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Anxieties about inflation, debt and the U.S. dollar’s stability — combined with high gold prices — are fueling renewed skepticism, raising the possibility of a Fort Knox audit to confirm if America's gold is still there.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2025

What’s fueling America's gold bar conspiracy

The U.S. is right where it needs to be for Trump and Musk to tap into a decades-old fear about the country’s precious bullion stored in Fort Knox.
A ship fires missiles at an undisclosed location, after U.S. President Donald Trump launched military strikes against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping, in this screenshot of a handout video released on March 15.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2025

White House says strikes killed Houthi missile expert, but questions linger

The U.S. military has so far declined to confirm the death, and the identity of the Houthi commander in question remains unclear.
Lawyer Akira Takeuchi (center), the head of a third-party panel commissioned by Fuji TV to investigate a series of scandals at the broadcaster, fields questions along with other panel members at a news conference on Monday in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
JAPAN / Media / FOCUS
Apr 1, 2025

What the Fuji TV third-party probe uncovered

The panel concluded that TV personality Masahiro Nakai committed "sexual violence" against a female newscaster and that there is a culture of harassment at the broadcaster.
The logo of Xiaomi is seen on a tire wheel of the SU7, the company's first electric vehicle, on display at a showroom in Beijing on March 25.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 2, 2025

Three reported dead after Xiaomi car with driver assistance crashes

The incident is likely to spark scrutiny over the smart driving software deployed in many of today’s cars.
Onosato (left) receives the Emperor's Cup from Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku in Osaka on March 23.
SUMO
Apr 2, 2025

Sumo’s 'Big 12' are an eclectic group

Only a dozen rikishi now active have lifted the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of a tournament.
U.S. officials have insisted that Washington remains committed to NATO, an alliance that has seen American military might underpin Western security for over seven decades.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 2, 2025

NATO presses to keep Trump on board, but is he hobbling alliance?

As the Trump administration savages Europe, undercuts Kyiv and warms to Russia, there is fear that even if the alliance is salvaged, it runs the risk of being hollowed out.
DOGE, the U.S. government reform project, embodies America's brash, fast-paced approach to change, while Japan’s cultural norms emphasize slower, more deliberate decision-making rooted in consensus.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2025

The DOGE solution? 'No thanks,' says Japan, with reason

I can’t imagine a DOGE-like beast in Japan. No one can. It is utterly alien to every tradition, precedent or cultural inclination in this country.
Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction and election ban intensify France’s political divide, challenge French President Emmanuel Macron’s government and set the stage for a far-right succession battle.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2025

Le Pen’s MAGA-style martyrdom is new risk in France

One big factor could complicate Le Pen’s pivot to MAGA martyrdom, however: The antics of Trump himself.
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 3, 2025

Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments

NHK's new four-episode miniseries, “After the Quake,” probes the ripple effects of past major disasters across Japanese society.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks and signs tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, in Washington, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 3, 2025

With Trump’s tariffs, the chasm between allies and the U.S. widens

Trump’s plan, which he unveiled on Wednesday and is calling "reciprocal,” would impose a wave of tariffs on dozens of countries.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Wednesday. The return of scandal-tainted Liberal Democratic Party members could make life tougher for Ishiba within the party.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 3, 2025

Ishiba to face more political headaches with return of scandal-hit LDP members

For an already-unpopular administration, the return of party members implicated in a slush funds scandal will create further political headaches.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's contradictory statements on U.S. military strategy and alliances with Europe and Asia raise questions about his true stance, reflecting the chameleon-like nature of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2025

Will the real Pete Hegseth please stand up?

The same fears remain in terms of security. Even if the Trump administration seeks to deter China, it is unlikely to shift its policy of so-called pacifism.
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda speaks during a news conference for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 3, 2025

Yuki Tsunoda feeling relaxed ahead of blockbuster Red Bull debut 

The veteran of 89 Formula One races appeared at ease in his new colors, exuding the quiet confidence that he’s had since making his debut in the series in 2021.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after his walk-off home run against the Braves at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 4, 2025

Dodgers look almost unbeatable after latest heroics from Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani's walk-off home run on Wednesday night in Los Angeles lifted the Dodgers to a dramatic 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Braves.
A demonstrator against impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reacts after the Constitutional Court ruled to remove him from office in Seoul on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / EXPLAINER
Apr 4, 2025

What happens next after South Korea removes President Yoon

Yoon's removal from office was the culmination of months of turmoil in which hundreds of thousands took to the streets, either to protest or support him.
Tokyo Humanities Cafe was launched in 2017 by Laurence Williams (left) and Alex Watson, professors at Sophia and Meiji Universities, respectively.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Apr 7, 2025

Tokyo Humanities Cafe feeds hungry minds

A free quarterly event invites everyone to explore what it means to be human.
A man identified by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, in custody at a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 5, 2025

Judge orders return of wrongly deported Maryland man to U.S. from El Salvador

The U.S. has already acknowledged Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S legally with a work permit — was deported in error.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the audience during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2025

U.S. will know within weeks if Russia is serious about peace, Rubio says

The statement comes as European allies accuse Moscow of stalling over the Trump administration's call for a ceasefire.
Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 28.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 6, 2025

U.S. progress against resilient Houthi militants remains murky

Trump's administration has offered limited evidence of weapons deployed and targets hit to back up his assertion.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order during a tariff announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Wednesday. Trump's tariff policies are the centerpiece of his effort to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and reshape a world trade system he has long decried as unfair.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 6, 2025

Trump promised a manufacturing boom. Industries are not so sure.

Some question the tariffs' underlying logic, saying that supply chain issues, high costs and other obstacles stand may in the way.
President Donald Trump outside the White House in Washington on Thursday. The 22nd Amendment is clear: President Trump has to give up his office after his second term. But his refusal to accept that underscores how far he is willing to consider going to consolidate power.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 7, 2025

Trump's third term talk defies constitution and tests democracy

The fact that Trump has inserted the idea into the national conversation illustrates the uncertainty about the future of America’s constitutional system.
Beards, once symbols of rebellion and counterculture, are making a comeback among elites, reflecting shifting cultural norms even as biases persist in professional settings.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2025

What does your beard say about you?

During the 19th century, the European monarchies associated beards with dangerous radicals. So did the dangerous radicals.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a news conference in Tokyo on April 1. The approval rating for Ishiba's Cabinet fell to 30.6% over the weekend, according to a JNN poll.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2025

Ishiba under pressure to take stronger stance against U.S. on tariffs

Some opposition leaders are urging the prime minister to rally his party around a strategy before speaking with the U.S. president, but others are eyeing his removal.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler hits off the first tee as he starts a practice round at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Apr 8, 2025

Scheffler eyes Masters repeat; McIlroy primed for career Grand Slam

A win for Scheffler would make him only the fourth golfer to retain a Masters title and first since Woods in 2001-02.
Traders work on the floor of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) area of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 9, 2025

Market calm is shattered as abrupt selloffs roil Wall Street

As recession fears build, markets have continued to flash warning signs.
One of two Chinese soldiers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said were captured by Ukrainian forces in the country's Donetsk region is seen in this image released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 9, 2025

In a first, Ukraine captures two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia

The Chinese men were taken captive during fighting on Ukrainian territory in the Donetsk region.
A National Rally demonstration in Paris on Sunday following party head Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzlement. The far-right leader and her supporters have decried the ruling as political.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

Le Pen ruling unleashes wave of hypocrisy on populist right

Across the globe, far-right populists have gained popularity as protectors of law and order, but Le Pen's conviction in France reveals the shaky foundations of this commitment.
A man on a platform applies a fresh coat of paint to the landmark anti-U.S. mural drawn on the wall of a building in Tehran on Tuesday, the same day that Iran said will send its top diplomat to Oman for breakthrough talks with the United States.
WORLD
Apr 9, 2025

Iran says it will start nuclear talks with U.S. this weekend

The announcement comes even as debate continued over how the session will unfold.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday the central bank's stance is to conduct policy appropriately by carefully assessing the remaining uncertainties surrounding tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2025

BOJ's Ueda conveys wait-and-see stance on U.S. tariffs

He suggests the central bank will see how the tariff measures evolve before assessing the potential impact, and any required response.
The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump "has a spine of steel and will not break.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 10, 2025

Trump shock pushes U.S. and China toward decoupling cliff edge

Trump's 120% tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing’s determination to fight back in kind mean a seismic cleavage is rapidly becoming a reality.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami