Search - media

 
 
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during an Upper House agriculture committee meeting on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2025

Some LDP lawmakers wary of Koizumi's aggressive price policy

There are fears that the approach may cause farmers, a key support bloc, to distance themselves from the party.
Stockpiled rice arrives Thursday at a rice-milling factory operated by a subsidiary of household appliance company Iris Ohyama in the town of Watari, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2025

Some retailers hesitant to buy stockpiled rice on quality concerns

Smaller shops in Japan are worried that older batches might not taste as good, which could cause customers to take their business elsewhere.
Mako Komuro (right), the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, left the Imperial Family after marrying Kei Komuro, a former schoolmate at International Christian University in Tokyo, in October 2021.
JAPAN
May 30, 2025

Former Japanese princess Mako gives birth to first child

Mako, 33, left the Imperial Family after marrying Kei Komuro, 33, a former schoolmate at International Christian University in Tokyo, in October 2021.
South Korea will hold its next presidential election on Tuesday. Whoever wins will have to confront numerous intertwined challenges head-on.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2025

South Korea faces a triple challenge ahead of its election

South Korea will hold its next presidential election on Tuesday. Whoever wins will have to confront numerous intertwined challenges head-on.
The Trump administration's escalating campaign against Harvard — cutting billions in funding, blocking foreign students, and threatening its independence — marks an unprecedented attack on U.S. higher education.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2025

U.S. soft power is a casualty in Trump’s war on Harvard

The fight against Harvard will do extensive and potentially irreparable injury. It is an extraordinary act of self-harm.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, is in Washington again for a fourth round of high-level negotiations with the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 30, 2025

Tariff talks with U.S. a mix of slow progress, ever-present uncertainty 

Japan's chief negotiator is back in Washington for another round of high-level negotiations.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet during an exhibition at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on May 21
JAPAN
May 30, 2025

Japan frets over fighter rollout target and weighs stopgap options, sources say

The joint Global Combat Air Program is falling behind schedule due to a lack of urgency from Britain and Italy, one of the sources said.
Ukraine's air defenses shoot down Russian drones during a strike toward Kyiv in September 2024. Experts worry how long Ukraine can fend off the nightly attacks if Russia maintains — or escalates — its strikes.
WORLD
May 31, 2025

As Russia intensifies attacks, Ukraine air defenses under strain

Experts worry how long Ukraine can fend off the nightly attacks if Russia maintains — or escalates — its strikes.
The Bayan Obo mine containing rare earth minerals, in Inner Mongolia, China.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2025

Carmakers warn China's rare-earth curbs could halt production

Auto executives are sounding the alarm on an impending shortage of rare-earth magnets from China that could force the closure of factories within weeks.
Paris Saint-Germain players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after defeating Inter Milan in the final on Saturday in Munich.
SOCCER
Jun 1, 2025

Brilliant PSG demolishes Inter Milan to win first Champions League title

Teenager Desire Doue played a starring role in the win, scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic prepares to serve during his third-round French Open match against Austria's Filip Misolic on Saturday in Paris.
TENNIS
Jun 1, 2025

Djokovic and Sinner flex muscles to reach French Open last 16 as Keys survives

Djokovic eased past Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier to keep his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title on track.
Vehicles of delegations leave the Omani Embassy after a fifth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, in Rome on May 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 1, 2025

Damning IAEA report spells out past secret nuclear activities in Iran

The findings pave the way for a push to declare Tehran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations.
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.
An Israeli Druze woman looks over the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria on May 4.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2025

Israel’s Syria policy could fuel more conflict and disorder

Israeli policy, part of a decades-old strategy of undermining Sunni power, risks paving the way for the emergence of a formidable new threat.
Displaced Palestinians return from a food distribution center in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday.
WORLD
Jun 2, 2025

Israel denies Gaza ministry claim soldiers killed more than 30 aid seekers

Israel's military said that an initial inquiry found soldiers had not fired on civilians while they were near or within the distribution site.
A woman walks past posters of South Korea's presidential candidates on Saturday, ahead of the upcoming June 3 election in Seoul.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 2, 2025

Misinformation hits South Korea's upcoming election

Many of the claims focus on foreign interference, tapping into local fears of meddling by China, or fabricating support.
A screen shows the Muchu College metaverse school, with avatars and the face of Hiroaki Tsujita, CEO of operator Wowfull.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 16, 2025

Metaverse and local subsidies help children in alternative learning

Municipalities are subsidizing the use of alternative educational institutions to help families with children who are not attending regular schools.
Voters take part in early voting for the upcoming presidential election at a polling station at the Incheon International Airport, South Korea, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 2, 2025

Wave of anger could sweep liberals to victory in South Korea election

The months of chaos that followed former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration in December remain fresh on the minds of voters.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Singapore's Minister of Defense Chan Chun Sing and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas attend a ministerial lunch on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 2, 2025

Asia defense summit reveals gaps between U.S. and European perspectives

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear he wanted Europeans to concentrate on European security while the U.S. focuses on the Indo-Pacific.
The small village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps was destroyed by a landslide after part of a glacier collapsed last week.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Jun 2, 2025

How Switzerland's Birch glacier collapsed

There are strong theories on the causes, and to what degree it is linked to climate change — but these are yet to be confirmed by scientific analysis.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Oval Office on Feb. 27. U.S. conservatives may be unlikely defenders of free speech but their criticism of censorship in the U.K. and Europe raises real concerns about vague hate laws and curbs on liberty in the name of harmony. 
COMMENTARY
Jun 2, 2025

European kindness is threatening the foundations of free speech

Right-wing U.S. critics of U.K. and European censorship have a point.
Muslim worshipers gather to pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on Sunday ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
WORLD
Jun 2, 2025

Saudi Arabia cracks down on unauthorized Hajj pilgrims, aiming to save lives

Last year, 1,301 pilgrims, most unregistered and lacking access to air-conditioned facilities, died as temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius.
An Iranian newspaper, with a cover photo featuring the flags of Iran, Oman and the U.S., is seen in Tehran on May 11. Tehran is poised to reject a U.S. proposal for a new nuclear deal presented to it on Saturday by Oman's foreign minister, an Iranian diplomat says.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2025

Iran poised to dismiss U.S. nuclear proposal, Iranian diplomat says

The proposal fails to address Tehran's interests or soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment, the diplomat says.
Honda will provide a fleet of cars for athletes, officials and stakeholders, along with motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and other multipurpose vehicles during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2025

Honda joins 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as major partner

The carmaker will provide a fleet of cars for athletes, officials and stakeholders, along with motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and other multipurpose vehicles during the event.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called for a parliamentary confidence vote in a bid to demonstrate continuing support for his pro-EU government, after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the Polish presidential election.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2025

Tusk calls confidence vote after nationalist wins Polish presidential election

European far-right leaders welcomed the election of Karol Nawrocki, a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government's progressive agenda.
Volcanic steam rises from Mount Etna, as seen from Milo, Italy, on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 3, 2025

Italy's Mount Etna erupts, spewing ash, gas and rock

Sicily's Mount Etna has been active recently but Monday's eruption was the most dramatic, with experts warning that such activity could continue for weeks.
Despite doubts and talk of alternatives in Asia and beyond, the dollar remains dominant because there are no viable rivals and it continues to serve as the world’s key safe asset.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2025

The problem with Asia's ‘sell America’ moment

The region’s currencies are enjoying a healthy rally. History warns against anti-dollar triumphalism.
Zico, Brazilian soccer legend and current technical director for Kashima Antlers, poses following an interview at the Antlers's training ground in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, on May 28.
SOCCER
Jun 3, 2025

Zico warns Japanese players not to follow Brazilians into transfer trap

The 72-year-old says Japanese players looking beyond the J. League is a "positive" development — as long as they move at the right time.
Laleli's informal shipping scene, once a bustling hub of cross-continental trade, is now facing growing pressure from rising costs and tougher residency rules imposed by Turkish authorities.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2025

Tough residency rules and Chinese competition squeeze Istanbul's 'suitcase trade'

Shipments have dropped, even as Turkish exports to Africa have generally soared — from $11.5 billion in 2017 to $19.4 billion last year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with the head of Ukraine's Security Service Vasyl Malyuk in Kyiv, in this image released Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2025

'Aces up the sleeve': Ukraine drone attacks in Russia shake up conflict

Despite being outgunned, Kyiv used inexpensive drones at the weekend to destroy Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars.

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