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People visit the graves of relatives who were killed during Russia's attack on Ukraine, during a large-scale light installation Lights of Memory, as they mark the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2025

Ukraine hemmed in as U.S. backing frays three years after Russian invasion

Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and over 6 million live as refugees abroad since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet people gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Sunday to celebrate the emperor's 65th birthday that day.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2025

Over 20,000 visit the Imperial Palace for the emperor's 65th birthday

A total of 23,019 people visited the Imperial Palace on the day, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, urged the country to take the lead in preventing nuclear weapons from being used for a third time.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2025

Hidankyo leader regrets Japan's dodging of upcoming nuclear ban meet

The meeting of signatories to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is set to be held in New York in March.
Co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel reacts during the electoral evening in Berlin on Sunday after the first exit polls in the German general elections.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 24, 2025

Alice Weidel, the unlikely queen of German's far-right AfD

Alice Weidel led the Moscow-friendly AfD to a record result of around 20% in Germany.
France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont runs with the ball during his team's Six Nations match against Italy in Rome on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Feb 24, 2025

France's Antoine Dupont looking ahead to blockbuster showdown against Ireland

France trails Ireland by three points in the Six Nations standings.
Major Japanese banks are tightening controls on the management of safe-deposit boxes after a string of thefts involving bank employees rocked public confidence.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 24, 2025

Japanese banks to rethink security measures for safe-deposit boxes

A string of thefts involving bank employees have intensified scrutiny of a segment already grappling with weak demand and thin margins.
Daiwa Securities has stationed "inheritance consultants" at its headquarters and all branch offices to advise clients on inheritance tax planning and the importance of having a will.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 25, 2025

Japan's traditional brokers shift focus to inheritance business

As the population ages, a growing number of individuals are concerned about end-of-life planning.
U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine appears to prioritize re-establishing U.S.-Russia relations over securing a fair settlement for Ukraine.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2025

Ukraine is just a pawn in a Russian reset

Donald Trump's approach makes U.S. actions more logical, but no less shameful.
A section of an exterior wall at the Okawa Elementary School Ruins in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, fell off last December.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2025

14 years later, fight to preserve ruins of 3/11 continues

Local governments hope to teach future generations about the destructive nature of the tsunami that followed the March 2011 quake, but the ruins are continuing to erode.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement on defense spending on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2025

Trump’s threats push U.K.'s Starmer into a more global, military agenda

U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent refusal for the U.S. to be the final guarantor of security in Europe has prompted the prime minister to act.
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min shoots at Aston Villa's goal at Villa Park on Feb. 9.
SOCCER
Feb 26, 2025

Postecoglou backs 'elite' Son after Tottenham star's slump

Ahead of Wednesday's clash with Manchester City, Tottenham boss Postecoglou said there were no signs of Son slowing down.
The then-Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump greets a Michigan Muslim community leader at a rally in Novi, Michigan, on Oct. 26.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2025

Why are pro-Palestinian activists suddenly so quiet?

Pro-Palestinian and Arab-American groups that urged voters to withhold support from Biden over Gaza now face regret as Trump embraces Israel’s hard-line stance.
Lower House Budget Committee Chairman Jun Azumi (third from left) and other members of the panel wait for Junichiro Matsumoto to turn up for his testimony in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2025

LDP accountant's testimony on slush funds scandal leaves much in the dark

Junichiro Matsumoto, the ex-accountant of a faction previously led by Shinzo Abe, did not name the person who reinstated the kickback scheme.
The luxury Seven Stars in Kyushu train trades the hyper-efficiency of typical rail travel in Japan for a slower, more decadent version.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 1, 2025

Aboard Japan’s most luxurious train, the journey is the destination

For those with yen to burn, the Seven Stars in Kyushu is one of the most luxurious ways to experience some of southern Japan’s best hidden gems.
A model wears items that are part of Takashi Murakami's collaboration with MLB.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 28, 2025

Famed artist Takashi Murakami partners with MLB for Tokyo Series

The new collection includes t-shirts and sweatshirts adorned with Murakami’s signature style, along with hats, baseballs and gloves.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich answers questions during media day in San Antonio on Sept. 30.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Feb 28, 2025

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tells team he won't return this season

Popovich suffered what the Spurs called a mild stroke on Nov. 2 just five games into the season.
Boris Spassky (left) and Bobby Fischer compete during a match in September 1992.
MORE SPORTS / Chess
Feb 28, 2025

Russian chess grandmaster Boris Spassky dies at age 88

Spassky, who took French nationality in 1978, was the 10th World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972.
Students at a job fair in Chiba. Companies have been racing to secure talent amid serious labor shortages by taking steps including raising starting salaries.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2025

Japanese firms start job fair for 2026 graduates

Companies have been racing to secure talent amid serious labor shortages by taking steps including raising starting salaries.
Disaster was the word European officials used as Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s long-sought meeting with Donald Trump descended into a livestream of raised voices and angry bickering.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2025

Zelenskyy-Trump blowup leaves U.S. allies facing disaster

Kyiv’s European allies, who’ve spent weeks trying to talk Trump out of rushing into a quick deal to end the war on Putin’s terms, were aghast.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs following a contentious meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Plans to sign a critical minerals deal between the two nations were scrapped after the talks quickly devolved into a fiery exchange over U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2025

Trump’s Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy was a win for Putin

Nobody in Ukraine, or any other country formerly under Moscow’s boot, believes that Putin will honor the terms of a ceasefire without credible guarantees.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy either "needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that."
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2025

Trump allies pressure Zelenskyy to change course or resign

Democrats, meanwhile, have expressed disgust over the tenor of U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with the Ukrainian leader.
The higher cost of food is forcing Japanese consumers to scrimp and bargain hunt as their purchasing power drops.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 3, 2025

Japan’s consumers hunt for bargains as food inflation bites

The prices of staples such as rice, eggs and cabbage have all surged in the past 12 months.
The entrance to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, in the city of Hiroshima, on Feb. 22
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2025

Annual visitors to Hiroshima museum top 2 million for the first time

The total number of visitors since the museum's opening is expected to surpass 80 million by the end of this month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in London on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2025

Trump sees Zelenskyy as the problem, but Ukrainians stand by him

The more the U.S. President and his vice president squeeze Zelenskyy, the more Ukrainians rally to their leader's side.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba answers questions during a Lower House Budget Committee meeting at parliament on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2025

Ishiba says Japan won't take sides in U.S. row with Ukraine

The Japanese leader sought to strike a balance for Japan, the sole Asian G7 member, in its alliance with the U.S. and its longstanding support for Kyiv.
Prince Hisahito attends his first news conference at Akasaka Estate in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2025

At first news conference, Prince Hisahito pledges to fulfill royal duties

The prince, who is second in line to the throne, underlined the importance of thinking of the people as a member of the imperial family.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that if Japan and China try to weaken their currencies and put the United States "at a very unfair disadvantage," he could impose fresh tariffs on them.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2025

Trump, claiming Japan guiding yen lower, hints at fresh tariffs

Trump said that if Tokyo tries to weaken its currency and put the U.S. "at a very unfair disadvantage," he could unleash more measures.
Natsumi Sakai, a Lower House member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, during an interview in parliament last month
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2025

Gender equality in politics remains elusive in Japan

Japan has a long way to go before fully achieving gender equality in politics.
Poles and members of the Ukrainian diaspora take part in a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw on Monday to protest after U.S. President Doland Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting in the Oval Office.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2025

The Oval Office blowup: What went wrong and how to fix it

The world may have underestimated this incident's significance due to media spin and partisan bias by those more focused on political allegiances.
An M777 howitzer crew firing at Russian targets near the front lines of the Dnipro region, Ukraine, on Feb. 12
WORLD / Politics
Mar 6, 2025

U.S. cuts intelligence for Ukraine, adding pressure for peace deal

The move underscores Trump's willingness to play hardball with an ally as he pivots to a more conciliatory approach to Moscow.

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Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan