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For non-native speakers of the language, diving into Japanese books on a whim might just broaden your horizons and offer a fresh perspective on any topic imaginable.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 30, 2025

Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew

Whether you want to learn about regional geopolitics or the history of cheese, reading Japanese books can offer a whole world of new perspectives for non-native speakers.
Indian security personnel stand guard as Hindu pilgrims headed to Amarnath await registration at a transit camp in Pantha Chowk on the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Hindu pilgrims set off to India's Amarnath, near site of deadly April attack

The attack, which killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists, escalated into the worst standoff between the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with over 70 people killed on both sides.
Suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gestures as she arrives at Government House in Bangkok on Thursday before being sworn in as the new culture minister as part of a Cabinet reshuffle following her suspension.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Thai prime minister's suspension sets latest political crisis in motion

The ruling government is already faced with infighting, U.S. trade talks, a border dispute with Cambodia and a sluggish economy.
The Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk, seen holding the Stanley Cup after Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, was included on the United States' preliminary roster for the 2026 Olympics.
OLYMPICS
Jul 3, 2025

NHL players officially cleared to compete at 2026 Olympics

The agreement also covers NHL players taking part in the 2030 Winter Games in France.
Outlays by households in Japan, adjusted for inflation, gained 4.7% from a year ago in May, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s households boost spending by most since summer of 2022

Consumption makes up more than half of Japan’s economic output and could determine whether the economy will enter or avoid a technical recession.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya explains his campaign promises in Tokyo on June 30 for the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s Do It Yourself Party: Who we are and where we are headed

Our core philosophy is “to protect Japan’s national interests and bring about harmony in the world.”
Pallbearers carry a coffin at the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in Gondomar, Portugal, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Jul 5, 2025

Carrying red wreath, Liverpool players join family for Diego Jota's funeral

Club captain Virgil Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and manager Arne Slot were among the Liverpool teammates past and present who attended the service.
Japan posted a current account surplus of ¥3,436.4 billion in May, the highest level for the month, according to the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2025

Japan's current account surplus sets record for May as trade deficit shrinks

The current account balance, the broadest indicator of a country's international trade and investment flows, was in the black for the fourth consecutive month.
Search and rescue teams work along the shoreline as another passes by on a boat in the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jul 9, 2025

More than 160 people still missing days after deadly Texas floods

The death toll includes at least 27 girls and counselors from a nearby youth summer camp, with more still missing.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embrace at the G20 Leaders' Summit In Rio De Janeiro in 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2025

Brazil’s Lula hosts Modi in bid to turn India into a major trade partner

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is desperate to finally crack the code on a relationship that has never fully taken off thanks to a litany of incompatibilities.
A V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft arrives at the Ground Self-Defense Force's new camp in the city of Saga on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2025

GSDF begins Osprey deployment to new camp in southwestern Japan

The deployment of the tilt-rotor aircraft from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture to the new camp in Saga is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.
Shoya Narita, a physical education teacher at Obu Minami Junior High School, gives a lecture about water safety in a classroom.
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jul 22, 2025

Swimming lessons disappearing from Japan's public junior high schools

Aging pool facilities are prompting teachers to switch to giving classroom lectures on water safety.
Tokyo’s skyline keeps evolving, but the country’s drab, outdated government district, long hours, low pay and poor work conditions are driving young bureaucratic talent away just when it needs them most.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 11, 2025

Tokyo is missing 'Blade Runner' where it needs it most

Until the 1960s, Japan had strict prohibitions on developments higher than 31 meters (around 100 feet), a provision that kept cities dense but low.
Bullet trains at Tokyo Station earlier this year
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025

Summer vacation budget for Japanese hits record high

The average budget grew 26.4% to mark an increase for the fourth straight year.
Pick up some country-style bread from Boulangerie Aman on your road trip in Kamikawa, Hokkaido.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 13, 2025

Road-tripping through central Hokkaido? Don't miss these bakeries

Slice through lavender fields and flaky croissants on your drive through the scenic region of Kamikawa.
A picture shows a promotional poster bearing the portrait of Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, next to a defaced portrait of U.S. President Donald Trump in Damascus on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jul 12, 2025

U.N. report sees no active Syrian state links to al-Qaida

The finding could strengthen an expected U.S. push for removing U.N. sanctions on Syria.
Evgeniya Mayboroda sits in the defendant's dock during the announcement of the verdict in her case at the municipal court of Shakhty, Rostov Oblast, Russia, on Jan. 29, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2025

The strange case of Evgeniya Mayboroda, Russia's rebel retiree

The 72-year-old's transformation from fan to critic says much about the state of today's Russia under Vladimir Putin.
Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana holds a flag during a mission to evacuate 200 Jews in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in March 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 13, 2025

How a U.S. mission to push a Trump deal in Congo unraveled

The story of the ill-fated venture, which has not previously been reported, provides a glimpse of how the Trump administration is prepared to work through unconventional channels.
Moomin characters take part in a ceremony for Finland’s National Day event at the World Expo in Osaka last month.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2025

Moomins enjoy enduring popularity in Japan on their 80th anniversary

The charming characters along with their diverse cast of companions from the series have captivated Japanese audiences for generations.
After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Longform
Jul 14, 2025

How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan

Remote work is reshaping how Indian professionals navigate life, family and identity in a post-pandemic Japan.
Ichiro Kanai, founder and president of Tokyobike, is developing a niche but a new customer base who want to cycle as part of a lifestyle.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 15, 2025

Tokyobike founder believes in taking in sights of dynamic cities slowly

There's no use having a wonderful bike if you don’t have a thrilling city to explore, with Tokyobike's founder believing stylish products can only complement a compelling city.
The U.S. and Chinese flags are seen on the day of a bilateral meeting between the U.S. and China in Geneva on May 11.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 15, 2025

China steps in as U.S. pulls back from diplomacy, report says

The Democrats' 91-page report listed ways, from broadcasting to health programs and development efforts, that committee researchers said China is expanding its influence.
People demonstrate outside the Ministry of Health to demand the right to a safe and free abortion as Non Una di Meno (Not One Less) movement and feminist collectives take part in a protest to mark the International Safe Abortion Day, in Rome on Sept. 28, 2024.
WORLD / Society
Jul 15, 2025

Italy's abortion taboos challenged by new law in Sicily

More than 80% of gynecologists in Sicily refuse to perform abortions for moral or religious reasons, though the procedure has been a legal right for women in Italy since 1978.
Rory McIlroy signs autographs for fans during a practice round at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland, on Monday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jul 15, 2025

McIlroy embracing return to Northern Ireland for the Open

McIlroy is coming off a good experience, shooting four rounds in the 60s and finishing tied for second at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.
Tokyo police arrested Yuga Matsuoka, an employee at a leasing company, Wednesday on suspicion of attempted arson after he allegedly tried to set fire to a tourist go-kart company’s property.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 16, 2025

Tokyo police arrest man for attempted arson at tourist go-kart company

Yuga Matsuoka, the 28-year-old suspect, confessed to the crime, calling the sound from the karts’ engines "noisy" and "stressful.”
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi visits a rice farm in Ibaraki Prefecture on July 9. Inflation is eating into household budgets, and higher prices are causing much concern among the Japanese public.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 18, 2025

In Japanese politics, rice is the 'third rail'

If inexperienced politicians inadvertently damage Japan’s food security, voters will send them packing.
A woman caresses a child's head as Palestinians wait at a food distribution point in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday.
WORLD
Jul 20, 2025

Gaza civil defense says Israeli fire kills 39 near two aid centers

Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near food points in Gaza have become a regular occurrence, with the territory's authorities frequently blaming Israeli fire.
China’s use of exit bans has been a point of contention between Beijing and Washington.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2025

China stops U.S. Department of Commerce worker from leaving country: reports

China’s use of exit bans has been a point of contention between Beijing and Washington.
Among respondents who took part in at least one spare-time activity in 2024, "domestic pleasure trip" saw the highest participation rate of 48.3%, according to the 2025 Leisure White Paper released by the Japan Productivity Center.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2025

Japanese love leisure more than ever but turn thrifty

Those who said they attached importance to leisure rather than to work, including study, last year accounted for the highest reading since comparable data became available in 2009.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet throughout the day with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to an EU official.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 24, 2025

Xi to meet EU chiefs at downsized summit hit by trade and Ukraine

Tensions ranging from trade to the war in Ukraine are casting a shadow over an event that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’