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A guilty ruling by a Chinese court for a Japanese employee at Astellas Pharma on a spying charge will be finalized if he does not file an appeal by the deadline in late July.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2025

Astellas employee won't appeal spying conviction in China

A Beijing district court that imposed the prison sentence is believed to have found the man guilty of espionage for providing information to an intelligence agency.
Followers of doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo chant in religious training before a portrait of guru Shoko Asahara in 1999 at Aum's Adachi Ward office in Tokyo, where extensive facilities are located.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2025

Son of executed Aum Shinrikyo founder identified as Aleph leader

The unnamed 31-year-old son of Chizuo Matsumoto has been “involved in organizational decision-making and is leading Aleph’s operations.”
Protesters gather in the streets of western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Wednesday following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to hobble anti-corruption authorities.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 24, 2025

Zelenskyy risks Ukraine EU bid as protests over graft office grow

EU leaders regarded the about-face on more than decade of rule-of-law efforts as a major setback for Ukraine’s bid on Western integration.
A protester runs onto the road near the finish of Stage 11 of the Tour de France on July 16.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 24, 2025

Activists protest Gaza war during Tour de France and call for Israeli team ban

Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists waved flags and unfurled banners on Wednesday as the Tour de France peloton rode through Dieulefit.
Japanese passport holders have visa-free access to 190 destinations out of 227 globally.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2025

Japan ties with South Korea for second most powerful passport

Japan continues to hold the world’s second most powerful passport — tied with South Korea — according to a new global ranking.
Boys play football on a lawn on a smoggy morning in New Delhi, India, on Oct. 31, 2024.
SOCCER
Jul 25, 2025

Indian soccer 'hurt, scared' as domestic game hits fresh low

The men's national team is without a coach and the Indian Super League is in danger of collapsing over a dispute between the federation and its commercial partner.
The numbers and accolades are only part of what made Ichiro Suzuki great. His devotion to his craft, idiosyncratic methods and dry sense of humor made him a transformational figure.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 27, 2025

Four lessons to learn from Ichiro's greatness

The numbers and accolades are only part of what made Ichiro great. His devotion to his craft, idiosyncratic methods and dry sense of humor made him a transformational figure.
U.S. President Donald Trump plays a shot during a round of golf at his Turnberry course in Scotland on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jul 27, 2025

Trump's Turnberry visit puts British Open back on agenda

The trip underlines the U.S. president's long-held desire to host golf's illustrious British Open at the famous course, despite numerous stumbling blocks.
U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he plays golf at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry, on the southwestern coast of Scotland, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 27, 2025

Trump golfs in Scotland as Epstein questions persist

After visits to his golf properties, the U.S. president will meet with British PM Keir Starmer, Scottish leader John Swinney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The NISAR satellite is encapsulated in its payload fairing at the Indian Space Research Organization’s Satish Dhawan Space Center on July 18.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Jul 31, 2025

When Earth’s surface shifts, a new satellite will see it

The satellite is a joint mission between NASA and India’s space agency and will track tiny shifts across almost all of Earth’s land and ice regions.
AI developer Alt, which recently disclosed accounting irregularities, has filed for bankruptcy protection under the civil rehabilitation law at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025

Japanese AI developer Alt goes bust after accounting fraud

Suspicions of accounting fraud surfaced at the company in April this year.
Eugenie Bouchard speaks during her retirement ceremony at the Canadian Open in Montreal on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jul 31, 2025

Eugenie Bouchard wraps up career on home soil at Canadian Open

The 31-year-old announced earlier this month that the tournament in her hometown would be her last.
A Palestinian flag is seen held outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 31, 2025

Could the Palestinians gain full membership at the United Nations?

The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people, is not a full member and has no vote in the 193-member General Assembly.
Hiroyuki Goto, president of GTN. The company started after Goto personally co-signed leases for around 20 non-Japanese people, including some friends and friends of friends.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2025

GTN takes a chance on newcomers to Japan

People said GTN President Hiroyuki Goto was "a bit crazy" guaranteeing leases for foreign residents.
Despite topping physical health rankings, Japan’s children face a worsening mental health crisis due to limited early education, inconsistent counseling support and poor awareness of their rights.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 3, 2025

It’s time to take children’s mental health seriously

Given these disparities, it is clear the government needs to build a consistent school system with appropriate emotional support mechanisms
Naomi Osaka pumps her first after winning a point against Jelena Ostapenko in their third round of the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal on Friday.
TENNIS
Aug 2, 2025

Sevastova topples Pegula as Osaka advances to fourth round in Montreal

Osaka is one match away from her first quarterfinal run at either a Grand Slam or WTA 1000 event since she returned from maternity leave at the start of 2024.
The home of Chizuo Matsumoto's second son in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, in July. The place was recognized by the Public Security Intelligence Agency as a facility of Aleph, Aum Shinrikyo's successor organization.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 4, 2025

Matsumoto's second son officially recognized as Aleph leader

The name of the 31-year-old son was included in an agency request for administrative action against Aleph.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's determination to keep fighting in Ukraine is prompted by his belief that Russia is winning and by skepticism that yet more U.S. sanctions will have much of an impact on his country.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2025

Putin doubts potency of Trump's ultimatum to end the war, sources say

The Russian leader is unlikely to bow to a sanctions ultimatum expiring this Friday from U.S. President Donald Trump, sources close to the Kremlin said.
Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Aug 11, 2025

Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo

An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's lowest wartime trust rating was 52% in December 2024, according to Kyiv's leading pollster.
WORLD
Aug 8, 2025

Ukrainians' trust in Zelenskyy dips after wartime protests, pollster finds

Zelenskyy's move to curb the power of anti-corruption watchdogs fueled public discontent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin views Tu-160M strategic bombers at the Kazan Aviation Factory in Kazan, Russia, in February 2024.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2025

Stagflation is hitting Russia’s war economy

Putin apparently does not think his popularity could withstand devoting much more of the budget to the war effort.
A model of the upgraded Mogami-class frigate is displayed at the Defense Security Equipment International Japan exhibition at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on May 21.
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2025

The Japan-Australia frigate deal is more than a weapons pact

The scale of the agreement is sweeping. Japan has never before won a bid this size.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press briefing in Kyiv in May.
WORLD
Aug 10, 2025

Europe stresses need to protect Ukrainian interests ahead of Trump-Putin talks

Trump plans to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday, saying the parties, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were close to a deal.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the first day of a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 11, 2025

Zelenskyy wins EU and NATO backing as he seeks place at Trump-Putin talks

A White House official has said President Donald Trump is open to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attending, but preparations are under way for only a bilateral meeting.
Ichiro speaks during a ceremony to retire his number a T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 11, 2025

Mariners to honor Ichiro with statue at T-Mobile Park in 2026

The Seattle Mariners will unveil a statue of franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki at T-Mobile Park during the 2026 season.
The Saint Sophia Orthodox Church, where the Reverend Michael Trefon, who is of Yupik Eskimo descent, is the rector and conducts Russian Orthodox church services for his mainly Yupik Eskimo congregation, in Bethel, Alaska in 2019
WORLD / Politics
Aug 11, 2025

The Russian past of Alaska, where Trump and Putin will meet

Russian influence still endures in parts of the remote state on the northwest edge of the North American continent, which extends just a few miles from Russia.
Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer; Bob McGrew, an adviser at Thinking Machines Lab and OpenAI’s former chief research officer; Shyam Sankar, Palantir’s chief technology officer; and Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s chief product officer at a military ceremony in Arlington, Va., in June 2025. The four current and former executives were pronounced lieutenant colonels in a new unit, Detachment 201, which will advise the Army on new technologies for potential combat.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 11, 2025

Silicon Valley is in its ‘hard tech’ era

Instead of the tap-to-pay apps of a decade ago like Clinkle and Bump, young companies are now making unmanned aerial drones stocked with AI-guided Barracuda cruise missiles.
Oil prices are currently low, but a potential recovery around 2027-2029 is expected as demand growth slows and reduced investment in non-OPEC  production tightens supply.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2025

The bullish case for oil is real — but far, far away

With oil benchmarks down almost 20% over the last two years, upbeat investors are, out of necessity, waiting.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce during a preseason NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 13, 2025

Travis Kelce admits he 'slipped a little bit' given off-field pursuits

The certain future Pro Football Hall of Fame member says some of his celebrity activities have impacted his play.
Filmmakers interview the general manager of a Bald Men's club for an upcoming Flix Oven documentary that will be available via the streaming platform Samansa.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 14, 2025

Samansa bets on commuter cinema

As attention spans get shorter, a Japanese startup is banking on short films as easily digestible entertainment.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years