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A man ride his bike with an umbrella in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

Los Angeles residents reject Trump's claims of protest destruction

The U.S. president has insisted that without the extraordinary step of sending troops into the city over the weekend, "it would be burning to the ground right now."
Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff for policy, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

Stephen Miller: 'Trump's brain' who is behind migration crackdown

Stephen Miller's fingerprints have been all over the White House's unprecedented assertion of its right to use presidential power to pursue its agenda.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center right) meets with Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (center left) in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

Ishiba on the counteroffensive in parliament’s final rush

A recent bump in approval ratings and a show of bipartisan unity have given the prime minister a boost in parliament.
United Wa State Army (UWSA) soldiers march during a media display in Pansang, Wa territory in northeast Myanmar in 2016. The armed group controls one of the world's largest tin mines.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

China-backed militia secures control of new rare earth mines in Myanmar

Beijing is heavily reliant on Myanmar for the rare earth metals and oxides needed to produce magnets that power critical goods.
Get those umbrellas out, rainy season has arrived in much of Japan.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 12, 2025

In the forecast for June — a lot of talk about the weather

From "tsuyu" to "amayadori," the current season has no shortage of vocabulary for downpours, floods and wet weather.
Smoke billows from a site targeted in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD
Jun 13, 2025

Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear program in major escalation

Explosions were heard across Tehran, Natanz — home to one of Iran’s key nuclear sites — and other cities, according to local and social media.
Japan has a deep rogues' gallery of age-old "yōkai" (spirits), but a museum on the island of Shodoshima has released a new book collecting yōkai that reflect the uncertainties of the modern world.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 14, 2025

'Rice swindler,' 'Face thief': Worried citizens invent new monsters

A decade-old contest for original "yōkai" art reflects what keeps people up at night in Japan.
Momentum appears to be building toward what Osaka Expo organizers hope will be a boom period for the event as they try to recoup ballooning costs via ticket sales. But long lines are making some guests weary.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2025

Two months in, Osaka Expo organizer struggles to improve experience as crowds grow

Even before the expo reaches its peak attendance, some visitors are already growing weary of the long lines.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces the launch of a targeted military operation against Iran in a video statement on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 13, 2025

After years of waiting, Israel's Netanyahu finally makes his move on Iran

Iran once ridiculed Netanyahu as the boy who cried wolf for his constant warnings about Tehran's nuclear program, and his repeated threats to shut it down.
At modern French restaurant Crony, sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa impresses guests with his thoughtful wine pairings.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Jun 15, 2025

Kazutaka Ozawa: ‘The best wine is the one that brings you joy'

The oenophile, who recently earned the title of Asia’s Best Sommelier, shares his thoughts on domestic sips and Tokyo’s vino trends.
A vehicle believed to belong the suspected gunman, who was impersonating law enforcement, is towed away from the home of the late State Rep. Melissa Hortman in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Saturday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 15, 2025

Authorities hunt suspect in deadly shooting of Minnesota Democratic lawmakers

The shootings by a gunman posing as a police officer killed a senior Democratic state assemblywoman and her husband and wounded a second lawmaker and his spouse.
Guillaume Ollagnier, director general of strategic, security and disarmament affairs at the French Foreign Ministry, says that the global nonproliferation architecture should be further strengthened — lest a nuclear arms race erupt.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2025

France doubles down on opposition to new nuclear states, top official says

With Pyongyang and Beijing ramping up their nuclear capabilities, calls are growing louder in Seoul and elsewhere to develop their own nukes.
Plainclothes officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) make an arrest in a hallway outside of a courtroom at New York-Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York City on June 6.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2025

ICE ordered to pause most raids on farms, hotels and restaurants

Despite the White House framing the raids as an effort to remove serious criminals, thousands of people with no criminal records have been swept up in recent months.
Eating locally grown food could be part of a decokatsu lifestyle that's both good for the planet and your wallet.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Jun 15, 2025

Decokatsu could save you money and help the planet. But you probably haven't heard of it.

The ambitious government program aims to get people to live in ways that are healthier for the planet without being restrictive about it.
The skyline of Astana, Kazakhstan. Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Kazakhstan for the third time since 2020, making the country of 20 million people one of his favorite destinations in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed his global travels.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 16, 2025

Xi visits Kazakhstan for talks with Central Asian leaders

The summit in the Kazakh capital Astana is taking place in parallel to the Group of Seven's event in Canada.
Two suspects arrested for allegedly assaulting riot officers in Tokyo have remained silent during questioning.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 16, 2025

Suspected far-left activists arrested for allegedly assaulting riot police

The two suspects, who have not been identified, have remained silent during questioning.
Nippon Steel is buying United States Steel in a deal that gives the U.S. government a golden share in the U.S. steelmaker.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 16, 2025

Nippon Steel may have gotten the deal it wanted all along

The Japanese company has already committed to heavy investment in U.S. Steel and a U.S.-controlled board of directors at the American steelmaker.
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) speaks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2025

No breakthrough on tariffs at Ishiba-Trump meeting in Canada

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump met for 30 minutes on Monday during the annual Group of Seven gathering in Alberta.
Firefighters at the site of Russian drone and missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2025

Trump administration disbands group focused on pressuring Russia, sources say

The effort lost steam as it became clear to participants that Trump was not interested in adopting a more confrontational stance toward Moscow.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ahead of their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2025

South Korea's Lee touts ‘inseparable’ Japan ties after Ishiba meeting

Seeking to ride the momentum that has pushed the neighbors closer following years of chilly ties, the pair also reaffirmed their commitment to trilateral cooperation with the U.S.
The Tokyo District Court has issued an order to the government to pay ¥1.2 million ($8,300) in damages to two overstayers who got sick while they were held at a detention center.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 18, 2025

Government ordered to compensate overstayers who got sick in detention

The Tokyo District Court held the government responsible over the deterioration of health of the two men — one Iranian, the other Turkish — at an immigration detention facility.
A J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong makes an unusual approach to a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol aircraft that was conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean on June 8.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2025

In rare move, Japan releases map showing Chinese aircraft carrier activities

The decision to release the map comes as concerns grow over Beijing’s apparent efforts to alter the status quo in the region.
Jeremy Allaire, chief executive officer of Circle Internet Financial (center) celebrates during the company's initial public offering on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2025

A digital dollar is a trade war weapon, and Europe may be a primary target

Stablecoins could serve to entrench the existing tech and monetary order dominated by the U.S., as 95% of them are dollar-denominated. The euro commands less than 1%.
Israeli air defense systems intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025

Trump wraps situation room meeting as Iran plan remains mystery

The White House offered few clues about whether Trump had decided to join Israel's offensive aimed at destroying Tehran’s nuclear program.
Pakistani army chief Asim Munir
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025

Pakistan army chief discusses Israel-Iran conflict with Trump

The meeting came as the capital was fixated on speculation that the U.S. may join Israel’s attacks aimed at disabling Iran’s nuclear program.
A mosaic portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin exhibited at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025

'Russia's Davos' yet to recover Western appeal despite thaw with Washington

The annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum is designed to attract foreign investment and is the biggest showcase of Russian technology and business.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet upon their arrival at Hiroshima Airport on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2025

Japan's emperor and empress arrive in Hiroshima

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako traveled to the city to commemorate the victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing.
WhatsApp interactions involving 11 industry executives from ad agencies operating in India form part of a confidential dossier compiled by India's antitrust watchdog that chronicles how global advertising companies coordinated to rig prices in the world's most populous nation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2025

Dossier of WhatsApp chats shows how ad agencies aligned to fix prices in India

Firms agreed to cooperate on pricing, including not to undercut each other, colluded to deny business to agencies that didn't comply, and discussed financial terms.
Mourners attend a funeral for those killed in Israeli strikes, in Qazvin, Iran, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 20, 2025

Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy

The role of the United States remains uncertain. The White House said on Thursday President Trump would decide in the next two weeks whether to get involved in the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February. U.S. intelligence consistently showed Israel might go ahead with an attack on Iran with or without U.S. support.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2025

How Trump, a self-proclaimed 'peacemaker,' embraced Israel's campaign against Iran

No epiphany is seen to have tipped the scales for U.S. President Donald Trump so much as a lack of diplomatic progress, a push from Israelis and hawkish ally appeals wore him down.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes