Search - 2018

 
 
Nodoka Okisawa conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra to perform Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center in August for the 33rd edition of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2025

Nodoka Okisawa is carrying the baton for Seiji Ozawa in Matsumoto

Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa embraces both tradition and renewal at a festival that still embodies Ozawa’s spirit.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2025

A painful display at the United Nations

The U.N. will rarely actually solve problems but it can expose them.
Tomokazu Harimoto waits for China's Wang Chuqin to serve during the men's singles final at the WTT Champions Yokohama 2025 tournament on Aug. 11.
MORE SPORTS / Table tennis
Sep 26, 2025

Can Japan crack the China code in table tennis?

Japan has much more work to do if it is to be a proper rival for its neighbor.
Former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura had sought to resume kickbacks from party fundraising revenues, according to the testimony of a former faction accountant to the Tokyo District Court on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025

Shimomura asked for resumption of kickbacks, LDP ex-accountant testifies

The former LDP policy chief suggested that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had agreed to resume the practice, former Abe faction accountant Junichiro Matsumoto said.
A parody Mount Rushmore sculpture depicts the faces of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second from right) and U.S. President Donald Trump (right), as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a shopping mall in Bangkok on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2025

Seoul says it can’t rule out Kim-Trump meeting during APEC summit

A report quoting a South Korean official appeared to reverse Seoul’s earlier position that North Korea’s participation in the summit was unlikely.
The International Paralympic Committee lifted a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus, meaning athletes may be able to compete under their own flags at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics.
PARALYMPICS
Sep 28, 2025

International Paralympic Committee lifts partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus

Ukrainian sports minister said those who voted for the decision had betrayed "their conscience and the Olympic values."
A banner stating, "If they commit any acts of evil, they will definitely get a harder blow back," is displayed in Tehran in April.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2025

'Snapback' sends West back to the drawing board on Iran's nuclear program

Despite a last-minute rush of diplomatic activity at the U.N., Iran has done little to stop the sanctions from going back into effect.
Marc Marquez celebrates on Sunday in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, after clinching his seventh MotoGP world championship.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 28, 2025

Emotional Marc Marquez wins seventh MotoGP world championship

The Spanish Ducati rider has been in brilliant form all year and he underlined his dominance by wrapping up the title with five events of the season remaining.
The Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community brings together local and global professionals from a range of industries, backgrounds and ages and collaborates with government-sponsored entities and nonprofit organizations.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Sep 24, 2025

Stirred, not shaken: Kyoto business platform blends local and global

Since its launch in 2018, the Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community has amassed a diverse membership and built solid relationships with local organizations.
An Iranian woman walks in front of a billboard depicting slain Lebanese Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah (center), his successor Hashem Safieddine (right) and the late Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 29, 2025

Iran's clerical leaders face existential crisis amid nuclear deadlock

The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran on Saturday.
An Iranian man checks a rug at a shop selling antique and expensive carpets in northern Tehran on Sept. 9.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 29, 2025

Iran's carpet industry unraveling under sanctions

The Persian rug risks becoming a relic of a lost golden age, with its legacy hanging by a thread.
The Department of Justice's indictment of former FBI Director James Comey raises concerns about its legitimacy, with many seeing it as a politically motivated effort to undermine public trust, especially given it was pursued at U.S. President Donald Trump’s request.
COMMENTARY
Sep 29, 2025

Indictment of Comey subverts justice and the Trump administration’s credibility

James Comey's criminal indictment, pushed by Trump, undermines the legitimacy of the Department of Justice and seems designed to erode public trust in the criminal justice system.
Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Cardinals in Chicago on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Sep 30, 2025

Padres visit Cubs and red-hot Seiya Suzuki for wild-card opener

Suzuki followed up a seven-week homerless drought by going deep five times over the Chicago Cubs' final four games of the regular season.
Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan (left), Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (right) and Cambodia’s Defense Minister Tea Seiha meet at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Sept. 18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 30, 2025

Peace broker and arms supplier: China’s dual roles in a deadly conflict

The five-day war between Cambodia and Thailand in late June killed 40 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands.
With just hours to go until a midnight deadline, the deadlock over spending threatens to paralyze many U.S. government operations for the first time in nearly seven years.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2025

White House commences shutdown plans as Democrats block funding

With no more votes planned before the deadline, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget instructed government agencies to "execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”
Passengers wait for Uber rideshare cars in Los Angeles. A California jury says Uber is not liable in the first U.S. trial over driver sexual assault claims.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2025

Uber found not liable in first U.S. trial over driver sexual assault claims

The case was the first to go to trial out of more than 500 lawsuits consolidated in California state court.
A U.S. flag is illuminated in a doorway of the otherwise empty rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in the hours before a partial government shutdown in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2025

U.S. government shutdown begins after Congress fails to reach deal

The shutdown comes as deep partisan divisions in Washington have raised fears regarding the length and consequences of the halt.
U.S. President Donald Trump departs after addressing senior military officers gathered at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 1, 2025

Trump speech to military brass hints at looming Pentagon shift to focus on homeland

Amid a litany of talking points were Trump’s hints at an increasingly inward-looking foreign policy stance.
The U.S. government shutdown — while inconvenient and messy — is unlikely to leave a lasting imprint on the U.S. economy, itself.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 2, 2025

U.S. government shutdowns raise uncertainty but rarely have lasting effect on economy

Even if a shutdown leaves policymakers and investors flying somewhat blind for an unknown stretch, it is unlikely to leave a lasting imprint on the U.S. economy, itself.
The U.S. government shut down on Wednesday, though essential services are still being offered.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 2, 2025

U.S. federal shutdown affects Americans in Japan and diplomatic talks

Some consular services are being offered, but the U.S. Embassy site is not being regularly updated
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 3, 2025

The summer kabuki came roaring back

A hit film and shifting demographics are drawing new audiences to kabuki, sparking hopes for a revitalized future.
Costumed revelers stand next to police officers controlling crowds at the scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 31, 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2025

Tokyo's Shibuya calls on foreign visitors not to have a ‘disruptive Halloween’

The ward, a hot spot for Halloween revelers, is taking a step back from its “don’t come” messaging of the recent past.
Intrigued by Japanese wines, Burgundy winemaker Etienne de Montille decided to explore Hokkaido's wine scene, eventually setting up his outpost in Hakodate in 2017.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 3, 2025

Japan’s first foreign wine investor plants its roots in Hokkaido

Burgundy’s Domaine de Montille has opened a winery in Hakodate — a vote of confidence in the region’s terroir.
Racehorse Oguri Cap, a superstar stallion of the late 1980s, is reimagined in anime form as a teenage schoolgirl who must perform upbeat idol-pop songs after every victory in “Umamusume: Cinderella Grey.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 4, 2025

‘Cinderella Grey’ gallops past the other sports documentaries

Mixing real horse-racing history with idol-pop fantasy, “Cinderella Grey” proves anime can outpace today’s flat sports shows.
An underwater data center being developed by Chinese maritime technology company Highlander is seen under construction at a shipyard in Nantong, in China's eastern Jingsu province.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2025

China trials 'energy-saving' underwater data centers

One Chinese company is planning to submerge a pod of servers in the sea off Shanghai with hopes of solving computing's energy woes.
Former quarterback Mark Sanchez spent eight seasons in the NFL.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Oct 5, 2025

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez arrested in hospital after being stabbed

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday's game between the host Colts and Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Andy Weyman and Terry Davis are among the many people in Malibu, California, who are waiting to rebuild their home after this year’s California wildfires.
WORLD
Oct 5, 2025

The LA fires destroyed 11,000 homes. Less than 10% have permits to rebuild

People trying to restore their homes are grappling with slow permit approvals, high costs and low insurance payouts.
Construction is underway on a Project Stargate AI infrastructure site, a collaboration between three large tech companies — OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle — in Abilene, Texas, in April.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2025

Trump targets deals in pharma, AI, energy and mining before midterm elections

Washington is pursuing deals across up to 30 industries, involving dozens of companies deemed critical to national or economic security.
Shimon Sakaguchi, an immunologist and distinguished professor at Osaka University, attends a news conference after winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in medicine, in Osaka Prefecture on Monday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 7, 2025

Japanese immunologist among three Nobel medicine prize winners

Japanese immunologist Shimon Sakaguchi was awarded the prize along with two other scientists for their discovery concerning peripheral immune tolerance.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at the White House on Monday.
WORLD
Oct 7, 2025

White House says no shutdown-related layoffs yet, but warns they could come

Previous shutdowns have not forced the government to fire any workers, though hundreds of thousands are typically told not to work.

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?