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A reproduction experiment was conducted by placing two gas stoves side by side and heating large iron plates (top photo). The canister on the left stove overheated and ruptured (bottom photo).
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2025

Warnings issued for portable stoves as winter usage increases

The most common issue was improper canister placement leading to overheating and rupture, resulting in fatalities, burns and property damage.
Haas mechanics prepare for the U.S. Grand Prix last October.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 22, 2025

Haas makes Laura Mueller F1's first female race engineer

Mueller will serve as the race engineer for driver Esteban Ocon, who will debut with the U.S. team this year.
The National Personnel Authority in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2025

Fall in Japanese bureaucrat aspirants shows signs of stabilizing

The number of applicants in fiscal 2023 rose by 36.0% from the previous year, and in fiscal 2024, it increased by 17.9%, reaching a record high of 4,734.
A charred chimney is all that remains at a fire-ravaged ocean front home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 16.
WORLD
Jan 22, 2025

After the fire, should some parts of Los Angeles never rebuild?

Researchers warn that wildfires pose very different risks from more predictable events like sea-level rise and riverbank flooding.
Teruko Nakazawa, a retired unpaid parole officer (back), talks with her former parolee in the smoking room of a cafe in Tokyo. Around 47,000 citizen volunteers  far outnumber the 1,000 salaried probation officers working in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 23, 2025

Japan's unpaid parole officers are driven by a 'love for humanity'

The around 47,000 citizen volunteers far outnumber the 1,000 salaried probation officers in Japan.
With abundant rains and formidable humidity in summer, Japan does not seem to be an ideal land for wine, but winegrowers in Yamanashi Prefecture have gradually been able to adapt.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 26, 2025

Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi’s best

Visits to Grace Wine’s vineyard and the Suntory Hakushu Distillery turn a tour of the mountainous prefecture into a gourmet treat.
Japan Airlines' chief executive officer and its chairman will be subject to a 30% pay cut for two months over an incident involving two pilots drinking.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 24, 2025

JAL top executives have their pay docked after pilot drinking incident

The punishments stem from an incident last month when two captains caused a flight to be delayed by around three hours after alcohol was found in their systems.
Sara Saito competes at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in October last year.
TENNIS
Jan 24, 2025

Sara Saito’s journey from tennis courts in Gunma to promising WTA pro

The 18-year-old Saito, who has steadily risen up the WTA rankings, is the only teenager among the eight Japanese players in the top 200.
Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo.
SUMO / Basho reports
Jan 26, 2025

Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight

Despite the best efforts of Kinbozan and Oho, it was ozeki Hoshoryu that eventually emerged victorious in the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Smoke rises as the Border 2 Fire burns in Chula Vista, California, on Friday in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.
WORLD
Jan 27, 2025

Fire-ravaged Los Angeles braces for toxic rain runoff

The rain will also bring cleaner air and improve fire-fighting conditions, but overall, it will make things worse.
Spotify signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 2
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 27, 2025

Universal and Spotify ink multiyear deal

A joint statement said the two firms "will collaborate closely to advance the next era of streaming innovation."
Hong Kong's commercial real estate sector is going through one of its worst slumps in history.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 27, 2025

Hong Kong’s property distress is catching up with city’s banks

Banks with soured loans and mortgages have been reluctant to sell the underlying real estate assets at a loss — but that is changing.
"We want to welcome many people from all over the world, so we want to make Osaka a city where people feel safe with smoke-free streets," said Hideyuki Yokoyama, mayor of the city of Osaka, in early January.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2025

Osaka bans street smoking ahead of Expo 2025

Expo 2025 has struggled with slow ticket sales and public concern over the construction budget.
The third patient to receive a genetically engineered pig kidney is thriving post-transplant, providing valuable insights into animal-to-human organ replacement and bringing the field closer to clinical trials. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2025

Why a recent pig kidney transplant is a major advance

The 53-year-old woman who received the genetically modified animal organ is the ideal recipient to push science forward.
A memorial stone listing the names of 183 people who lost their lives in the flooding accident at Chosei coal mine in the city of Ube in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1942, photographed in December
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2025

Survey to begin at western Japan site of 1942 undersea mine accident

The remains of 136 people from the Korean Peninsula and 47 Japanese nationals still lie in the flooded Chosei coal mine in Ube.
A prosecutor allegedly raped by her boss holds a news conference after submitting the petition on Monday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 28, 2025

Petition filed to investigate alleged rape of Japan prosecutor

While the defendant initially apologized at the first hearing, his lawyer later said his client had thought there had been consent.
Properties destroyed by the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, California, in 2017
WORLD
Jan 28, 2025

Earlier California fire shows how Los Angeles could rebuild

The experiences of those who rebuilt in Coffey Park and Santa Rosa show the power of collective action, and local government success in streamlining construction.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits one of his country's nuclear material production facilities at an undisclosed location in this photo released Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 29, 2025

North Korea's Kim vows to 'indefinitely' bolster nuke program

Kim used a rare reported visit to two of his countries' secretive nuclear facilities to highlight Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy in action as he tees off on the eighth during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Jan. 19.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 29, 2025

Rory McIlroy continues 'pivotal' year at Pebble Beach

Not only does McIlroy have his first TGL experience under his belt, he also began his season with a T4 finish at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.
Nissan said Wednesday that it will move to a single shift from mid-April at one production line in each of two U.S. factories, and seek an unspecified number of voluntary buyouts or early retirements.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2025

Nissan plans job and output cuts at U.S. vehicle assembly plants

Nissan has pledged to cut 9,000 jobs globally and reduce production capacity by 20%.
The Dentsu Group's headquarters building (center) in Tokyo. Tokyo District Court ordered Dentsu Group to pay ¥300 million in fines on Thursday as sought by prosecutors over bid-rigging related to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 30, 2025

Dentsu Group ordered to pay ¥300 million over Tokyo Games bid-rigging

The Tokyo District Court also sentenced the former assistant head of the sports department of core subsidiary Dentsu to two years in prison suspended for four years.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in March 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 31, 2025

Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss bringing Saudi Arabia into jet project

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said Italy is in favor of Saudi Arabia joining the joint development of a new sixth-generation fighter jet.
UFC President Dana White speaks during the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18, 2024.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 31, 2025

UFC President Dana White condemns fighter's comments about Hitler

White said UFC would not take disciplinary action, citing freedom of expression.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2025

Japan wary of taking another hit if Trump slaps tariffs on China

Policymakers, investors and economists are watching Trump’s trade policy amid fears that his threatened use of tariffs could batter global commerce.
Defending the rights of transgender and nonbinary people isn’t only about waging legal battles. It’s about more persuasive arguments.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2025

Trump can’t erase trans people with the stroke of his marker

There hasn’t been as much outrage as I had anticipated, but it makes sense. Most Americans, polls show, don’t personally know anyone who identifies as transgender.
Brian Hutto runs Craft Sake Shoten, a Yokohama shop he calls a hangout for 'real sake enthusiasts.'
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Feb 2, 2025

Sipping down the rabbit hole at Craft Sake Shoten

A chance encounter with sake evangelist John Gauntner led Brian Hutto to reinvent himself with sake as his new focus.
In addition to the commercial benefits from Ginza Sony Park's music-centered exhibition — such as promoting Sony's artists and products — there is a real effort to put music in focus.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 1, 2025

At the new Ginza Sony Park, listening is an art form

“Sony Park Exhibition 2025” features installations created in collaboration with six music artists: Vaundy, Yoasobi, Hitsujibungaku, Creepy Nuts, Babymonster and Kensuke Ushio.
Tourists at a viewpoint near the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 1, 2025

Here’s the few foreign markets set to win on Trump’s return

As some countries are rattled by tariff fears, assets of nations seen as benefiting from close ties with the U.S. leader are getting an extra lift
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drives to the basket past Lakers forward Anthony Davis during a game in December 2023. Early Sunday, the two superstars were traded for one another in a blockbuster deal.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Feb 2, 2025

Lakers reportedly land Luka Doncic in blockbuster that sends Anthony Davis to Mavs

The Lakers and Mavericks have sent the NBA world into a frenzy with the deal involving the two superstars.
Kinuko Iwamoto (center), former chancellor of Tokyo Women's Medical University, inside a police car in Tokyo on Jan. 13
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 3, 2025

Ex-Tokyo medical school chancellor served new warrant over payments

Iwamoto, 78, is suspected of committing a breach of trust, allegedly making the university fraudulently pay a total of around ¥170 million in consulting fees on multiple occasions.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40