Search - 2023

 
 
Bristol Bears and U.S. star Ilona Maher during the warmup before a match against Gloucester-Hartpury in Gloucester, England on March 2
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 22, 2025

England names strong side for Women's Rugby World Cup opener against U.S.

The Red Roses have lost only once in their past 58 matches — a defeat by New Zealand in the COVID-delayed 2022 World Cup final.
In what is billed as the first major production in English of Hisashi Inoue's "The Face of Jizo,” the Japanese play will have performances at the Seymour Centre in Sydney both in English and in Japanese.
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 22, 2025

'The Face of Jizo': Hisashi Inoue's play staged in Sydney commemorates WWII victims

Billed as the first major English-language production of the play, "The Face of Jizo" also increases the variety of roles for Japanese actors in Australia.
The Environment Ministry plans to increase subsidies to local governments to fund projects such as setting up fences to prevent bears from encroaching into populated areas, as well as training personnel who can react when there are sightings.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2025

Environment Ministry to boost support for local governments facing bear attacks

Funds will enable municipalities to secure and train staff able to respond to incidents involving bears.
Agricultural workers harvest jasmine flowers at sunrise at a field in the village of Shubra Balula in Egypt's northern Nile delta province of Gharbiya on July 7.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 25, 2025

Egyptian farmers behind world's perfumes face climate fight alone

Jasmine has sustained thousands of Egyptian farmers for generations, but rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells and climate-driven pests are putting that legacy at risk.
Japan's Shohei Ohtani delivers a pitch against the USA during the World Baseball Classic final at LoanDepot Park in Miami on March 21, 2023.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 26, 2025

Baseball-hungry Netflix to carry World Baseball Classic in Japan

The news comes as Netflix is reportedly on the verge of entering the MLB fray by picking up the U.S. rights for the Home Run Derby
An Instagram post reading "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," along with a photo showing National Football League player Travis Kelce proposing to singer Taylor Swift, in this screenshot taken from a social media post on Aug. 26.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 27, 2025

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement after two-year romance

The singer and football player posted their news on social media, there's no wedding date set as of yet.
Eddie Laiche (right) speaks next to Konstantine Anthony, mayor of Burbank, California, in the city in December 2023.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2025

U.S. public growing critical of nuclear weapons 80 years after atomic bombings

A poll conducted this year showed that only 35% of adults in the U.S. viewed the atomic bombings as justified, while 31% said they were not justified.
Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito throws the ball against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 27, 2025

Giants waive quarterback DeVito as Patriots cut 2022 first-rounder Strange

NFL teams were required to reach the regular-season roster limit of 53 players by Tuesday.
Koryo High School players greet their cheering section after beating Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Shiho in the first round of Summer Koshien on Aug. 7. The school withdrew three days later as a bullying scandal enveloped the team.
BASEBALL / FOCUS
Aug 27, 2025

Koshien’s dark summer forces reckoning for high school baseball

A young player’s dream was to play in the National High School Baseball Championship. A series of bullying incidents this year changed all of that.
Palestinian families flee their homes in areas north of Gaza City on Monday after the Israeli army announced its intention to expand the scope of the military operation and focus on Gaza City.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2025

Israel ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Trump eyes postwar plan

Israel is under mounting pressure both at home and abroad to end its campaign in Gaza, where the United Nations has declared a famine.
Thailand's suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gestures as she arrives at the Constitutional Court in Bangkok on Aug. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2025

Powerful Thai court again to decide fate of Thaksin-aligned prime minister

The case against Paetongtarn Shinawatra shows how the country’s conservative establishment can thwart governments and engineer military-backed rule.
The health ministry is considering allowing nationwide pharmacy sales of emergency contraceptive pills without requiring age restrictions or parental approval.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 28, 2025

Japan weighs OTC sales of emergency contraceptive pills without age limit

To ensure proper use, the plan would require that the morning-after pill be taken in the presence of a pharmacist.
Mourners react during a funeral for Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, on Thursday. Israel has previously rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to self-defense.
WORLD
Aug 29, 2025

Hundreds of U.N. staff pressure rights chief to call Gaza a genocide, letter shows

The letter stated the staff consider the legal criteria for genocide in the war in the Gaza Strip have been met, citing the scale, scope and nature of violations documented there.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, leaves federal court in Santa Ana, California, in February.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 30, 2025

Bookmaker linked to ex-Ohtani interpreter sentenced to prison

A California bookmaker who took at least 19,000 bets from Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Friday.
Boxing gloves on the wall of a gym in Tokyo ahead of a training session by American star Floyd Mayweather in September 2022. Intense sparring, drastic weight loss and lax regulation have created a dangerous environment in Japanese boxing, officials say, as the sport in the country reels from the deaths of two fighters.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Aug 31, 2025

Attack and never give up: Inside Japan's deadly boxing scene

The twin tragedies sent shockwaves through Japanese boxing, with authorities scrambling to investigate and facing pressure to tighten safety.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in an exercise at Camp Naha in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2025

Pacifist Japan struggles to boost troops as China anxiety grows

In 2023, the Self-Defense Forces aimed to hire almost 20,000 people, but recruited just half that number, according to the Defense Ministry.
An Israeli Apache helicopter flies over Gaza on Tuesday. Israeli Army Radio said 40,000 reservists would report for duty.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 3, 2025

Thousands of Israeli reservists report for duty as military chief clashes with ministers

Israel's armed forces chief Eyal Zamir said a military thrust into Gaza City would endanger hostages and further strain the already overstretched army.
A research team led by the University of Tokyo’s Miyuki Harada has developed artificial intelligence models that can help deliver personalized infertility treatments by predicting the number and quality of eggs that a woman has.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2025

Japan team develops AI models to help deliver personalized infertility treatment

The group study led by a University of Tokyo researcher found their models to be more accurate than the standard method of assessing ovarian function.
"Animator Skill Test Textbook” was written in concert with a test created and administered by the Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association since 2024. The test was designed to help set a baseline for those studying animation, and so that animation studios can get a better idea of applicants' current skill level.
CULTURE / Books
Sep 4, 2025

English textbook targets a skills gap in Japan’s growing anime industry

From "dōga" to “lip flap,” the Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association’s "Animator Skill Test Textbook" teaches aspiring animators how to talk like the pros.
Israeli tanks are positioned on the border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
WORLD
Sep 4, 2025

Israel says expecting 1 million Gazans to flee new offensive

In Jerusalem, hundreds of Israeli protestors took to the streets to call for a truce and hostage release deal after nearly two years of war.
Chinese construction workers arrive at their accommodation after working on the construction site of BYD's electric vehicle factory at the Industrial Complex in the city of Camacari, in the state of Bahia, Brazil, on Jan. 2.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 4, 2025

Chinese investment doubles in Brazil, jumping to No. 3 destination

Brazil and China's leaders met twice in the past year, announcing partnerships in several sectors as the U.S. has put stiff tariffs on products from both nations.
Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul attends a press conference after securing the backing of opposition People's Party to serve as Thailand's next prime minister, in Bangkok on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 4, 2025

Thai prime minister frontrunner gets chance at leadership after six years

The rise of conservative politician Anutin Charnvirakul, who said he's been ready to be prime minister since 2019, is a testament to patience and savvy coalition building.
Smoke billows from a makeshift displacement camp at the Yarmuk Sports Stadium during Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Thursday.
WORLD
Sep 5, 2025

Israeli military says it controls 40% of Gaza City, with plans to expand operation

Gaza health authorities said Israeli fire across the enclave had killed at least 53 people, mostly in Gaza City, where Israeli forces are now a few kilometers from the city center.
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive shelter in a UNRWA school, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Aug. 19.
WORLD
Sep 5, 2025

Coffee and cash: How Hamas pays its civil servants in secret

The Hamas-run government in Gaza is still paying some salaries to employees, at least in part and with delays.
Mourners pray during the funeral of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire on Friday, in Gaza City on Saturday.
WORLD
Sep 6, 2025

Israeli military urges Gaza City residents to leave, then bombs high-rise tower

The assault threatens to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering there from nearly two years of fighting.
Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand's next prime minister, leaves parliament in Bangkok on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 6, 2025

Thailand's next PM reaffirms promise for fresh election

Conservative tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul was confirmed by parliament on Friday, ending a weeklong power vacuum.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pays respects to an image of King Maha Vajiralongkorn during the royal endorsement ceremony on Sunday in Bangkok.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 7, 2025

Cannabis-championing tycoon takes office as Thailand's prime minister

Anutin previously served as deputy prime minister, but is perhaps most famous for being the architect of Thailand's 2022 cannabis decriminalization.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen passes against the Ravens during their game in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 8, 2025

Bills rally to stun Ravens to cap wild opening weekend in NFL

Matt Prater, a 41-year-old veteran signed this week, booted the game-winning field goal as time expired to complete the epic comeback.
Sha'Carri Richardson waits for the start of the women's 100-meter final during a Diamond League meet in Chorzow, Poland, on Aug. 16.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 8, 2025

Controversy continues to follow U.S. sprint star Sha'Carri Richardson

She arrives in Tokyo for the defense of the world crown on the back of another headline-making incident.
Smoke billows after explosions in Doha on Tuesday.
WORLD
Sep 10, 2025

Israel attacks Hamas in Qatar, drawing rare rebuke from U.S.

The rare public criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump underscored the risk that the war in Gaza could get worse before it gets better.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building