Search - 2015

 
 
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.
Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis shoots a free throw during a playoff game against the Knicks on May 7.
BASKETBALL
Jun 25, 2025

Hawks reportedly acquire Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis in three-team trade

Porzingis averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in only 42 regular-season games last season.
The Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran scored a tactical win and prompted a tentative ceasefire, but they failed to eliminate the threat posed by Tehran’s nuclear ambitions or shift the long-term strategic calculus.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2025

There is no 'one-and-done' on Iran's nuclear ambitions

Trump still faces tough calls that will decide the future of non-proliferation.
Japan said on Tuesday that it had lodged a protest with China after observing a new structure in a natural gas field in the East China Sea.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025

Japan protests new Chinese construction in East China Sea

In the latest development, Japan said on Tuesday it lodged a protest with China after observing a new structure in a natural gas field in the East China Sea.
Plaintiffs of lawsuits on welfare benefit reductions hold up signs celebrating their victory in Tokyo on Friday following the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of them.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Japan's Supreme Court finds welfare benefit cuts unlawful

The top court revoked the welfare cuts but dismissed plaintiffs' damages claims.
Shintaro Awa is the new head chef of L'Ambroisie in Paris, replacing the legendary Bernard Pacaud, who helmed the restaurant for more than four decades.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 5, 2025

Shintaro Awa appointed to head the kitchen of L’Ambroisie in Paris

The Japanese chef takes over the role of Bernard Pacaud, who helmed the renowned restaurant for nearly 45 years.
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off 
a set of emoji at 
a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 11, 2025

An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.

With World Emoji Day approaching, it's a good opportunity to recognize how important these digital pictures have become.
President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Yuji Iwasawa (center) and other members issue an advisory opinion on nations' legal obligations to address climate change, at The Hague on Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 24, 2025

Top U.N. court says treaties compel wealthy nations to curb global warming

The International Court of Justice said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change.
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, promises a rent freeze that’s easy to deliver but it remains to be seen if it will solve the city’s deeper housing problems.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2025

Freezing rent is easy. Making NYC housing affordable isn’t.

Zohran Mamdani’s campaign pledge would be simple to put into effect but wouldn’t do much to solve the underlying problem.
The Atomic Bomb Dome in the city of Hiroshima. This August marks the 80th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 29, 2025

U.S. public opinion divided over atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A recent survey, released Monday, was conducted on more than 5,000 U.S. adults ahead of the 80th anniversaries of the bombings.
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft flies over the island of Okinawa in March 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 14, 2025

Precautionary Osprey landings signal safety, not alarm

Two precautionary V-22 Osprey landings in northern Honshu demonstrated the aircraft’s safety and its role in enhancing Japan’s rapid-deployment and island-defense capabilities.
The area around Shibuya Station in Tokyo. After the end of World War II, population concentration in the capital accelerated while other parts of Japan continue to see population declines.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 18, 2025

80 years on: Tokyo prospers while local revitalization still insufficient

Experts stress the importance of setting up a system in which industrial resources are circulated locally in order to create a sustainable society.
A Pertamina fuel storage facility at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta in 2022
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 18, 2025

Indonesia’s ‘gasoline godfather’ targeted in $18 billion graft probe

Mohammad Riza Chalid is the most audacious target to date for the current administration, as it reshuffles its energy procurement and attempts to supercharge growth.
Statues of bulls in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai on Aug. 18
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 24, 2025

Bubble risks grow as China’s stock bull run defies economy angst

A deflationary spiral that’s eroded corporate pricing power in the world’s second-largest economy is one of the biggest reasons to doubt the sustainability of the current rally.
Tin badges distributed by Chikan Yokushi Katsudo Center, with messages such as "I won't suffer in silence"
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2025

Japan still struggling with problem of groping

The number of molestation cases detected by Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department reached 606 between January and June.
A cargo ship full of containers is seen at the Port of Oakland, California.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2025

U.S. low-value package tariff exemption ends, raising costs for shippers and consumers

The move broadens the Trump administration's cancellation of the de minimis exemption for packages from China and Hong Kong in May.
At Kuro Mame, baristas customize the coffee according to the guest's preferences.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 29, 2025

Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000 at Kuro Mame

Always wanted to have a barista customize your brew? Make a beeline for this premium cafe.
A <i>shunga</i> work by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) is on display at an exhibition of erotic Japanese art in the Kabukicho red-light entertainment area in the Shinjuku district of central Tokyo.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 8, 2025

Traditional Japanese erotic art exhibition puts female pleasure in focus

An erotic form of ukiyo-e, shunga is often dismissed as mere pornography. An exhibition in Kabukicho aims to highlight its artistry.
Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the 100-meter final at the world championships in Budapest on Aug. 20, 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 11, 2025

Usain Bolt backs Jamaicans to knock Noah Lyles off 100-meter throne

Bolt is also confident that his 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds, set at the 2009 Berlin worlds, is not going to be challenged any time soon.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses members of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. At a climate summit hosted by Guterres on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% from its peak by 2035.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 25, 2025

Beijing takes the lead with new climate plans amid Washington’s denial

China's reduction target marked the first time the world's biggest emitter pledged a cut in emissions, rather than just limiting their growth.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (center) walks on his way to a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2025

Iran says it won’t exit nuclear pact despite sanctions snapback

The Iranian president’s words marked a shift in tone from July, when a lead Iranian negotiator said they had not ruled out leaving the agreement.
A banner stating, "If they commit any acts of evil, they will definitely get a harder blow back," is displayed in Tehran in April.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2025

'Snapback' sends West back to the drawing board on Iran's nuclear program

Despite a last-minute rush of diplomatic activity at the U.N., Iran has done little to stop the sanctions from going back into effect.
An Iranian woman walks in front of a billboard depicting slain Lebanese Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah (center), his successor Hashem Safieddine (right) and the late Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 29, 2025

Iran's clerical leaders face existential crisis amid nuclear deadlock

The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran on Saturday.
Shipping containers near the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai. The U.S. under President Donald Trump has revived mercantilist trade policies to favor American industry, but China is outpacing the U.S.
COMMENTARY
Sep 29, 2025

Why America will lose its mercantilist game to China

There is already one country that has been practicing mercantilism for decades and it appears to be a step ahead of the U.S. as it starts to play the same game: China.
The Pokemon mascot Pikachu wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey attends the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome in March. As the world rediscovers Japan, it’s learning that many preconceptions no longer apply.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2025

Is Japan finally back? That’s the wrong question.

Almost three decades after prices first fell into negative territory, they’ve now risen every month for the past four years.
A crime scene technician prepares to document evidence at the site of a shooting in West Baltimore in May 2015. U.S. cities are seeing murder rates fall sharply from post-2020 highs thanks to local violence-reduction efforts and pandemic-era investments.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2025

What’s behind the great American murder decline?

Homicides are plummeting in many places. The explanation may be the sheer volume of different efforts to reduce violence.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a news conference in Tokyo on Friday to deliver his statement on World War II
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2025

Ishiba statement explores Japan's failure to avoid World War II

Ishiba’s message was released in a personal capacity, without the formal approval of his entire Cabinet.
Refugees and migrants, mostly from Syria and Afghanistan, crowd a platform at a train station in Budapest in September 2015. Hungary's focus on pro-natalist policies and minimal immigration has led to a significant improvement in its fertility rate compared to Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 15, 2025

Asia can learn from Europe’s immigration mistakes

The result is dangerous confusion where legitimate policy debates about labor shortages become entangled with xenophobic fears about cultural invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2025

Syrian leader seeks reset in Russia relations in Putin meeting

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was expected to push for Moscow to extradite Bashar Assad, who fled there after being toppled.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell