Search - 2023

 
 
Emperor penguin chicks perished at multiple breeding grounds in Antarctica last year, drowning or freezing to death when sea ice was eroded by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing baby penguins

Global warming is decimating sea ice and, with it, baby penguins. But why should we care about this and other species dying off?
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) arrives for a trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Deterrence is not enough in Northeast Asia

Forging closer ties with Japan is crucial for Yoon to achieve his foreign-policy goal of making South Korea a pivotal global player.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 3, 2023

'Ferrari' Kotaro Matsushima looking to drive Japan to World Cup glory

Matsushima was one of the stars of the tournament four years ago, scoring five tries as Japan stunned Ireland and Scotland.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2023

Japan's costs ballooning for new Aegis vessel plan

Overall costs will reach ¥900 billion if the amount already spent to purchase large radar and weapons systems is included.
Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives against Brazil's Alberto Diaz during their game at the Basketball World Cup in Jakarta on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Sep 4, 2023

Canada knocks defending champion Spain out of Basketball World Cup

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 points in the decisive fourth quarter to lift Canada to the win.
Nihon Coffin showcases its products at Endex Japan 2023, an annual funeral and cemetery exhibition that was held at Tokyo Big Sight from Aug. 29 to 31.
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2023

End-of-life companies look to innovate as Japan's deaths keep rising

A record 1.57 million people died in 2022, up from 1.25 million in 2012, and facilities to store dead bodies are becoming increasingly scarce.
Japan's Michael Leitch attempts to break free during a match against Italy in Treviso, Italy, on Aug. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 4, 2023

Japan's veterans prepare to scale Everest again at Rugby World Cup

The Brave Blossoms will start their World Cup campaign against Chile in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
Chilean national rugby team players pose for a photograph with supporters during the team's welcoming ceremony at the convention centre in Perros-Guirec, France, on Sunday, ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 5, 2023

First-timers Chile not at Rugby World Cup 'to take photos'

At number 22, Los Condore are the lowest ranked side in the tournament.
Borisa Simanic (right) in action against China during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Quezon City, the Philippines, on Aug. 26
BASKETBALL / Basketball
Sep 5, 2023

Serbia player loses kidney at Basketball World Cup

Simanic had an operation in a Manila hospital after being hit by a South Sudan player's elbow during a competition pool game on Aug. 30.
England's Owen Farrell takes part in training at Twickenham Stadium in London on Aug. 25, ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 5, 2023

England captain Farrell rues mistake that led to World Cup ban

England captain Owen Farrell said he has accepted the "mistake" that will see him miss the start of the World Cup campaign, but remains excited for the tournament despite his side's dreadful form.
A construction site of residential buildings by Chinese developer Country Garden in Beijing. Some economists now see growth in China’s economy slowing to 3.5% in 2030 and to near 1% by 2050.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2023

China slowdown means it may never overtake U.S. economy: forecast

Some economists now see growth in China’s economy — the world’s second largest — slowing to 3.5% in 2030 and to near 1% by 2050.
Japan flanker Kazuki Himeno takes part in a training session in Toulouse, France, on Tuesday, ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 6, 2023

Japan will not take 'gritty' Chile for granted at World Cup

Chile will be making its Rugby World Cup debut on Sunday when the side runs out against Japan, the hosts of the 2019 edition.
Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (center) with members of his Cabinet at Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 6, 2023

Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin sworn in

Srettha was elected prime minister last month after Pheu Thai reached an agreement with with military-backed and pro-royalist parties.
Mikal Bridges of the U.S. lays up during a FIBA Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match against Italy in Manila on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL / Basketball
Sep 6, 2023

United States and Serbia cruise into Basketball World Cup semifinals

Team USA, the highest-ranked side still left in the tournament, trounced Italy 100-63.
Personnel from the Self-Defense Forces take part in a nuclear, biological and chemical weapons exercise at New Chitose airport in Hokkaido in July 2012.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 7, 2023

Japan has plenty to offer in the field of detecting threats

With the spread of chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, the time is right to put domestic tech to good use.
A woman wears traditional Uyghur clothing for a photo shoot in the Old Kashgar tourist area in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 6, 2023

State-backed tourism booms in China's troubled Xinjiang

Kashgar, once an ancient Silk Road oasis, was recently on the front lines of Beijing's sweeping anti-terrorism campaign in the northwestern region.
Actor Nahana says she considers her role as a punk rocker who falls in love with an avenging hero in Takahisa Zeze’s four-hour epic “Heaven’s Story” a turning point in her career.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 6, 2023

Indie film royalty Nahana looks back on 22 years

The Cinema Novecento theater in Yokohama is set to screen 12 of the versatile actor's films as a tribute to her long career.
An All Nippon Airways employee escorts a group of Chinese tourists through Haneda Airport in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2023

Fukushima water release won’t deter Chinese tourists: ANA CEO

The number of inbound visitors from China was about 300,000 in July, he said, compared with 30,000 in January, says Koji Shibata.
Indians celebrate the successful lunar landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon at a rally in the city of Ahmedabad on Aug. 24.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2023

India has every right to be proud of its space program and lunar triumph

In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars' orbit and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt,
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 5-0 in Week 1 games.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 7, 2023

Chiefs hope to continue streak of fast starts against Lions in NFL opener

Head coach Andy Reid is 9-1 in Week 1 since taking over in Kansas City.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2023

Record 219,000 cases of child abuse logged in Japan in fiscal '22

Over half of the total cases were reported to child consultation centers by police.
An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 7, 2023

Anger at Fukushima’s wastewater; hope in its renewables

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima.
The All Blacks perform the haka in front of Scotland before their match in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Nov. 13, 2022.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 7, 2023

All Blacks prepared to unleash haka at Rugby World Cup

The haka is a fierce war dance that was originally used to prepare Maori warriors for battle and has since been adopted by the All Blacks.
Aziz Umerov looks at a portrait of his sister Leniye Umerova, a Ukrainian from Russian-annexed Crimea arrested in Russia, on August 11.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 7, 2023

Arrest, detain, repeat: Russian war critics in jail 'carousel'

Consecutive jailings aren't illegal, as Russian law allows judges to order "administrative" detentions of up to 30 days for minor infractions.
Cuban American soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as Violetta in a restaging of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” directed by Sofia Coppola in her opera directing debut in 2016
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 8, 2023

Rome Opera's tragic heroes resonate in modern times

For its Japan tour, the company will perform lavish productions of "La Traviata," directed by Sofia Coppola, and "Tosca," by Franco Zeffirelli.
The Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs carries the ball against the Chiefs during their game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 8, 2023

Lions upset defending champion Chiefs in NFL season opener

David Montgomery's 6-yard touchdown run with 7:06 left propelled the Lions to the victory.
SUMO
Sep 8, 2023

Young ozeki duo will be in spotlight at Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament

The Autumn Basho is shaping up to be another unpredictable event.
Harvard historian Calder Walton says U.S. leaders have ignored China’s massive, multifront intelligence push.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2023

The vulnerability of open societies to foreign espionage

Are Western nations, with their open societies, making the same mistake with China as they did with the Soviet Union?
"Lost in Translation" was a sleeper hit about two people meeting in an unfamiliar city and forming an intense and fleeting emotional bond.
CULTURE / Film / Longform
Sep 9, 2023

'Lost in Translation' at 20: A Tokyo perspective

The Japanese cast and crew of Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" reflect on their experiences decades later.
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccination  at Aoyama University in Tokyo in August 2021.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 9, 2023

Japan to end free COVID-19 vaccinations in March

From fiscal 2024, the country will provide a COVID-19 shot once a year between to people aged 65 or over who are at high risk of severe symptoms.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami