, 2024

Intimate and revelatory, ‘Mitsuki, Sekai’ explores the quiet trials of girlhood

Marina Tsukada’s anthology feature containing two unconnected short films lays bare the inner lives of young Japanese women in unexpected ways.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning drops back to pass during a game against the Dolphins in December 2019.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 19, 2024

Eli Manning and Marshawn Lynch lead 2025 Hall of Fame nominees

Kicker Adam Vinatieri, defensive end Terrell Suggs and late wide receiver Demaryius Thomas are also among first-year nominees with Super Bowl resumes.
Visitors take pictures of Tokyo's National Stadium before the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games on Aug. 8, 2021.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2024

¥300 million fine sought for Dentsu over Olympics bid rigging

The Tokyo District Court is slated to issue a ruling on Jan. 30 next year.
Indian soldiers participate in a mock drill exercise in New Delhi in 2016. The transfer of Indian munitions to support Ukraine's defense against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according to the sources and customs data.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 19, 2024

Ammunition from India enters Ukraine, raising Russian ire

The transfer of munitions to support Ukraine's defense against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according to the sources and the customs data.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell injected uncertainty as to where future rates will ultimately land during his news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2024

The Fed’s uncertain destination troubles the bond market

The upshot is that longer-term bond yields don’t have much room to fall in the near-term unless the economy weakens materially.
Toyota Gazoo Racing fans cheer on the team at the start of the 6 Hours of Fuji race on Sunday at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 20, 2024

For Toyota and its rivals, WEC becomes important arena amid major industry shift

Carmakers' involvement in endurance racing has taken on a new level of importance as the auto industry faces a once-a-generation sea change.
Gwangju Biennale’s artistic director Nicolas Bourriaud developed the theme “Pansori: A Soundscape of the 21st Century” to make the event “an opera you can walk into.”
CULTURE / Art
Sep 21, 2024

Japan’s art world seeks connection at Gwangju Biennale

At the longest-running contemporary art festival in East Asia, the Japan Pavilion's display nods to historical tensions between Japan and Korea.
Criminal justice advocates said they hope U.S. President Joe Biden will grant more clemency requests before his term ends on Jan. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2024

As sun sets on Biden's term, some inmates pin their hopes on clemency

Since Biden took office in 2021, the White House has pardoned 25 people and commuted sentences for 131 people, according to Justice Department data.
Netflix has developed more local content for India featuring Bollywood actors over the years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 23, 2024

India probing Netflix for visa violations and racial discrimination, email shows

Netflix has often faced heat in India over its content deemed insensitive by some users, as well as an Indian tax demand since 2023.
McLaren driver Lando Norris celebrates after winning the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 23, 2024

Lando Norris cuts into Max Verstappen's lead with dominant win in Singapore

It was the McLaren driver's third career win and his first from pole position as he finished almost 30 seconds clear of his rival's Red Bull.
Troops from the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in the 05JX military exercises on the island of Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture last November. While Japan's overall ranking in the 2024 Asia Power Index dropped, it scored improvements in the defense and security sphere.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2024

Japan falls behind India to No. 4 in new Asia power survey

The 2024 Asia Power Index highlights shifting power dynamics in the region, with the U.S. still dominant but facing rising military pressure from China.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40