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Japan's Zion Suzuki (top) and Yukinari Sugawara (bottom) in action with Iraq's Youssef Amyn in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Friday.
SOCCER
Jan 23, 2024

Japan goalkeeper racially abused online after Asian Cup errors

The news comes after two instances of racist abuse directed at players in Italy and England during matches.
In the phone message, a voice edited to sound like Biden urged voters in New Hampshire not to cast their ballots in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. In reality, the president isn’t on the ballot in the New Hampshire race — and voting in the primary doesn’t preclude people from participating in November's election.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2024

Deepfake audio of Biden alarms experts in lead-up to U.S. elections

The ease of producing such doctored messages and the difficulty in tracing them to their source make them a very powerful weapon in the hands of bad actors.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2024

LDP agrees to reshape factions and toughen rules on political funding

It remains unclear, however, whether this move will lead to a substantial reform of the party's faction-oriented politics.
In Palworld, players can explore an open world and collectible Pokemon-esque creatures, some of whom utilize a variety of weaponry to defeat opponents.
LIFE / Digital
Jan 24, 2024

Overnight smash Palworld is much more than ‘Pokemon with guns’

Instead of “Pokemon with guns,” a more apt description for Palworld would be “Pokemon, but it grew up over the last 30 years.”
Fighters loyal to the Houthis ride on the back of a pick-up truck during a military parade for new tribal recruits amid escalating tensions with the U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea, in Bani Hushaish, Yemen on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 24, 2024

Red Sea attacks could disrupt shipping for months, driving up costs

With sailors demanding double pay and insurance rates skyrocketing, shipping lines are steering clear of a waterway that normally carries 12% of seaborne trade.
Toshinori Yashiki, deputy director-general at the Financial Services Agency, urged lenders to pay particular attention to highly-leveraged borrowers.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2024

Japan regulator will probe risks to banks from higher rates

The Bank of Japan is expected to make its first rate hike since 2007 within a few months, raising the possibility that borrowers will struggle with higher interest payments.
SUMO
Jan 24, 2024

Big names set up thrilling finale for January sumo meet

Terunofuji would appear to be the favorite as sumo's first tournament of 2024 reaches the homestretch, but a host of contenders means it could come down to the final day.
Police officers hold a traffic safety lesson for e-scooter users in December 2022 in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 24, 2024

E-scooter traffic violations rise fourfold in Japan

Reports of traffic violations totaled 1,879 in the month of December, a significant increase from the 405 cases reported in July of last year.
Outlawing the second-most popular party in Germany would be democratically questionable and could have negative consequences.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2024

Should Germany’s AfD party be banned?

Germany's democratic values should be upheld by engaging with disgruntled voters in the voting booth, rather than seeking a legal ban.
Japan players celebrate after Ayase Ueda scored the team's second goal during Samurai Blue's win over Indonesia on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jan 24, 2024

Japan cruises past Indonesia to reach Asian Cup last 16

Ayase Ueda struck in each half to go with a late Indonesia own goal in Doha to send the pre-tournament favorites through as group runners-up behind Iraq.
The drop in funds stolen by North Korean hackers mirrors a larger trend in the cryptocurrency security landscape: an overall decline in hacks of the once-lucrative decentralized finance, or DeFi, protocols.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 25, 2024

North Korean hackers targeting crypto more but stealing less: report

The drop in funds stolen by North Korean hackers mirrors a larger trend in the cryptocurrency security landscape.
China’s economy is facing an uphill battle filled with challenges, including a deepening housing slump, fears of a deflationary spiral and high levels of youth unemployment.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 25, 2024

China officials told Xi’s belt-tightening rules are here to stay

While President Xi Jinping has long discouraged excess, the renewed calls for austerity come as the world’s second-largest economy faces severe challenges.
Girl group Atarashii Gakko! will be joined by two other Japanese acts, Yoasobi and Hatsune Miku, at this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 25, 2024

Pack your bags, J-pop acts. There's a whole world of fans to meet!

Expect Ado, King Gnu and Lamp to revel in the spotlight abroad with overseas tours, while the sounds of Shibuya-kei look to make a welcome return.
'Oden' may not be an iconic dish outside Japan, but during winter, there's nothing Japanese diners love more.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 28, 2024

In a Japanese winter, homemade ‘oden’ warms the body and soul

In poll after poll, this warming assortment of slowly simmered foods is the top-ranking comfort food for blustery winter nights.
Australian Tayler Paulsen and her Kiwi husband Neil managed to purchase a fully-equipped lodge in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture, for only AU$110,000 (about ¥10 million).
COMMUNITY / The Foreign Element
Jan 29, 2024

In Niigata, a winter (and real estate) wonderland

For Australians and New Zealanders facing expensive prices back home, Japan’s snow country is a hotbed for cheap real estate.
Noto Tetsudo's Anamizu Station in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 15. The local railway's services have been fully suspended since a powerful New Year's Day earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2024

Quake-hit railway vows to resume services

Noto Tetsudo is hoping to bring part of its 33.1-kilometer railway back online in February.
Sensoji Temple, a popular tourist location, in Tokyo on Jan. 18
JAPAN / Society
Jan 26, 2024

Japan aims to direct Asian tourists to places less traveled

The tourism body is attempting to direct visitors to places outside Tokyo in order to prevent over-tourism, specifically by appealing to “light repeaters.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2024

Putin says Ukraine shot down plane, deliberately or in error

Moscow accuses Kyiv of downing the plane in Russia's Belgorod region and killing 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers.
At Crypto HK, a popular crypto store in Hong Kong, customers can buy cryptocurrencies with a minimum 500 Hong Kong dollars ($64) and are not required to provide any identity documents.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 28, 2024

Bruised by stock market, China rushes into banned bitcoin

More and more Chinese investors are using creative ways to own crypto assets they believe are safer than investing in stock and property markets at home.
Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, the day after the quake struck the country's southeast, on Feb. 7, 2023.
WORLD
Jan 29, 2024

'Time has stopped': Grieving father relives Turkish quake

An image of Mesut Hancer's daughter Irmak, lying dead among debris, was picked up by world media.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 29, 2024

Japan’s lunar probe regains power more than a week after landing

JAXA said Monday that the agency was able to reestablish communications with the SLIM probe on Sunday evening.
Women walk past an army-related billboard at the All-Russia Exhibition Center in Moscow on Jan. 24.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2024

New anti-Ukraine disinformation campaign targets Western media

Examples of disinformation include thefts from the Paris catacombs by a Ukrainian and military aid misappropriated by Ukraine.
Garments at a Shein Group pop-up store inside a Forever-21 store in the Times Square neighborhood of New York on Nov. 10, 2023
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2024

Cars and online retailers outperform as China exports disappoint

The sectors represented the fastest expansion among China's economy, with an export value of at least $10 billion.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 31, 2024

Quake-hit Noto faces a long road to recovery. Here's how you can help.

After initially asking people to refrain from coming as volunteers, municipalities in Ishikawa are now open to outside help.
Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected government in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021, presides over an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on March 27, 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 31, 2024

Three years after coup, Myanmar junta chief's power in doubt

Min Aung Hlaing's leadership has been questioned after a series of military defeats during a sweeping offensive by rebel groups known as Operation 1027.
As China struggles with a slumping stock market and a collapsing real estate sector, commentary and even financial analysis Beijing deems negative are blocked.
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2024

China’s censorship dragnet targets critics of the economy

The government's new information campaign about the economy is wider than usual censorship, with efforts now extending to mainstream commentary.
Valentine's Day in Japan is one way when it comes to chocolate, but the sweets are reciprocated on White Day in March.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 2, 2024

Prepare for date night by practicing reservations in Japanese

Whether its chocolates or a full-course meal, food is the language for Valentine's Day.
Activists hold placards during a rally ahead of environment day in Jakarta on June 4, 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 1, 2024

Green pledges lack ambition, say Indonesian youth ahead of vote

While candidates have spoken during campaigns about the urgent risks posed by climate change, in a new development, detail is missing from policies.
The victory of Ukraine-born Karolina Shiino (center) in the Miss Japan contest held last month has sparked a debate on what makes someone truly Japanese.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2024

A Ukraine-born beauty queen and what it means to be Japanese

Shiino's Miss Japan victory has ignited a debate on the definition of "Japaneseness," and raises questions on what it truly means to be Japanese.
It doesn't snow everywhere in Japan, but when it does, it falls in blankets that must be cleared away, sometimes through unexpected means.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 4, 2024

Rural Japan’s snow removal solutions range from cute to curious

Outside of Tokyo, cities that get a significant volume of snow tend to have better ways of dealing with it than the capital.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear