Search - 2023

 
 
Takahiro Mori, executive vice president of Japan's biggest steelmaker Nippon Steel, speaks about its strategy in its headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 28, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 26, 2025

Garage meets and sleepless flights: How Nippon Steel's negotiator stuck at U.S. merger

With Biden's incoming successor Donald Trump also voicing opposition to the planned purchase, the outlook was bleak.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro on Monday
SOCCER
May 27, 2025

Ancelotti pledges to make struggling Brazil 'champion again'

The former Real Madrid manager is the first non-Brazilian in six decades to coach the record five-time World Cup winners.
Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Israel's actions in the territory as "no longer comprehensible."
WORLD / Politics
May 27, 2025

Germany shifts tone on Israel over 'incomprehensible' Gaza carnage

The message reflects a broader shift in public opinion but also a greater willingness from top-ranking German politicians to criticize Israel's conduct.
Palestinians seeking aid gather near an aid distribution site run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
WORLD
May 28, 2025

Palestinians rush U.S.-backed aid center despite concerns over checks

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said at one point the number of people seeking aid was so great that its team had to pull back to avoid casualties.
US Coco Gauff reacts after a point during her women's singles match against Australia's Olivia Gadecki on day 3 of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Tuesday.
TENNIS
May 28, 2025

Gauff finds groove after forgetting rackets as Medvedev exits

Gauff forgot to take her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a commanding first-round win.
A screengrab of Mohammed Sinwar, released on Dec. 17, 2023. Israeli media said Sinwar — Hamas' presumed Gaza leader — was targeted by strikes in southern Gaza earlier this month.
WORLD
May 29, 2025

Israel says it killed Hamas' presumed leader in Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel's offensive, saying it had killed tens of thousands of militants including Mohammed Sinwar.
Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture. China has removed its last buoy from Japanese economic waters near the island.
JAPAN
May 29, 2025

Tokyo says China has removed its last buoy from Japan's economic waters

Japanese media said this could signal an intention by Beijing to improve strained ties with Tokyo.
Atsuko Okatsuka tries out some of the jokes from her new special, “Father,”  at the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya in January.
CULTURE / Stage
May 30, 2025

Atsuko Okatsuka brings big 'dad' energy to new special

The comedian’s upcoming special, titled “Father,” blends whimsical comedy and family drama — just in time for Father's Day.
Smoke billows in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 30, 2025

U.S. says Israel accepts Gaza ceasefire plan; Hamas cool to it

A senior Hamas official says the plan does not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as the group has demanded.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for Al Nassr during a Saudi Pro League match against Al-Qadsiah in Riyadh on Nov. 22, 2024.
SOCCER
May 30, 2025

Saudi officials working to keep Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Pro League

Ronaldo posted "This chapter is over" on social media hours after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up this week.
A seafood market in Beijing. China has agreed to lift a ban on Japanese seafood imports that has lasted for 21 months.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 30, 2025

China agrees to lift ban on Japanese seafood imports

The prohibition was imposed in response to the release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.
AI is beginning to suppress white-collar job growth in high-cost, tech-heavy U.S. cities like San Francisco, signaling a potential structural shift in the labor market amid stagnant interstate migration.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2025

The next great job churn is already starting

San Francisco’s sluggish labor market may signal the AI disruptions ahead.
Members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces prepare to load boxes of medical relief supplies onto a helicopter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in September last year.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 31, 2025

SDF ramps up campus outreach amid recruitment slump

Officials say the initiative is an effective way to foster a stronger connection between the public and the SDF.
Paris Saint-Germain is seeking its first Champions League title in Saturday's final, while Inter Milan is bidding to win its fourth.
SOCCER
May 31, 2025

PSG and Inter Milan set for Champions League final showdown

The match pits an experienced Inter against a PSG team appearing in its second final since the transformative Qatari takeover of the club in 2011.
Elon Musk boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in March. As Musk became one of Donald Trump's closest allies last year, he was also using drugs far more intensely than previously known, according to people familiar with his activities.
WORLD / Politics
May 31, 2025

On the Trump campaign trail, Elon Musk juggled drugs and family drama

Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use and also came as he dealt with personal drama related to his growing number of children.
The sun sets over the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 1, 2025

Hamas seeks changes in Gaza proposal as U.S. calls response 'unacceptable'

Hamas reiterated demands for an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, conditions Israel has rejected.
Toshiba's Richie Mo'unga runs with the ball at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on May 24.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 2, 2025

Mo'unga shrugs off broken hand to win Japanese title

The fly-half has finished every season in top-level domestic rugby since 2017 with a winner's medal, and he picked up another with Toshiba.
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 winners trophy is displayed in Times Square, New York City, on May 20.
SOCCER
Jun 3, 2025

FIFA's inaugural Club World Cup set to kick off in the U.S. amid challenges

The tournament has had to contend with the prospect of empty seats, controversial qualification rules and player welfare concerns.
Arrows lead to the tax-free counter at a branch of discount retailer Don Quijote in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 4, 2025

Is Japan ready to say goodbye to tax-free shopping?

Amid widespread abuse of Japan’s tax-free shopping system, a group of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are mulling over its possible abolition.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in The Hague, Netherlands on Tuesday. Schoof has resigned as prime minister after the far-right Freedom Party pulled out of the government.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Dutch prime minister resigns after far-right party pulls out of coalition

The Freedom Party withdrew from the Dutch government over the refusal of three coalition partners to agree to its plans to curb migration.
Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 6, 2025

Hamas says ready for 'serious' Gaza truce talks, as rescuers say scores killed

Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March.
Coco Gauff from the U.S. celebrates after winning the French Open women's singles final match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on Saturday.
TENNIS
Jun 8, 2025

Gauff continues American renaissance by stunning Sabalenka for French Open glory

The 21-year-old's victory helped her become the first American to capture the singles trophy in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015.
An Israeli armored personnel carrier near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel on Saturday
WORLD
Jun 8, 2025

Israeli airstrikes kill 55; body of Thai hostage retrieved from Gaza

Thai agricultural worker Nattapong Pinta was abducted from a small Israeli community near the Gaza border during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Officials and government leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin (center right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (center left) attend a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Victory Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow on May 9.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2025

Secret Russian intelligence document shows deep suspicion of China

Some officials believe Beijing is trying to recruit Russian spies and steal sensitive military tech, at times by luring disaffected Russian scientists.
Chinese tour groups visit a waterfront promenade in Hong Kong on May 5.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 9, 2025

Can big stars bring higher-spending tourists back to Hong Kong?

Hong Kong, which once billed itself as Asia’s World City, is now seeking to brand itself as the region’s events capital.
According to the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity, 20% of women in their 20s in Japan are underweight, one of the highest rates among developed countries.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 10, 2025

Female Underweight/Undernutrition Syndrome to be classified disorder

According to one group, 20% of women in their 20s in Japan are underweight.
Urawa's supporters cheer before the J. League football match against Fagiano Okayama at Saitama Stadium 2002 on March 8, 2025.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 10, 2025

With shades of Man Utd, Urawa vows to bring the noise at Club World Cup

While the fallen English giants won't be at the Club World Cup, Urawa Reds will and are set to be roared on in the United States by more than 5,000 followers.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning against the Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 11, 2025

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani moves closer to pitching return

Asked whether Ohtani could pitch for the team before the All-Star break, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the chances are "north of zero."
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi eats a rice ball made of stockpiled rice during a tasting event in Tokyo on May 29.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 11, 2025

How long can Koizumi stay frenemies with the agriculture lobby?

The farm minister's aggressive advocacy for change in the agriculture sector sets him up for a direct showdown with Japan Agricultural Cooperatives.
Smoke billows from a site targeted in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD
Jun 13, 2025

Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear program in major escalation

Explosions were heard across Tehran, Natanz — home to one of Iran’s key nuclear sites — and other cities, according to local and social media.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan