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Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 8, 2025

Xi meets Putin in Moscow as Ukraine reports truce violations

Xi told Putin that Beijing stood alongside Russia in the face of "hegemonic bullying" — a nod to the two countries' anti-U.S. stance.
The number of passengers on shinkansen and other express trains during Golden Week increased 3% from a year earlier to over 13 million, data from six Japan Railways group companies showed Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2025

JR express train passengers during Golden Week up 3%

The result is believed to reflect the impact of the 2025 World Exposition in the city of Osaka, as well as demand from foreign visitors.
Ayano Kikuchi began practicing yoga in 2014 to alleviate her chronic back pain, and now shares her knowledge with the Karuizawa community as the manager of W Tree House.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 10, 2025

Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’

How a corporate office worker in Tokyo became a yoga studio manager in Karuizawa
Princess Kako smiles during the spring garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo on April 22.
JAPAN
May 9, 2025

Japan's Princess Kako to visit Brazil from June 4

This will be Princess Kako's fourth official visit to a foreign country, following her visit to Greece in May 2024.
The flags of the U.S. and Iran hang on the road leading to the Muscat International Book fair in Oman on April 25.
WORLD / Politics
May 11, 2025

Iran and U.S. to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines

Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decadeslong dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines.
Idemitsu Kosan President Noriaki Sakai speaks during an interview in Tokyo on April 23.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2025

Idemitsu to enhance all-solid-state battery business

All-solid-state batteries have shorter charging times and enable vehicles to travel longer per charge, compared with conventional batteries.
(L to R) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Keir Starmer of the U.K. and Poland’s Donald Tusk following a news conference at St. Mary’s Palace in Kyiv on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025

Trump’s Ukraine push coming to a head with challenge to Putin

Following a weekend of hectic diplomacy, Zelenskyy said he will travel to Istanbul on May 15 where Putin has proposed direct negotiations between the two countries.
Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
May 12, 2025

What comes after 100?

The number of Japanese centenarians is on the rise, providing new models for how to live in a super-aging society.
Exports in fiscal 2024 climbed 4.1% from the previous year to ¥106.24 trillion, led by shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and vehicles.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025

Japan's FY2024 current account surplus hits record ¥30 trillion

A weaker yen boosted dividend and interest flows from overseas, a Finance Ministry report showed.
Daily newspapers with images of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Moscow on Feb. 13
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2025

Trump's offer to join Russia-Ukraine peace talks triggers flurry of diplomacy

Despite planned visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar this week, Trump offered to join Ukraine-Russia leaders in Istanbul.
Princess Aiko delivers an address at the opening ceremony of the 23rd meeting of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine in Tokyo on May 3.
JAPAN
May 13, 2025

Princess Aiko to visit the earthquake-hit Noto Peninsula from Sunday

It will be the first visit to disaster-hit areas by the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a news conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2025

Zelenskyy insists on face-to-face talks with Putin in Istanbul

The planned talks have become the main focus of peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is sending his secretary of state has also offered to attend.
Trainees from Indonesia and Vietnam learn about the mechanisms of train doors using a model at East Japan Railway's training center in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 14, 2025

JR East to start training foreign nationals under new skills program

JR East aims to train around 100 people each year, and more than 10 railway operators have already expressed interest in joining the initiative.
Trade Minister Yoji Muto will skip the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, a decision that will likely lower Tokyo’s chances of securing an opportunity for bilateral talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2025

Japan’s key officials to skip APEC meet attended by U.S. trade representative

This won’t be the first time Japan’s trade minister will miss the APEC gathering in recent years, but sending a lower-ranking official may make it harder to hold one-on-one talks.
Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel in Beijing's Tiananmen Square during a military parade in October 2019.
WORLD
May 14, 2025

U.S. warns of China missile threat ahead of 'Golden Dome' announcement

China may within a decade possess scores of orbiting missiles with nuclear payloads capable of quickly reaching the U.S., the Defense Intelligence Agency has said.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 16, 2025

Peace breakthrough unlikely as Putin declines to meet Zelenskyy in Turkey

Hopes were further dented by U.S. President Donald Trump saying there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) speaks during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on May 6.
SOCCER
May 16, 2025

FIFA president says international fans will be welcome at World Cup in U.S.

The world will be welcomed to the United States for the 2026 World Cup and this year's Club World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday, days after a meeting with officials from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino addresses the FIFA Congress in Luque, Paraguay, on Thursday.
SOCCER
May 16, 2025

Gianni Infantino's late arrival for FIFA Congress triggers backlash from UEFA

The FIFA Congress opened more than two hours later than planned after Infantino's flight landed late in Paraguay.
U.S. President Donald Trump will speak by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday in an attempt to find a way out of the "BLOODBATH" in the Ukraine war, the American president said on social media.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2025

Trump says he will speak to Putin to end Ukraine 'bloodbath'

Kyiv said Russian negotiators have demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of all Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow before any ceasefire deal.
Princess Aiko is greeted by Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase (left) at the Kanazawa Station on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 18, 2025

Princess Aiko arrives in Ishikawa to visit quake-hit areas

It will be the first time the 23-year-old princess has visited an area hit by a disaster.
A projected 8 million deepfakes — manipulated video or audio made using artificial intelligence — will be shared worldwide in 2025, about a fifth of which will be part of romance scams, according to cyber firm McAfee.
WORLD / Society
May 19, 2025

Deep love or deepfake: Dating in the time of AI

Scammers are increasingly using deepfakes — manipulated video or audio made using artificial intelligence — to look and sound real on dating apps.
An automated delivery robot carries items during a demonstration in the city of Hachioji in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
May 19, 2025

Seven-Eleven testing delivery robots in Japan

The four-wheeled box-type robots, which can travel up to 6 kph, are designed to run on sidewalks while following traffic lights and dodging obstacles.
Ursula von der Leyen (left), president of the European Commission, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (center) and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, visit the HMS Sutherland frigate as part of the U.K.-EU summit in London on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 20, 2025

Britain’s big EU reset turns out to be just the start of talks

Most of the "renewed agenda” unveiled at a summit in London amounted to an agreement to keep negotiating.
While the cost and logistics of installing platform doors have proven challenging, railway operators are adopting new solutions to lower expenses and increase flexibility.
JAPAN / Society
May 20, 2025

Japan sets goal of having doors on 4,000 train station platforms by fiscal 2030

The decision to raise the target reflects ongoing safety concerns, as accidents involving passengers continue to occur.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator, is set to visit Washington to have talks with U.S. officials as early as Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2025

Japan and U.S. may hold third round of tariff talks as early as Saturday

Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is set to make a three-day visit to the U.S. from Friday.
A CATL recruitment advertisement in Germany
BUSINESS / Tech
May 21, 2025

CATL's $2 billion German plant boosts China’s invest-abroad bet

"I see ourselves as a blueprint for Chinese companies who are looking to expand in Europe,” said Matthias Zentgraf, the battery giant’s European president.
Britain's King Charles inspects a guard of honor in Edinburgh, Scotland, last July. The rising cost of the British monarchy, marked by increased taxpayer funding and limited transparency, is prompting questions about whether the public is getting fair value for supporting the royals.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2025

A king’s ransom: The eye-watering cost of Charles III

Brits should be told how much their royals’ extravagant lifestyles are costing them.
A mock-up of Japan's state-of-the-art railgun, which is currently undergoing testing, is displayed at the three-day DSEI Japan defense exhibition in the city of Chiba on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 21, 2025

Railguns, missiles and lasers: Japan uses massive defense event to highlight shift

The range of products and systems being displayed at DSEI Japan in Chiba is both diverse and sophisticated, and comes amid soaring international tensions.
Then-U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz checks his mobile phone while attending a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on April 30.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2025

Hacker behind U.S communication breach stole data from across government

The discovery potentially raises the stakes of a breach that has already drawn questions about data security in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Hokkaido East Trail links some of the northern prefecture's most striking national parks and landscapes.
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2025

In search of untouched Japan? Meet Hokkaido’s newest hiking trail.

The 410-kilometer Hokkaido East Trail links three national parks as it winds through marshland, calderas and more.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji