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A news broadcast showing at a railway station in Seoul on Tuesday shows footage of a previous North Korean missile launch.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 2, 2024

North Korea fires missiles as Kim seeks ‘war preparation’ boost

Kim is likely using the tests to show he many ways to launch a strike, adding to the planning contingencies for the U.S. and its allies in the region.
It doesn't snow everywhere in Japan, but when it does, it falls in blankets that must be cleared away, sometimes through unexpected means.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 4, 2024

Rural Japan’s snow removal solutions range from cute to curious

Outside of Tokyo, cities that get a significant volume of snow tend to have better ways of dealing with it than the capital.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's core campaign team of a half-dozen aides is unswervingly loyal to their boss and chooses to stay mostly in the background.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024

Inside Trump's election A-team: Lean, mean and largely unseen

A handful of distinctive figures have formed a tight, disciplined inner circle around the former U.S. president in his bid for the White House.
There are currently over 35 million digital nomads around the world, with a collective economic value of $787 billion.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 2, 2024

Japan's digital nomad visas to require ¥10 million in income

People from 49 countries and territories will be able to stay in Japan under the “specified activities” visa category.
“Metallic Rouge” centers on android assassins on Mars and explores classic science fiction tropes like whether robots have souls.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Feb 4, 2024

You're spoiled for choice with new anime to watch this winter

From the fantasy series "Delicious in Dungeon" to the sci-fi offering "Metallic Rouge," nearly 50 new shows are airing this season.
The chief of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, accompanies cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko as he gets ready to board the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft at the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, in September.
WORLD
Feb 4, 2024

Russian cosmonaut sets record for most time in space — more than 878 days

The 59-year-old took the top spot from compatriot Gennady Padalka, who accumulated a total of 878 days.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

New Kyoto mayor aims to tackle over-tourism with higher fares

Koji Matsui faces many hurdles, and he takes over at a time when the demerits of over-tourism have become a particular topic of concern for residents.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Tokyo on Tuesday, a day before his team faces Vissel Kobe in a friendly match.
SOCCER
Feb 6, 2024

Messi says leg 'getting better' but could miss Japan match

Inter Miami are set to face Japanese champions Vissel Kobe at Tokyo's National Stadium on Wednesday.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Danielle Collins during her first round loss at the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Feb 7, 2024

Osaka trying not to 'feel like a failure' after early Abu Dhabi exit

Despite a close opening set that witnessed supreme serving from both players, Osaka struggled in her service games in the second set.
Today’s Russia is nothing like the citadel of stability and satisfaction nor the bastion of prosperity that the Kremlin tries to claim it is.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2024

Preparing Russia for permanent war

Today’s Russia is nothing like the citadel of stability and satisfaction nor the bastion of prosperity that the Kremlin claims it to be.
Displaced Palestinians react near their tents following an Israeli strike on a car in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 8, 2024

Gaza cease-fire hopes alive with more talks planned

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sees room for negotiation in Hamas' counteroffer despite Israel's rejection of it.
Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert in Tokyo on Wednesday. With her winning her fourth Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Monday, sales of her merchandise will likely increase even as fans feel more compelled to purchase them for their premium value.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2024

'Swiftonomics' to yield ¥34.1 billion economic boost for Japan

The economic ripple effect of an average attendee of Taylor Swift's concerts in Tokyo is estimated at ¥155,090.
Michelin guides are published yearly, but there are only a handful of Black chefs whose restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2024

Black chefs are scoring with new Michelin stars; but they deserve more

Michelin stars were recently announced for restaurants in the U.K. and Ireland: The number of Black chefs increased, but the pace is still too slow.
A slew of listed Japanese firms have logged solid earnings for the nine months ended in December including Toyota, which posted operating and net profits that reached the highest levels on record for a Japanese company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 11, 2024

Major Japanese firms post higher earnings in April-December period

Of 786 component firms of the broad Topix index that had announced their April-December results as of Wednesday, 455 companies reported higher net profits.
Taylor Swift attends Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and 49ers in Las Vegas on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 12, 2024

Superstar Taylor Swift attends Super Bowl to cheer on Chiefs' Travis Kelce

The Super Bowl got an early jolt of excitement on Sunday when enormous TV screens around the stadium showed Swift arriving about two hours before kickoff.
A sea turtle swims off the coast of Brazil. Sea turtles can migrate hundreds or thousands of miles.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Feb 14, 2024

Overhunting and habitat loss endanger migratory animals, U.N. says

One in five migratory species is at risk of extinction, according to a new report by the United Nations.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group. One of SoftBank's primary objectives will be to harvest returns from its huge portfolio rather than priming unprofitable startups for growth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024

SoftBank’s Vision Fund swaps splashy bets for ‘timid’ investing

As other tech investors have heaped money into new artificial intelligence firms, Vision Fund has stayed out of the fray.
Chu Yi, 23, who is doing a six-month apprenticeship to be a tattoo artist, uses her laptop during an interview at her home on the outskirts of Shanghai on Feb. 5.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 15, 2024

Some Chinese youth spurn corporate jobs for 'me time'

Surveys show that Generation Z is the most pessimistic of all age groups in China.
BASEBALL
Feb 16, 2024

Seoul mayor hopes interest in Shohei Ohtani and MLB brings more games to South Korea

The Seoul Series will be a chance for South Korea and MLB to work together to revive professional baseball’s popularity in the nation.
Ukrainian police officers and rescue workers clear away the rubble of a destroyed house after a Russian rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2024

Ukraine’s allies are gaming out a world where the U.S. retreats

NATO members are beginning to doubt the U.S. will maintain its traditional role of protecting Europe as part of the alliance.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) presents a gift to a Ukrainian refugee an event at the Keidanren Kaikan in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2024

As war fatigue grows, Japan pledges long-term support to Ukraine

Describing the aid as an investment in the future, Tokyo emphasized how Japan’s technology and expertise in reconstruction could serve Ukraine’s needs.
China's C919 — the country's first domestically developed large, narrow-body passenger aircraft, is displayed at the Singapore Air Show on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 20, 2024

China debuts C919 aircraft in Singapore, but can it challenge Boeing and Airbus?

The Asian powerhouse hopes the country's first domestically developed large, narrow-body passenger aircraft will help it break into new markets.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Feb 21, 2024

How to reinvent yourself at 50: An IEA guide

It would be an understatement to say that the energy industry has gone through a lot of change.
Doosan Bears fans during a game in Seoul in April 2022
SPORTS
Feb 21, 2024

Women outnumber men in South Korea’s sports stadiums

Women in South Korea make up 55% of fans at professional sporting events, including baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball.
Eleven portraits of Ainu chieftains, completed in 1790, are now held by the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besancon, France. There were originally 12 paintings in the original set, collectively known as the “Ishu Retsuzo,” but one has disappeared.
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Feb 26, 2024

The ongoing mystery of the Ainu portraits in France

A former Hokkaido journalist is hoping to find out how portraits of Ainu chieftains from 1790 made it to Europe.
The volume of mergers and acquisitions linked to Japan has grown 43% so far this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2024

Japan sees dealmaking boom as mergers and acquisitions rise 43%

A strong stock market is giving companies more scope for acquisitions at a time when the government and investors are pressuring firms to bolster growth.
Director of the Akan International Crane Center, Miyuki Kawase, says tourism is incredibly helpful for the birds, but the people who come to take pictures of the birds have to remember they are still wild animals.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 24, 2024

Miyuki Kawase: ‘Experience, whether happy, sad or painful, makes you grow’

The director of the Akan International Crane Center in Hokkaido tells us how she found herself in a career centered around the symbolic white birds.
Yasuhiro Otomo and Miku Narisawa during one of Odyssey Nature Japan's educational fishing programs.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 22, 2024

A young 3/11 survivor and her vow to protect the ocean

At 12, Miku Narisawa experienced a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed her home. Now she is working to protect it.
Passengers line up for security at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 22, 2024

The five most exciting innovations coming to an airport near you

Updating an existing airport terminal is time-consuming, expensive work that often costs hundreds of millions of dollars — and sometimes billions.
What would you do if you received a juicy piece of gossip at work, do you know the Japanese for how you'd respond?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 23, 2024

Rumor, gossip and misinformation with neither roots nor leaves

Areas hit by the New Year's Day earthquake find themselves subject to damaging misinformation as they try to focus on reconstruction.

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