Search - 2025

 
 
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stands with him aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 10, 2025

Trump declines to rule out recession in U.S. this year

The U.S. president's on-again, off-again tariff threats have roiled financial markets and stoked unease among consumers.
Hong Kong’s growth outlook was cut by economists for the last two quarters of the year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 10, 2025

Singapore and Hong Kong face growth risks over U.S. tariff war with China

Singapore and Hong Kong are among the most exposed to China’s economy via commodity and trade links.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (left) catches a pass for a touchdown over Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore during the first half at Lumen Field on Dec. 22, 2024.
SPORTS / Football
Mar 10, 2025

Steelers obtain wide receiver DK Metcalf from Seahawks

Metcalf reportedly will sign a five-year, $150 million deal with the Steelers.
Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori says he wants the central government to clarify and accelerate the plan for disposing of soil from radiation decontamination work.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2025

Governor urges contaminated soil be disposed of outside Fukushima by 2045

A law states all contaminated soil must be disposed of outside Fukushima by March 2045.
Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole participates in spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 13.
BASEBALL
Mar 11, 2025

Yankees ace Cole to have season-ending elbow surgery

The Yankees confirmed that Cole would have Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn right ulnar collateral ligament.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 13. Darnold reportedly plans to sign with the Seahawks.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Mar 11, 2025

QB Sam Darnold to sign $100 million contract with Seahawks: reports

Darnold parlayed a career season with the Minnesota Vikings into the largest contract of his career.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun speaks during an interview on Feb. 27 in Seoul.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 11, 2025

South Korean lawmakers to visit Osaka Expo

Lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said he will encourage South Koreans to visit Japan for the expo.
Signage at a Tesla store in Colma, California, on Monday. Tesla shares plunged to their worst day in more than four years, extending a slide in 2025 amid growing concerns on Wall Street about demand for the company's electric cars.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 11, 2025

Tesla’s stock defied gravity for years. Is Elon Musk’s EV party over?

The bulk of Tesla's worth rests on hopes for autonomous vehicles it hasn't yet delivered, despite Musk's continued promises.
Tiger Woods waves to the fans at The Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Torrey Pines in San Diego on Feb. 16.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Mar 12, 2025

Tiger Woods has surgery for ruptured Achilles tendon

The recovery time from an Achilles rupture can often last several months, which would almost certainly rule Woods out from playing in any of this season's majors.
Onosato (right) has eased to a 3-0 start in the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Mar 12, 2025

Sumo in March comes in like a lion

It’s been a rocky start to spring for sumo both in Japan and abroad.
Voters believe they are active participants in democracies, but the real power is concentrated in the hands of the few.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2025

Social media and playing at democracy

Voters believe they are active participants in democracies, but the real power is concentrated in the hands of the few.
Upper House Budget Committee chief Yosuke Tsuruho (right) and his Lower House counterpart, Jun Azumi, meet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 12, 2025

Medical cap fumble paves way for unprecedented second revision of fiscal budget

While there have been cases of bills returning to the Lower House after amendments in the Upper House, it has never happened with the budget.
A worker adjusts an anti-smog dust suppression sprayer installed at a construction site in Lahore on Feb. 17. Tens of millions of Pakistanis spent at least four months breathing toxic air pollution 20 times above safe levels, in the worst winter smog season for several years.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 12, 2025

'Really suffocating': Pakistan emerges from record smog season

Pakistan regularly ranks among the world's most polluted countries, with Lahore often the most polluted megacity between November and February.
A layer of smog hangs over Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 13, 2025

Mongolia's children choke in toxic pollution

The toxic smog that settles over the Mongolian capital every winter has been a suffocating problem for more than a decade.
Just like in times of old, with unresolved territorial disputes, regional disunity and economic self-interest prevailing over solidarity, Southeast Asia faces growing instability as tensions escalate.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2025

Southeast Asia must learn to defend itself

Would any of the region’s governments lift a finger to maintain peace on behalf of a neighbor?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends an Upper House Budget Committee session in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 13, 2025

How Upper House pressure led to Ishiba's stunning reversal on medical cost caps

An unprecedented second amendment to Japan's budget shows opposition in the Lower House is not the only external pressure to which the government is exposed.
Participants perform Kagami Biraki (the opening of the sake barrel) at an event promoting this year's World Exposition held at the Japanese Embassy in Brasilia on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2025

Japan embassy in Brazil holds Osaka Expo promotional event

The tourism promotion event comes as this year marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries being established.
Officials from Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), the Ministry of National Defense’s research arm, say the lessons from the Ukraine conflict are clear for the democratic island: drones and other autonomous systems are crucial for its defense.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 14, 2025

Drones, budgets and infighting: Taiwan's daunting defense challenges

In bridging its military gap with China, Taiwan needs to both overcome key technical challenges of asymmetric warfare.
Microchips are a major source of "forever chemicals” that are linked to cancer and other health problems.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 14, 2025

As chips race spews ‘forever chemicals,’ startups emerge to destroy them

A wave of companies are offering potential solutions that won’t cut the chemicals out of the supply chain but destroy them.
A hamburger made with "okonomiyaki" savory pancakes
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2025

Osaka Expo to showcase Japan's food industry

Major conveyor-belt sushi chain Kura Sushi will open a store at the expo featuring it's longest circular conveyor belt ever.
Bong Joon-ho’s latest film “Mickey 17” is centered on a man so desperate for work he’s agreed to be endlessly “reprinted” and endlessly killed doing super-risky jobs.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2025

The sci-fi satire 'Mickey 17' might be a classic — someday

Bong Joon-ho's latest dystopian film offers a brutal metaphor for societal inequality.
Japanese dentist Yusuke Kamimura poses for a photograph in front of a private collection dedicated to MLB player Shohei Ohtani, inside his dental clinic in Koshigaya, north of Tokyo, on Feb. 28, 2025.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Japanese superfans turn dental clinic into Ohtani mini-museum

Lining the walls of the waiting room are glass-encased displays of gloves, helmets, autographed balls and jerseys, countless bobblehead dolls and much more.
K-Ballet Tokyo celebrates its 25th anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 15, 2025

K-Ballet Tokyo marks 25 years of passion and perseverance

The dance company celebrates a milestone anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
Urbanization is amplifying pollen-related allergies as grasslands and soft soil give way to concrete and asphalt.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 14, 2025

As pollen season peaks, Japan's allergy struggle emerges from hibernation

In Tokyo and Sendai, high cedar pollen levels will persist into late March, followed by cypress pollen peaking from late March to early April.
Kyoko Watanabe made a home for herself in Ishinomaki after moving there to participate in disaster relief efforts following 3/11, and now operates a business focused on the creative reuse of <i>akiya</i> (abandoned houses).
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 17, 2025

From abandoned houses to ‘creative communities’: An Ishinomaki entrepreneur's vision for rural Japan

Kyoko Watanabe moved to Miyagi Prefecture to help with disaster relief efforts following 3/11. She ended up building a company and a vision for revitalizing rural Japan.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s public humiliation tactics, such as belittling foreign leaders and political opponents, mirror those of dictators like Stalin and Mao, reflecting his authoritarian tendencies.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2025

Fear and loathing in the Oval Office

Trump should be thought of as a dilettante despot, the Roman emperor of reality TV.
President Donald Trump’s order making English the official language of the country is unnecessary, as nearly 80% of people in the U.S. already speak it at home.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2025

America doesn’t need an official language

After all, what is our shared culture if not the mix of cultures — including languages — that make and remake America every day?
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga and teammate Seiya Suzuki during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Cubs see Tokyo trip as great chance to bond as a team

The Chicago Cubs plan to make the most of their time in Japan, both as a way to kickstart the push to reach the postseason and as a way to come together as a team.
Yoji Muto
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 15, 2025

Japan, China and South Korea eye trade ministers meeting

Japanese trade minister Yoji Muto will attend the envisaged meeting if he receives parliamentary approval.
According to the ministry, Japan has about 4,500 companies with annual sales of ¥10 billion or more. But many of them are concentrated in metropolitan areas.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2025

Japan to invite small businesses to declare ¥10 billion sales targets

The country has about 4,500 companies with annual sales of ¥10 billion or more, but many of them are concentrated in metropolitan areas.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji