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South Korea's Lim Si-hyeon has three gold medals from the 2024 Paris Games. Archers from the country have all been given cars by team sponsor Hyundai.
OLYMPICS
Aug 4, 2024

Diamonds, meatballs and motors: How Olympians can win more than medals

Many rewards are financial, but they can also be more eclectic.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (left) shakes hands with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, after their joint news conference at a hotel in Manila on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 4, 2024

Philippines and Germany commit to reaching defense pact this year

The two countries' defense chiefs met in Manila during the first such visit by a German defense minister, as their countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reviews an honor guard during her visit to Thailand, in Bangkok on April 26.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 5, 2024

Sheikh Hasina's record under fresh scrutiny as Bangladesh unrest deepens

Mass protests that began as student-led rallies against civil service job quotas have morphed into some of the worst unrest under the prime minister's 15-year tenure.
Brazil's Bruna Alexandre serves during her singles match in the team event on Monday at the Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Table tennis
Aug 6, 2024

Brazil's Alexandre makes historic Olympic debut as she eyes Paralympic gold

Alexandre became just the third athlete to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics on Monday as a member of Brazil's table tennis team.
Athletes who are part of the Refugee Olympic Team participate in the Parade of Nations on the River Seine during the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on July 26.
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2024

Refugee Olympic Team representing displaced people and making its mark in Paris

The refugee team, which first competed at the 2016 Games, will walk away from the Paris Olympics with one medal and potentially more.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the White House in Washington on July 3.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2024

Harris picks Minnesota's Tim Walz for vice president, sources say

Walz is a progressive policy champion and a plain speaker from America's heartland who may help Harris win over rural, white voters.
Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after she won her semifinal bout in the women's 66-kg event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 7, 2024

Boxer Khelif puts gender dispute aside to reach final as fans flock to support her

Khelif delivered a flawless performance against Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in front of the massed Algerian fans in Paris.
Kei Nishikori hits a forehand during his first-round win at the Montreal Masters on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Aug 7, 2024

Nishikori advances in Montreal for first Masters match win in three years

The 2014 U.S. Open runner-up, who has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, turned the tide at the Montreal Masters after a slow start.
Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 7, 2024

Japan and Mongolia likely to agree on defense equipment transfer pact

Japan and Mongolia are likely to reach a broad agreement to conclude a treaty aimed at allowing the two nations to export defense equipment to one another, Japanese government officials said Tuesday.
Shigekix, whose real name is Shigeyuki Nakarai, in action during the world championships in Leuven, Belgium, in September
OLYMPICS / Breaking
Aug 7, 2024

From the Bronx to Paris: Breaking set for its Olympic close-up

B-boys and B-girls from across the globe will soon compete in Olympic dance battles that feature intricate steps, acrobatic moves and plenty of flair.
American Quincy Hall crosses the line to win gold in the men's 400-meter sprint at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS / Athletics
Aug 8, 2024

Quincy Hall shows sheer grit to win Olympic 400-meter title

The 26-year-old lunged at the line to pip Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith, who set a new European record of 43.44 seconds.
The Intel Corporation logo at a temporary office during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in 2022
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 8, 2024

How spurning OpenAI set chip giant Intel behind in the AI marketplace

OpenAI went on to launch the groundbreaking ChatGPT in 2022 and is now reportedly valued at about $80 billion.
Olympic gold medalist Akari Fujinami celebrates after receiving her medal for winning the women's 53-kg freestyle event at Champ de Mars Arena in Paris on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Wrestling
Aug 9, 2024

Japanese juggernaut Fujinami wrestles to freestyle gold

The 20-year-old arrived in Paris with a 130-0 record and was virtually unchallenged in her gold-medal campaign.
Cindy Ngamba (left) throws a punch at Panama's Atheyna Bylon during their semifinal bout of the women's 75-kg category at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 9, 2024

Boxer Ngamba settles for bronze as Refugee Olympic Team celebrates first medal

Ngamba, who was born in Cameroon but sought safe haven in Britain at age 11, was beaten by split decision in the semifinals of the women's 75-kg category.
Olga Kharlan celebrates after Ukraine won the Olympic women's team saber gold-medal bout against South Korea on Aug. 3.
OLYMPICS
Aug 9, 2024

Olympic medals offer Ukraine a brief respite from war

Each of Ukraine’s 10 medals so far has been hailed in the war-torn country as a symbol of resilience and defiance.
A meeting of the Lao-Lao liquor cooperative held in the village of Xai in Attapeu Province in June.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 19, 2024

Co-op Okinawa nurtures Laos farmers' cooperatives to encourage growth

By setting up cooperatives, farmers can prevent unfavorable price negotiations by sharing information with one another.
A Goku balloon from the “Dragon Ball” anime series takes part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan in November 2018. Japan’s creative industries are under threat as AI tools make it easy to mimic anime, manga and other forms of the nation’s artistic output.
COMMENTARY
Aug 9, 2024

Japan’s soft AI stance is betraying its anime artists

From Studio Ghibli to Pokemon, the country’s creatives have driven its influence and must be protected.
Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Longform
Aug 9, 2024

In search of the ‘Japanese dream’

You've likely heard of the American dream. In Japan, where no such concept exists, immigrants forge their own ideals.
Gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria kisses her medal.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 10, 2024

Algeria's Khelif delights newfound devotees with statement win at Paris Games

Khelif is the first Algerian woman to earn an Olympic boxing title and the first from her country to claim gold since Hocine Soltani at Atlanta 1996.
China's Chang Yuan reacts after she beat Turkey's Hatice Akbas in the women's 54-kg gold-medal bout at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 11, 2024

China's female boxers break through to reign at Paris Olympics

Women's boxing made its Olympic debut in 2012 and after some near-misses, China struck gold this past week with three titles in as many days at Roland Garros.
The Paris Olympics beach volleyball event held next to the Eiffel Tower was met with rave reviews.
OLYMPICS
Aug 11, 2024

'City of Light' was star of the show at Paris Olympics, say Games veterans

From beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower to the elegant surroundings of the Palace of Versailles for the equestrian events, the Games were a veritable tourism guide.
Officials from the Meteorological Agency and the land ministry hold a news conference on Saturday and urge people in Tohoku to be on alert for Tropical Storm Maria, which is forecast to make landfall in the region on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2024

Tropical Storm Maria set for rare Tohoku landfall from Pacific coast

Total rainfall in the area could exceed the average amount seen for the entire month of August in a normal year, the Meteorological Agency said.
A tourist picks up an aloha shirt at the Samurai Aloha store at Narita Airport in June.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 12, 2024

Aloha shirts made from recycled kimono in Tohoku prove to be huge hit

The shirts, called Samurai Aloha, were launched in the hopes of helping the area recover from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota at a campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 12, 2024

Tim Walz’s long relationship with China defies easy stereotypes

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been an outspoken critic of China's human rights record.
U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 30, 2020
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 13, 2024

Musk scorns subsidies, but Tesla still lobbies for U.S. benefits

Despite Musk's gradual embrace of Trump, the company continues to lobby the U.S. and state governments for benefits championed by the Democratic Party.
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture relocated privately-managed war memorials erected in various places in the city to a plot of land owned by the city.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 14, 2024

Maintaining privately built war memorials an urgent task in Japan

Of 16,235 memorials for the war dead built by members of the public, 780 were damaged, according to a welfare ministry survey.
A return to the world with interest will almost certainly mean an increase in the bifurcation of Japan's haves and have-nots.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2024

Is Japan ready for a ‘world with interest?’

Ever since Ueda arrived at the central bank 15 months ago, economists have been debating what the "world with interest” will look like.
Naomi Osaka hits a backhand during her second round match at the WTA Tour stop in Toronto on Aug. 8.
TENNIS
Aug 15, 2024

Osaka, Andreescu and Wawrinka receive U.S. Open wildcards

Dominic Thiem is another former U.S. Open champion who was given a wildcard.
The Kappabashi Bridge in the Chubusangaku National Park is just one of many sites the Japanese government is hoping will serve to draw tourists to a planned nationwide rollout of luxury resorts.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 16, 2024

Japan sets 2031 target for luxury hotels at all 35 national parks

"We are aiming for world-class national parks based on the understanding of local communities and the idea of environmental conservation."
Produced by Toei Animation, “Girls Band Cry” follows five young women who form a band and navigate the Japanese rock landscape.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 17, 2024

Prepare for a new wave of anime-born bands

'Girls Band Cry' and its in-real-life band Togenashi Togeari offer the latest evolution of mixed-media music projects.

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