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Kenya Koshimizu, senior executive at Mizuho Financial Group, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2023

Mizuho deferring JGB purchases as BOJ mulls policy exit: official

Banks face a looming inflection point as Japan's economy approaches policy normalization after years of little growth, weak spending and massive easing.
A Dutch F-16 fighter jet. Although the jets will bring new capabilities to Ukraine's war effort, they also increase the complexity of managing a conflict where aviation has yet to take center stage in battles.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2023

F-16s: A victory and new challenge for war-torn Ukraine

Even though the jets bring new capabilities, they also increase the complexity of managing a conflict where aviation has yet to take center stage.
People watch a live stream of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's landing on the moon, at an auditorium of Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 24, 2023

‘India is on the moon’: Nation’s success opens next space chapter

The mission makes India the first nation to reach the moon's south polar region in one piece and adds to the achievements of the country’s space program.
A demonstration is held in Hong Kong on Thursday over the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2023

The Fukushima hysteria has a lesson for the nuclear renaissance

From the reaction prior to the Fukushima release across Asia, you’d think Tokyo was embarking on a program to poison the region’s water supplies.
As long as there’s a power plant sitting on its coast and as long as the treated water is being disposed of locally, Fukushima will continue to battle the same problems it has faced for the past 12 years, says Sakurai.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 24, 2023

Fukushima water plan 'complete opposite' of recovery: former mayor

Discharging treated water from the plant only communicates a drive to sustain nuclear power and profit while dismissing the concerns of locals, he said.
Roofers sport hats to take cover from the sun during a heat wave in Eagle Pass, Texas, late last month.
WORLD
Aug 24, 2023

Heat wave led to huge release of methane from fossil fuel plants

Imagery shows operators in the largest U.S. energy basin released hundreds of tons of gas into the air as crucial equipment was forced to shut down.
A makeshift memorial in Moscow for Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin who is presumed to have died in private plane crash earlier in the week
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2023

If Prigozhin is gone, where does that leave Wagner?

What’s been said about President Vladimir Putin’s reign can also be applied to Prigozhin’s Wagner Group: "Nothing is true and everything is possible.”
Guy Perryman hosts the Tokyo-based "Guy Perryman Show" on InterFM on Friday mornings.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 26, 2023

Guy Perryman: ‘Sound and rhythm are ingrained in our DNA’

Radio personality Guy Perryman says around 99% of his audience consists of Japanese people who want to listen to English content.
The biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster in five decades takes place in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday, as researchers and enthusiasts from around the world meet to try to track down the elusive Nessie.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 26, 2023

Loch Ness set for biggest monster hunt in decades

The expedition will deploy drones with thermal scanners, boats with infrared cameras and an underwater hydrophone to try to unravel the mystery.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 27, 2023

More tests show radiation levels of Fukushima seawater remain below limits

Tokyo hopes what it says is a transparent release of data will serve as a strong rebuttal to claims by Beijing that the discharge is dangerous.
Noah Lyles of the U.S. celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Men's 4x100m final at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 28, 2023

Noah Lyles takes tentative steps into Usain Bolt's big shoes

The question now is whether Lyles will be able to continue his fine form into next year's Paris Olympics.
Exxon Mobil projects the world will reach 25 billion metric tons of energy related carbon dioxide emissions in 2050.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 29, 2023

Exxon says world set to fail global warming cap by 2050

The largest U.S. oil producer projects the world will reach 25 billion metric tons of energy related carbon dioxide emissions in 2050.
Paris, where self-service electric scooters will be banned from Sept. 1, is about to join the few cities in the world that have opted for a ban, with many other municipalities opting for more or less strict restrictions.
WORLD / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Boon or blight? E-scooters around the world

While users hail them as eco-friendly ways to avoid gridlock, detractors consider them as an unsightly menace with the power to maim and kill.
A VinFast electric car is parked outside a showroom in Hanoi on Aug. 18.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

EV maker VinFast now worth more than Goldman Sachs and Boeing

VinFast shares closed up 20% at $82.35 Monday, marking a blistering 688% since its market debut Aug. 15. It is currently worth about $190 billion.
Czech firefighters watch smoke rising as a wildfire burns at the Dadia National Park in the region of Evros, Greece, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 30, 2023

Wildfire-preparation tactics every community should consider

Looking at lessons from past disastrous fires, here are steps that can help reduce fire risk at the home and community level.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2023

Media respond to report on sexual abuse at Johnny and Associates

The committee said Japan's mainstream media chose to ignore Kitagawa’s sexual abuse in order to maintain access to Johnny & Associates' talent pool.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol hold a news conference during the trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

Camp David success depends on convincing the public

The Camp David statement is an important declaration of shared purpose and principles, and sets a path forward for substantive cooperation.
A growing array of media companies say they are blocking OpenAI's webpage-scanning tool.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 31, 2023

Fearing digital 'pillaging,' news outlets block OpenAI web bot

The New York Times, CNN, Australian broadcaster ABC and news agencies Reuters and Bloomberg have taken steps to thwart the GPTBot web crawler.
National Forest and Wild Fauna Service personnel check on a sea lion, amidst rising cases bird flu infections in Peru in February 2023.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 31, 2023

After racing across continents, bird flu threatens Antarctica

Unlike earlier versions of bird flu, H5N1 has also spread widely in wild birds and routinely spilled over into wild mammals.
Construction workers repair a street during a heat wave in Corpus Christi, Texas, in July.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2023

Startups are inventing cooling clothes for a hotter future

With 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, a number of startups are exploring new technologies and textiles for keeping people cool.
Susan Barber, an AP English teacher at Atlanta's Midtown High School, in class Tuesday. Barber said using AI chatbots could make students' college essays too generic.
WORLD / Society
Sep 2, 2023

Ban or embrace? Colleges wrestle with AI-generated admissions essays.

A.I. chatbots could facilitate plagiarism on college applications or democratize student access to writing help. Or maybe both.
When night comes around, Lovely is more likely to let you give her a cuddle.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Sep 3, 2023

Lovely the cat lives up to her name

A cat named Lovely and a dog named Tillo would both make fantastic additions to the family.
Children learn about nature on one of Odyssey's fishing trips in 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Sep 6, 2023

After 3/11, an environment education rethink takes shape in Japan

The thinking behind Odyssey is that interacting with nature will foster an ability to think critically about current socioenvironmental issues.
Indians celebrate the successful lunar landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon at a rally in the city of Ahmedabad on Aug. 24.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2023

India has every right to be proud of its space program and lunar triumph

In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars' orbit and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt,
Kenya's President William Ruto addresses delegates at the close of the Africa Climate Summit 2023 in Nairobi on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

Climate summit touts Africa's role as clean energy 'superpower'

While leaders touted Africa's role as a clean energy "superpower," they identified one big snag: a lack of finance to turn that potential into reality.
A supporter of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet holds a portrait of him during a demonstration in Santiago in 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

Dictator Pinochet still looms large over Chile, 50 years after coup

A survey conducted in May found that 36% of people believe the general "liberated Chile from Marxism," the highest figure measured in 28 years of polling.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

China sending officials to North Korea before Kim’s Russia trip

The Chinese group led by Liu Guozhong will travel to North Korea for celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding on Saturday.
Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa with his dog Sunny in Fukuoka
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 9, 2023

Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa: 'It’s better to live without being noticed everywhere.’

A former rikishi, Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa has swapped his sumo stable for the life of a salaryman.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 8, 2023

North Korea holds ceremony for new ‘tactical nuclear’ submarine

The country’s state media released photos Friday of a ceremony for the vessel, which appeared to have 10 missile tubes, attended by leader Kim Jong Un.
Rachel Culin, a disenchanted Toyota owner, standing between her Toyota Prius and new Chevy Bolt at her home in Mesa, Arizona. The world’s largest carmaker dominates the sales of hybrid cars but has been slow to sell all-electric vehicles, alienating some customers and hurting sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023

Toyota, a hybrid pioneer, struggles to master electric vehicles

The world’s largest carmaker dominates the sales of hybrid cars but has been slow to sell EVs, alienating some customers and hurting sales.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.