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Japan Coast Guard patrol ships try to block the way of a China Coast Guard ship (center) near Uotsurijima in the Senkaku Islands chain on April 27.
JAPAN
May 27, 2024

Japan spots Chinese ships near Senkaku Islands for record 158 days

The territorial dispute over the Tokyo-controlled islets, known as the Diaoyu by China, is a long-running sore point between Japan and China.
Allowing Ukraine into NATO would not only bolster Kyiv's defenses against Russia’s invasion, but also strengthen the alliance’s military capabilities and deter future aggression.
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2024

The case for Ukraine’s NATO accession

By admitting Ukraine, NATO could tip the balance decisively in Kyiv's favor and dispel any doubt about the alliance’s future, ensuring a lasting peace.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the country's Politburo at an undisclosed location on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 28, 2024

North Korea says its latest satellite launch exploded in flight

North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight.
The office of former Lower House lawmaker Mito Kakizawa in Tokyo's Koto Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2024

Ex-lawmaker's former secretary fined for election law violation

Shu Goto, a former secretary of former Lower House lawmaker Mito Kakizawa, was fined over cash offers made to Koto Ward assembly members during a mayoral election last year.
A protester holds a sign reading "Keep Taiwan Free" during a demonstration outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 29, 2024

Taiwan government to reject contested parliament reforms

The legislation, backed by the main opposition Kuomintang, brought tens of thousands onto the streets to protest and accusations of Chinese interference.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the National Memorial Day Wreath-Laying and Observance Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 29, 2024

Biden's blurred red lines under scrutiny after Rafah carnage

Despite global outrage over a recent deadly attack in Rafah, the White House has insisted that it did not believe Israel had launched the major operation.
The North Korean flag flutters at the North Korea consular office in Dandong, China, in 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 29, 2024

Rare spat shows China and North Korea still at odds on nuclear weapons

Pyongyang condemned China, Japan and South Korea on Monday for discussing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Plaintiffs and lawyers march to the Supreme Court to attend a hearing on lawsuits against the government over forced sterilization carried out under a now-defunct eugenic law, on Wednesday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 29, 2024

Victims of forced sterilization speak of their suffering at Supreme Court

They are seeking compensation from the government over their forced sterilization due to their disabilities under a now-defunct eugenic law.
A worker installs a barrier to block the sight of Mount Fuji in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on May 21.
JAPAN
May 30, 2024

Town to replace Mount Fuji barrier after holes found: local media

The barrier was put up last week in a popular viewing spot in the town of Fujikawaguchiko.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump after the verdict was read at Manhattan criminal court in New York City, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 31, 2024

For Trump's false records conviction, prison is not unprecedented

Prison time is rare for people convicted in New York state of felony falsification of business records — the charge Donald Trump faced at his six-week trial.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures following the announcement of the verdict in his criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, outside Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / ANALYSIS
May 31, 2024

Trump guilty verdict adds twist to 2024 race: a convicted felon

While such a development may change the trajectory of the presidential race, few experts are confident it will.
Researchers at Tokyo's Juntendo University investigated whether an SGLT2 inhibitor, a drug that promotes sugar excretion through urine, could remove aging cells by administering it to obese mice for a week.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 31, 2024

Diabetes drug shows promise for aging-related illnesses in mice study

The Juntendo University study shows an SGLT2 inhibitor successfully eliminating senescent cells, which accumulate with age, in the mice's visceral fat.
Yoshiichi Segawa, a 68-year-old resident of Kawaguchi, where the shooting took place, was apprehended at Omiya Station in the neighboring city of Saitama.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 31, 2024

Saitama police arrest suspect in cab driver shooting

Police identified Yoshiichi Segawa, 68, through security camera footage as the man suspected of shooting the driver in Wednesday's incident.
The dollar’s about-face came after Fed Chair Jerome Powell waved off worries that the central bank may raise interest rates again.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 1, 2024

The dollar’s rally falters as signs of cooling ease Fed fears

The dollar’s about-face came after Fed Chair Jerome Powell waved off worries that the central bank may raise interest rates again.
A Ukrainian serviceman prepares to fire a self-propelled howitzer toward Russian troops in May.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2024

Biden tip-toes deeper into Ukraine conflict with arms decision

Experts say the decision to relax some restrictions on Ukraine's use of U.S. weaponry inside Russia could help blunt Moscow's offensive.
Voters stand in line to cast their ballot at a polling station on the seventh and final phase of voting of India's general election, in Patna on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 1, 2024

India’s long, bitter election fight heads toward finish line

The results won’t be declared until June 4, but Saturday will offer a clue as to whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on track for a third term.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 1, 2024

Zelenskyy arrives in Singapore to address key Asia security summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver an address to the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia security conference Sunday and meet with the U.S. defense chief.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 2, 2024

Zelenskyy pillories China over reluctance to use sway to end Ukraine war

The Ukrainian president also implored Asian leaders to attend a peace conference slated for later this month in Switzerland.
In “A Gentleman from Japan,” Thomas Lockley lays out the history of English exploration around the globe during the 16th century, delving into the life of the first recorded Japanese person to set foot in the United Kingdom, the United States and South America.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 2, 2024

'A Gentleman from Japan': A journey of firsts in the age of exploration

Written in fast, novelistic prose, Thomas Lockley uses the thread of one Japanese man’s experience to guide his readers into a complex world of suspicion and danger.
China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe on the launch pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan province on May 3
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jun 2, 2024

China lands on moon's far side in historic sample-retrieval mission

The mission "involves many engineering innovations, high risks and great difficulty," China's space agency said in a statement on its website.
Pedestrians holding umbrellas during a downpour in Tokyo in June 2023
JAPAN / Science & Health / OUR PLANET
Jun 2, 2024

The growing link between extreme rain and respiratory health in Japan

Researchers have found a strong association between respiratory mortality and severe downpours of the kind being made worse by climate change.
The stone pillar at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo that had "toilet" spray painted on it, on Monday after it was cleaned
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2024

Police launch investigation over Yasukuni Shrine vandalism

In a video shared online, a man went to the shrine and urinated on a stone pillar before writing the word “toilet” in red spray paint.
Transport ministry officials head to Toyota's headquarters in Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday for on-site inspections.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 4, 2024

Auto certification in spotlight as Toyota raided over data tampering

Questions have emerged over whether Japan's regulatory standards and their subjective interpretation might be hindering automakers.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez arrives at the track ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix on May 26.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 5, 2024

Sergio Perez staying with Red Bull for two more years

Perez, 34, finished second overall to triple world champion teammate Max Verstappen last season.
Japan's base pay in April rose 2.3% from a year earlier to drive up nominal wages by 2.1%, but real wages marked a 25th consecutive month of decline as pay growth lagged inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 5, 2024

Japan’s biggest base pay jump since 1994 still leaves doubts

Pay continues to lag inflation, with analysts appearing to latch on to weaker-than-expected growth in cash wages in data that avoids sampling issues.
Tucupita Marcano, then with the Pirates, throws to first base during a game against the Giants in Pittsburgh in July last year.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 5, 2024

San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano banned for life for gambling

Michael Kelly, a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, and three minor league players were also suspended for a year for gambling on baseball games, MLB said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory signs as he arrives at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi late Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 5, 2024

India’s Modi gets Pyrrhic poll victory as challenges loom for BJP

A better-than-expected performance by the opposition denied the ruling party a majority, forcing it to rely on its coalition partners to stay in power.
People enter the Fantasy Springs area that opened Thursday at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2024

Tokyo DisneySea's 'Fantasy Springs' area opens

Visitors require a free Standby Pass or paid Disney Premier Access, along with a DisneySea ticket, to access the new area.
To qualify for the advance payment offered by the city of Saitama, the single parent must reside in the city and fulfill several other criteria.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 6, 2024

Saitama aids single parents with advance child support payments

The city will offer a maximum amount of ¥50,000 per month per child to the affected parent for up to three months, and seek reimbursement from the former spouse.
About 1 to 1.8 out of 1,000 people in Japan are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2024

Japan researchers develop drug to visualize Parkinson’s disease in living patients

The study could help better our understanding of such neurodegenerative diseases, for which there are currently no cures.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan