Search - 2018

 
 
Sheep on the eastern shores of Lake Hawea, near the town of Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand. New Zealand sheep farmers are fighting to stop the loss of pasture to fast-spreading pine plantations, which earn government subsidies to soak up carbon emissions.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 28, 2025

New Zealand farmers battle pine forests to 'save our sheep'

New Zealand is one of the rare countries to allow 100% of carbon emissions to be offset by forestry.
Paul Weaver, director and head of cannabis at U.S.-based Boston Beer Company, shows the company's weed-themed product catalogs in his office in Toronto in June.
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2025

U.S. alcohol sector prepares to fight back against buzzy cannabis drinks

Alcohol makers are still suffering a hangover following America's pandemic drinking binge, when sales spiked as cash-flush consumers splurged on pricey bottles of liquor.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, on June 30, 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 29, 2025

North Korea says Trump must drop denuclearization policy if he wants to meet Kim

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader, called personal ties between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump "not bad.”
The portal of the Chosei undersea coal mine in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The remains of workers who died in a 1942 submersion accident were left behind in the mine.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2025

Efforts continue to recover undersea mine workers' remains, decades on

Diving surveys have aimed to find the remains of the 183 workers — 136 from the Korean Peninsula and 47 from Japan.
“Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game” is set to remain on display in Cooperstown for at least five to 10 years — and possibly indefinitely.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 29, 2025

Behind the scenes at the Baseball Hall of Fame's new Yakyu/Baseball exhibit

The exhibit tells a sweeping, richly visual story about the deep and evolving connection between Japan and America’s shared national pastime.
A month-old lion cub (center) is seen in front of two 8-day-olds at a breeding facility in Chachoengsao province, Thailand, on July 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 29, 2025

'Absolute madness': Thailand's pet lion problem

Thailand's captive lion population has exploded in recent years, with nearly 500 registered in zoos, breeding farms, petting cafes and homes.
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.
JAPAN / Breaking
Jul 30, 2025

Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo

The mercury hit the above-human temperature of 41.2 C in the city of Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, as authorities urged people to take precautions to avoid heatstroke.
Germany's Laura Dahlmeier died after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management team said Wednesday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 31, 2025

German Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier dies after mountaineering accident

The accident occurred around noon on Monday, at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters at Laila Peak, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Tuesday.
A Tokyo court has upheld a lower court ruling ordering Dentsu to pay a fine for rigging Olympic-related bids.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 31, 2025

Tokyo court upholds fine of ¥300 million for Dentsu in Olympic bid-rigging case

The high court also upheld a ruling that sentenced the former assistant head of the sports department of Dentsu to two years in prison, suspended for four years.
A shipwreck of a boat, used by refugees in the past, is stranded at a shore in the northern part of Lesbos island, Greece
WORLD
Aug 1, 2025

On Europe's hardened frontier, Greek island keeps migrants at bay

Ten years after it was a hot spot for migrants, Lesbos shows how far government responses have hardened against people seeking refuge in Europe.
Lakers star Luka Doncic speaks during an interview on Saturday in El Segundo, California, after his contract extension was announced.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 3, 2025

Doncic embraces championship hopes after inking $165 million contract extension

Doncic, 26, arrived in Los Angeles in a stunning February trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks.
A memorial to two Japanese soldiers killed in combat with anti-Japanese forces in Phrae Province, northern Thailand
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2025

80 years on: Thai man wants to return soldiers' remains to Japan

During the war, Japan was an enemy to the Free Thai group, but the soldiers were victims of the war, which was unnecessary, Puchong said.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks via a video message during the opening of the Helsinki  50 Conference, marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act in Helsinki on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 4, 2025

U.N. lays out survival plan as Trump threatens to slash funding

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is slashing more than $700 million in spending and laying plans to overhaul the United Nations as the U.S. pulls back support.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Anastasija Sevastova during the fourth round of the WTA Canadian Open in Montreal on Sunday.
TENNIS
Aug 4, 2025

Naomi Osaka cruises into quarterfinals at Canadian Open

It is the first time Osaka has reached the last eight of a 1000-level event or Grand Slam since Doha in 2024.
China is not merely moving more goods; it is exporting a new, ruthlessly efficient production model powered by automation, AI and state-guided industrial optimization.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2025

China’s unbeatable new production model export

The more pressing concern, however, is not what China exports, but how. Global cost structures are indeed being reshaped.
The home of Chizuo Matsumoto's second son in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, in July. The place was recognized by the Public Security Intelligence Agency as a facility of Aleph, Aum Shinrikyo's successor organization.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 4, 2025

Matsumoto's second son officially recognized as Aleph leader

The name of the 31-year-old son was included in an agency request for administrative action against Aleph.
The ESPN logo at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Feb. 5.
SPORTS / Football
Aug 6, 2025

ESPN, leaping to streaming, holds hands with the NFL

ESPN will receive the NFL Network and other assets in exchange for a 10% equity stake.
Then-Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong after a World Cup qualifying match against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Sept. 5, 2024
SOCCER
Aug 6, 2025

Shin returns to South Korea vowing to revitalize fallen powerhouse Ulsan

The 54-year-old has walked into a club attempting a rapid turnaround in the aftermath of a disappointing 13-month spell under predecessor Kim Pan-gon.
Otake <i>oyakata</i> and his wrestlers at Otake stable in April 2018
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 6, 2025

Fresh start for stable founded by legendary yokozuna Taiho

In a historically significant move, the Otake sumo stable will be taken over by someone without a direct connection to its founder.
A port in the western state of Gujarat, India
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 7, 2025

India-U.S. spat over trade and oil threatens wider fallout

The tension could derail other areas of cooperation as domestic political pressures drive both sides to harden their stances, analysts say.
Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Aug 11, 2025

Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo

An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
Haji Karam Jat (right), a fisherman, and his family members walk along an embankment in Keti Bandar town of Thatta district near the Indus delta, in the south of Pakistan on June 25.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 7, 2025

Death of a delta: Pakistan's Indus sinks and shrinks

More than 1.2 million people have been displaced from the region in the last two decades as the downstream flow of water into the delta has fallen 80% since the 1950s.
Japan faces a demographic crisis that threatens its research talent and must build a more inclusive and welcoming society to attract and keep world-class scientists amid rising nationalism and economic challenges.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2025

Japan gets serious about attracting world-class researchers

The stakes are high: Without a cultural shift, even the best-funded policies may fail to secure Japan’s future.
A Cardinals fan fans himself during the seventh inning of a game against the  Pirates in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2022.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 7, 2025

Cheer with caution: Expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat

The consequences of extreme heat exposure range from dehydration to heatstroke and even death.
Ben Shelton celebrates with his father, former ATP player Bryan Shelton, after his win in the ATP Candian Open final in Toronto on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 8, 2025

Ben Shelton captures first ATP Masters title in Toronto

Toronto marks the third career title for Shelton after victories in Tokyo in 2023 and Houston in 2024.
Recent heat waves and little rain may impact the rice harvest in Japan that typically starts in late summer, at a time when rice supplies have already been strained by adverse weather in recent years.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2025

Japan’s rice crop at risk as farms face record-breaking heat

Weather extremes may impact the harvest that typically starts in late summer, at a time when rice supplies have already been strained by adverse weather in recent years.
Fukagawa Distillery's bar offers a view of the distillation still behind its walls.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Aug 10, 2025

In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative

Located in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Fukagawa Distillery wants residents to “think of gin as their local drink."
Nathan Chen speaks during a trade show in Las Vegas in January 2023.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Aug 10, 2025

U.S. star Nathan Chen will not defend Olympic figure skating gold

Chen said that he will continue to pursue a medical career rather return to competition ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Ichiro speaks during a ceremony to retire his number a T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 11, 2025

Mariners to honor Ichiro with statue at T-Mobile Park in 2026

The Seattle Mariners will unveil a statue of franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki at T-Mobile Park during the 2026 season.
Visitors have their photo taken by a portrait of President Xi Jinping at the Military Museum in Beijing on Oct. 20, 2023. The Chinese leader’s crackdown on military corruption reveals how deep his concerns run, not only about battlefield readiness, but about political survival, as well.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 11, 2025

Xi looks to tighten grip after scandals shake China’s military elite

Outwardly, China’s military has never been stronger. Its naval ships venture farther across the oceans. Its nuclear force grows by about 100 warheads every year. Its military flights around Taiwan are increasingly frequent and intimidating. Every few months, China unveils new weapons, like a prototype...

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?