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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2020

Battles over U.S. voting rules fuel concern about postelection fights

With less than six weeks until the U.S. election, laws governing how Americans vote remain in flux in many battleground states, with the two parties locked in an intensive fight over the rules as President Donald Trump continues to suggest he will challenge any outcome unfavorable to him.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 19, 2020

How COVID-19 has altered the conversation about money

Before the coronavirus, Tara Beier and her husband, Dennis, rarely discussed money. They kept separate bank accounts and divided their household responsibilities. Her husband, 42, covered the mortgage on the two properties they own, while Beier, 38, managed and took care of a rental home. It worked fine...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2020

Trump blames protests on ‘radical’ schooling about slavery and racism

Trump denounced school curricula that emphasize the impact of slavery and racism on American history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2020

Trump raises questions about TikTok-Oracle deal if ByteDance ties remain

U.S. President Donald Trump raised questions on Wednesday about plans by China's ByteDance to keep a majority stake in the U.S. operations of popular social media platform TikTok after six Republican lawmakers urged him to reject the proposal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 12, 2020

'The Japanese Sake Bible': Sake production is 'a business that's all about families'

“The Japanese Sake Bible” delves deep into the history and culture of Japan's national drink, as well as the stories of the people who make it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 12, 2020

Opening a hotel restaurant is about more than the menu

The challenges facing chefs opening hotel restaurants are as extensive as they are complex. Factor in a pandemic, and strategies must be rethought.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2020

U.S. lawmakers press Disney chief about Xinjiang links to ‘Mulan’

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers have asked Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek to explain the company’s contacts with "security and propaganda authorities” in the Xinjiang region of China during production of the live-action version of "Mulan.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2020

Traders are getting smarter about the vaccine race

Investors watching the COVID-19 vaccine development process could be forgiven for thinking it's not so hard. The effort has moved extraordinarily quickly so far, and with few hiccups.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 11, 2020

'Twelve Angry Men': 1950s courtroom drama about confronting prejudice still rings true

Director Lindsay Posner hopes his staging of “Twelve Angry Men” in Tokyo will make audiences assess how their attitudes affect their perceptions.
Kono Taro, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and former digital transformation minister, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2025

BOJ should raise rates to strengthen yen and curb inflation, says Taro Kono

The comments come days after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to resign raised questions about the outlook for economic policies.
Chinese DF-61 intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles are displayed during a military parade in Beijing, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Sept. 3. 
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2025

The global nuclear picture grows darker and darker

It’s hard, if not impossible, to escape the conclusion that the world is in a grim place when measured by nuclear metrics.
U.S. rightwing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk appears at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, just before he was shot dead.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 11, 2025

Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah university event

The shooting was the latest in a series of attacks on U.S. political figures that have underscored a sharp rise in political violence.
Asteroid Ryugu (left) and samples brought back by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 11, 2025

Asteroid ice discovery may change ideas about origin of water on Earth

The parent body of near-Earth asteroid Ryugu appears to have harbored water in the form of ice for over a billion years, Japanese researchers have found.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint news conference at the White House in Washington in February. Israel has shown it is not afraid to act against U.S. interests.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 12, 2025

Qatar bombing tests the limits of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance

Israel's surprise attack against Hamas leaders in Doha showed the cold calculus beneath U.S. President Trump's relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025

Hyundai battery plant faces startup delay after U.S. raid, CEO says

The plant, part of a $7.6 billion factory complex to make battery-powered models, was slated to come online later this year.
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich speaks during a news conference on the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday.
WORLD
Sep 13, 2025

NATO to beef up defense of Europe's eastern flank after Poland drone incursions

Poland's drone shootdown was the first known action of its kind by a NATO member during Russia's war in Ukraine.
A young girl looks up at a photograph of Charlie Kirk during a candlelight vigil for the right-wing activist at a makeshift memorial at Memorial Park in Provo, Utah, on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 14, 2025

Accused sniper jailed in Charlie Kirk killing awaits formal charges in Utah

The killing has stirred outrage among Kirk's supporters and condemnation of political violence from across the ideological spectrum.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he arrives to attend a signing ceremony for a framework agreement, aiming to speed up development in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, a settlement in the occupied-West Bank, on Thursday.
WORLD
Sep 14, 2025

Netanyahu says killing Hamas leaders is route to ending Gaza war

Israel has ramped up efforts to seize control of Gaza City, telling residents to evacuate and blowing up buildings it said were being used by Hamas.
A billboard showing an image of U.S. President Donald Trump embracing prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead by a single bullet while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University in the town of Orem on Wednesday, hangs on the side of a building in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Sep 14, 2025

Charlie Kirk's allies warn Americans: Mourn him properly or else

After the fatal shooting of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, U.S. Republicans have a warning for Americans: Mourn him respectfully or suffer the consequences.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles speaks during an announcement at the Kuttabul Australian Navy base in Sydney on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 14, 2025

Australia to spend $8 billion on AUKUS nuclear sub shipyard facility

The investment is part of a major military restructure to improve Australia's long-range strike capabilities in the face of China's expanding military strength across the Pacific.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington on Sept. 8. Israeli strikes in Qatar and Russian drone incursions into Poland have challenged the U.S. leaders claims of global respect.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 14, 2025

Strikes on Qatar and Poland shake U.S. sway among friend and foe

Trump’s removed attitude contrasts sharply with his repeated claims about his unique ability to solve the world’s intractable conflicts.
Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings southwards as smoke billows from Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2025

Israel intensifies Gaza City bombing as Rubio arrives

Aid agencies say an Israeli takeover of Gaza City would be catastrophic for a population already facing widespread malnutrition.
A statue of young swordsman Tanjiro Kamado, the title character in the "Demon Slayer" anime franchise, is displayed at a cinema in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district on Sept. 9.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2025

Sony’s ‘Demon Slayer’ sets $70 million anime debut record

The "Infinity Castle" film brought in $70 million, topping the previous $31 million record set by "Pokemon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back" in 1999.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks  in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 16, 2025

Trump says U.S. struck another alleged Venezuelan drug vessel, killing three

The U.S. president provided no evidence for his assertion that the boat was carrying drugs.
Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera before Judge Tony Graf of the 4th District Court on Tuesday for his initial appearance in Provo, Utah.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 17, 2025

Prosecutors to seek death penalty for suspect in Charlie Kirk assassination

The killing sparked denunciations of political violence but also raised concern that Kirk's murder might beget more bloodshed.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15. Putin is growing vulnerable, but Trump’s wavering and Europe’s divisions risk wasting the chance to end the Ukraine war.
COMMENTARY
Sep 17, 2025

Did Putin finally overplay his hand with Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin grows vulnerable, but Donald Trump’s wavering and Europe’s divisions risk squandering the chance to force an end to the war.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 18, 2025

Powell rallies Fed colleagues as economic and political risks grow

The decision to cut rates was nearly unanimous, with the lone dissent coming from Fed Gov. Stephen Miran, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands as they hold a news conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit Thursday in Aylesbury, Britain.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2025

Trump flattery pays off for Starmer with major pitfalls averted

While the British concluded the trip without any open conflict, they failed to score any obvious diplomatic breakthroughs.
A sign is seen outside of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre on Hollywood Boulevard, from where the show is broadcast in Hollywood, California, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025

Trump threatens licenses of TV stations that criticize him

Trump’s remarks represent a startling break with the nation’s long-standing traditions of freedom of speech and of the press enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group is considering increasing its stake in Jefferies Financial Group as the Japanese lender deepens ties with the U.S. investment bank.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025

Sumitomo Mitsui mulls raising stake in Jefferies to 20%

The two firms are also in discussions to merge parts of their equities businesses in Japan, potentially through the establishment of a joint venture.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes