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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.
Ukrainian soldiers with the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade after firing a DANA, a wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun, at a Russian target in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, on Aug. 26.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

As Ukraine fight grinds on, talk of negotiations becomes taboo

Discussion of a Plan B, should Ukraine fail to win a total victory, has become more fraught than ever, say those who have tried.
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.
"Lost in Translation" was a sleeper hit about two people meeting in an unfamiliar city and forming an intense and fleeting emotional bond.
CULTURE / Film / Longform
Sep 9, 2023

'Lost in Translation' at 20: A Tokyo perspective

The Japanese cast and crew of Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" reflect on their experiences decades later.
A paramilitary parade is held in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea in this photo released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 9, 2023

North Korea stages paramilitary parade on founding anniversary

The 75th anniversary parade was attended by leader Kim Jong Un and a slew of high-ranking Chinese and Russian officials.
Team Canada celebrates after beating the United States in the bronze-medal match at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Sep 10, 2023

Canada outlasts Team USA in OT for first-ever FIBA World Cup medal

Team USA, previously unbeaten in its four bronze-medal matches, recorded the most points it has ever conceded in a World Cup game.
Attendees view "Lizard and Cigarette" by He Xiangyu during Art Basel in Hong Kong in March.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 11, 2023

Pace Gallery's Marc Glimcher surveys an Asian art scene in flux

The art market in Asia is growing increasingly competitive, with a new space in Tokyo for the New York-headquartered gallery adding to that dynamic.
Buildings in downtown Bozeman, Montana. Tech-savvy Californians who work from home are fleeing to cheaper states, while retirees and nature lovers are flocking to places like Montana.
WORLD / Society
Sep 12, 2023

Pandemic population boom in rural hotspots sparks resentment

In some places, the influx of new residents is deepening political divides in an already polarized country.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 12, 2023

Shibuya’s mayor has a message for Halloween revelers: Don’t come

Shibuya’s scramble crossing has become the go-to spot for younger generations, but past incidents have fueled concern among officials.
A man stands next to a damaged car in Derna, after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya on Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 13, 2023

Over 5,000 dead in Libya as dam collapses worsen flood disaster

Libya, a North African nation splintered by a war, was ill-prepared for the storm, which swept across the Mediterranean Sea to batter its coastline.
Bottles of whisky sit on display behind the bar at the Door XXV private club in the Golden Equator Group office in Singapore.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Asia takes over the world’s whisky market

Yearslong efforts by Pernod, Diageo and other major whiskey producers to get Asian drinkers to spend more on their premium spirits are finally paying off.
Arm U.S. headquarters in San Jose, California
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Arm’s CEO is pitching a made-for-you chip strategy ahead of IPO

The company is shifting its strategy, now focusing on doing complex design work on specific products, tailored for what it sees as key areas of growth.
New Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is seen in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony after a Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

In Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, two changes stand out

It will be the first time in 20 years that a woman has been foreign minister, while the new defense chief arrives amid dramatic shifts in defense posture.
Sofia Coppola (right), Bill Murray (center) and Scarlett Johansson attend the Venice Film Festival to present their movie “Lost in Translation” in August 2003.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023

The complex legacy of ‘Lost in Translation,’ 20 years on

Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film relaunched Tokyo's global fame, but along the way it forgot to show its Japanese characters some love.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

Japan's new foreign minister: A change in face, not policy

Yoko Kamikawa's appointment as foreign minister — the first time a women assumed the role in 19 years — is unlikely to bring a change in policy.
Tesla has combined a series of innovations to make a technological breakthrough that could transform the way it makes electric vehicles and help Elon Musk achieve his aim of halving production costs.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 15, 2023

Tesla reinvents carmaking with quiet breakthrough

The company pioneered the use of huge presses to mold the front and rear structures of its Model Y in a "gigacasting" process.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight