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However non-Japanese fathers in Japan manage the vagaries of life abroad, many share a preference for forging ahead for the benefit of their children.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 14, 2024

There’s no one-size-fits-all fatherhood for foreign-born dads in Japan

From Hokkaido to Okinawa, fathers in Japan talk getting married, raising kids and taking life as it comes.
Boys bathe at a public water facility along a street amid a heat wave in Jalandhar, India, on Thursday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 14, 2024

What is heat stress and how is it measured?

The World Meteorological Organization estimates heat kills around half a million people a year but says the true toll is unknown.
Despite the conservative center maintaining control of European Union institutions, a surge in far-right support in parliamentary elections is setting off alarm bells.
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2024

The center holds as Europe’s far right surges

A populist wave sweeps through the European parliamentary elections amid a strong showing by far right parties.
Russian warships take part in a rehearsal for the Navy Day parade in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, in July 2019. Without a decisive victory in Ukraine, Russia's influence in the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Middle East will likely decline.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2024

The Ukraine war threatens Russia’s regional influence

The war in Ukraine has undermined Russia’s capacity to project power and looks set to redefine its role in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
Marine Le Pen speaks during a European election campaign rally in Paris on June 2.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

France's Le Pen says she will work with Macron to appeal to moderates

Marine Le Pen is reaching out to mainstream voters as she aims to cement a majority in the next parliament.
South Korean soldiers walk past a military facility where loudspeakers dismantled in 2018 used to be, near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, on June 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

South Korea's loudspeakers face questions over reach into North

Tests in 2017 showed broadcasts could not be understood further than 7 kilometers, short of the 10 km that the military touted as reaching the North's Kaesong city.
Group of Seven leaders and officials look to the sky during a ceremony involving paratroopers at Borgo Egnazia Golf Club San Domenico in Savelletri, Italy, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / First person
Jun 17, 2024

In perspective: a firsthand account of this year’s G7

In an increasingly multipolar world, the bloc's relevance comes into question, but any attempt to foster dialogue and ease tensions should be welcomed.
The Philippines' BRP Sierra Madre, which was intentionally grounded on the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in 1999, is home to one of the country's military outposts.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2024

China appears to adopt new tactic in maritime clash with Philippines

Manila has claimed that Chinese vessels had engaged in “dangerous maneuvers” in the South China Sea, including attempting to tow a Philippine ship.
Jars containing rare earth minerals produced near Laverton, northeast of Perth, Australia, in 2019
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 18, 2024

Brazil sees opportunity in race to loosen China's grip on rare earths

Rare earths projects in Brazil are expected to be a test for how effectively the West can build a new advanced industry almost from scratch.
Water is sprayed over the stage at a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro in November 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 19, 2024

On a warming planet, outdoor concerts need a new safety playbook

Climate change is ushering in more extreme weather worldwide, and with it, greater risks for outdoor events.
A fake online ad that solicits investments using the name and picture of economic analyst Takuro Morinaga without permission. Morinaga said he is not involved in the ad in any way and does not have social media accounts.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2024

Fake celebrity ad victims in Japan increase tenfold

Victims lost an average of ¥6.87 million, with the largest single loss hitting ¥170 million.
Vladimir Putin is expected to continue using asymmetric tactics, such as covert operations, sabotage and cyberattacks, to destabilize Europe.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2024

Putin’s 'shadow war' against Europe is intensifying

Vladimir Putin is expected to continue using asymmetric tactics, such as covert operations, sabotage and cyberattacks, to destabilize Europe.
Without stronger international cooperation and policies that advance shared prosperity, growth will remain too slow to support progress on development and poverty reduction.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2024

Getting the global economy out of the slow lane

The world economy has avoided recession despite the steepest rise in global interest rates since the 1980s.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan. Germany's air force plans to send three of the fighters to Japan next month for the first-ever joint aerial exercise between the Luftwaffe and Air Self-Defense Force.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2024

Germany laser-focused on Indo-Pacific despite hurdles, top envoy to Japan says

German Ambassador Clemens von Goetze expects soaring ties with Japan to continue to reach unprecedented heights.
Tiger Woods leaves the tee box during the first round of the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on June 13.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 20, 2024

PGA Tour gives Tiger Woods 'lifetime achievement' exemption

The move will give Woods access to the tour's eight signature tournaments, all of which award large prize money and extra points in the FedEx Cup standings.
Dan Martin of Sankaku Nutrition helps busy professionals in the Tokyo area with their meal prep.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 21, 2024

Dan Martin: ‘Long-term sustainability is the key factor to any diet’

The “sankaku” (triangle) in Sankaku Nutrition stands for improving gut health, energy balance and sleep hygiene among expats with busy lives.
Pedestrians cross a road in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai. China has long touted itself as the world’s safest nation, making rare outbursts of public violence stand out.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 22, 2024

China’s spate of violence prompts outburst of economic anxiety

The reaction of Chinese social media users to a spate of recent violent attacks has exposed widespread discontent about the nation’s downturn.
Caeleb Dressel dives into the pool during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Jun 23, 2024

Resurgent Caeleb Dressel has new take on young swimming rivals

Dressel's five golds at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games included individual triumphs in the 50 and 100 free and the 100 butterfly.
Amy Yang walks off the green on the 15th hole during the third round of the Women's PGA Championship in Sammamish, Washington, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 23, 2024

Eyeing first major, Amy Yang grabs two-shot lead at Women's PGA

Miyu Yamashita of Japan and Lauren Hartlage are tied for second heading into the final round of the major tournament.
Amy Yang holds the trophy after winning the Women's PGA Championship in Sammamish, Washington, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 24, 2024

Amy Yang wins Women's PGA Championship

Amy Yang captured her long-awaited first major title on Sunday, hanging on late for a three-stroke victory at the Women's PGA Championship.
LINE, the app at the center of a tug-of-war for control. Line was introduced in Japan in 2011 by Naver, the operator of South Korea’s leading search engine.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 24, 2024

Japan and South Korea are fighting over an app at a tense time

Leaders on both the Japanese and South Korean sides appear determined to prevent the quarrel over Line from escalating.
The government has a provisional target of keeping PFAS levels in tap water at 50 nanograms or lower per liter.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 24, 2024

Government instigates nationwide survey on PFAS in Japan's tap water

Some 12,000 water providers have been given until the end of September to report on potential water contamination with PFAS.
Fast fashion e-commerce company Shein's logo outside its office in Guangzhou, China, on June 11
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2024

What is at stake for China-founded Shein as EU rule looms

Shein has faced more than 90 lawsuits alleging it plagiarized others’ designs or products.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan in September 2022.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2024

Japan to hold fighter jet drills with Germany, France, Spain in July

A contingent of more than 30 military aircraft from Germany, France and Spain will arrive in Japan next month to conduct a series of training exercises with the ASDF.
Britain's Queen Camilla, Empress Masako, Emperor Naruhito and Britain's King Charles III pose for a formal photograph ahead of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2024

Emperor Naruhito voices hopes for enduring Japan-Britain ties

The emperor expressed his "utmost pleasure" at being able to visit Britain roughly five years after the late Queen Elizabeth II extended an invitation.
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 1. The leader is expected to pursue an ambitious foreign policy aiming for a bigger role for Indonesia as a regional and global player.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024

What Prabowo’s presidency in Indonesia will look like

Rather than being a puppet of the outgoing Widodo, incoming President Prabowo will pursue a strong foreign policy and potentially roll back some democratic institutions.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the company's annual general meeting in Tokyo last Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2024

SoftBank to back AI startup Perplexity at $3 billion valuation

SoftBank will invest between $10 million and $20 million in the firm, which aims to use AI to compete with Alphabet’s Google search.
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa (center) and his lawyers head to the Tokyo District Court on Thursday to file the lawsuit against the state.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2024

Ex-Kadokawa chairman files lawsuit over 'hostage justice' system

Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, 80, is seeking ¥220 million in damages in the civil lawsuit after he was detained for 226 days before being released in April 2023.
Villager Yurii stands in the library of the school where he previously worked, which was destroyed during heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, in the village of Dolyna in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in April.
WORLD
Jun 28, 2024

In his home near Ukraine's front line with Russia, Yurii makes a stand

With no electricity or running water, and shelling heard in the distance, one man prays for the day his neighbors return.
Estonian Prime Minister and newly nomiated EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addresses a news conference at the end of the European Council summit at EU headquarters in Brussels on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

A lifetime fighting Putin’s aggression drives EU’s next diplomatic chief

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the bloc's next foreign policy chief, will be charged with shaping its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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