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Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attend a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday. Authorities have accused two RT employees of working with two foreign nationals in the U.S. who set up a company that recruited prominent conservative commentators to post regular videos on topics such as immigration and U.S. politics.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 5, 2024

U.S. charges employees of Russia's RT network over polls influence scheme

Officials accuse them of hiring a company in Tennessee to produce online videos aimed at amplifying political divisions ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
Four members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan who filed their candidacies for the main opposition party's Sept. 23 leadership election —  Lower House lawmaker Harumi Yoshida (left), current chief Kenta Izumi (second left), former party leader Yukio Edano (second right) and former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda — attend a joint news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2024

Main opposition CDP kicks off leadership race

The candidates are former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, ex-party leader Yukio Edano, current chief Kenta Izumi and Lower House lawmaker Harumi Yoshida.
Attorney General Merrick Garland sits between Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and FBI Director Christopher Wray during a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, in Washington on Sept. 4. Federal prosecutors say Russia secretly paid the American company Tenet Media to push pro-Kremlin messages from social media influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Russia secretly worms its way into America’s conservative media

The latest indictment reflects the growing sophistication of the Kremlin’s long-standing efforts to shape American public opinion and advance its geopolitical goals.
Fukuoka Prefecture Medical Association executive director Takeshi Inamitsu said schools should take the initiative in deciding the methods used and things to be checked during their students' health exams.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Sep 16, 2024

Students' clothing at school health checkups comes into focus

Doctors worry signs of illnesses or abuse may be overlooked if examinations are performed in gym clothes or other clothing as urged by the education ministry.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center) and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy meet in Kyiv on Wednesday.
WORLD
Sep 12, 2024

U.S. and U.K. envoys mull Ukraine’s push for deep strikes into Russia

The visit to Ukraine came as the Biden administration struggles to curtail aid to Russia from Iran, North Korea and China.
An event to support Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures is held in Sendai in March, with booths offering local specialties.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 30, 2024

Nearly 40% of Fukushima municipalities want hometown tax system revised

Some want the central government to implement measures to establish a system that narrows disparities among municipalities.
(From left) Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, digital minister Taro Kono, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi pose for photographs at the ruling party's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2024

LDP presidential candidates field questions on political reform and economy

At their first joint news conference after the start of campaigning, they gave their views on party and political reform and argued for a strong economic strategy.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 15, 2024

North Korean weapons sales to Russia called Ukraine’s biggest worry

Once a cargo carrying the weapons docks at a Russian port, military activity typically intensifies within eight to nine days, Ukrainian officials said.
An online seminar held in late July by Norihiro Nishimura, a professor at Mie University’s Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, involved deep discussions that provided participants with direction in the fine-tuning of their research.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 30, 2024

Chubu universities train corporate execs through graduate programs

The programs teach company presidents and executives how to look within their organizations — for issues, challenges and data — to grow their businesses.
President Masoud Pezeshkian takes questions during his first news conference in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD
Sep 17, 2024

Iran president pledges to stop morality police confronting women

The death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022, days after the morality police arrested her for an alleged breach of dress code, triggered monthslong protests.
A mongoose on a road in Nago, northern Okinawa, in December 2022. The mongoose was first introduced to Japan in Naha in 1910 for the purpose of exterminating the local habu snakes and rats.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 23, 2024

After Amami-Oshima success, Okinawa's mongoose eradication in focus

Okinawa island's much bigger resident population makes it a challenge to get rid of the animal.
In China, discussing feminism is apparently forbidden, as seen with the controversy over the maker of Black Myth: Wukong censoring feminist topics during streaming, despite its global success and praise for visuals and gameplay. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2024

Wukong makes equal rights for women a taboo topic

Women are increasingly active consumers in the gaming industry: The growth rate of new female gamers in Asia is nearly double that of males.
Japanese high school teachers visit an elementary school in the Philippines' Caohagan Island that holds classes outside.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Oct 7, 2024

Asia rises as study destination for Japanese students and teachers

Countries in the region are emerging as an attractive alternative to the West amid surging prices and the weak yen.
Lawson President Sadanobu Takemasu (center) says the nation's labor shortage is the biggest challenge its convenience stores face.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2024

Lawson to open convenience stores of the 'future' next spring in Tokyo

The goal of the project is to help reduce the workload of store staff by 30% by fiscal 2030.
Feeling overshadowed by U.S. elections, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might conduct a nuclear test, fire missiles, annul the Korean War armistice or demand territorial concessions.
COMMENTARY
Sep 23, 2024

Kim Jong Un will have his October surprise

Feeling overshadowed by U.S. elections, Kim Jong Un might conduct a nuclear test, fire missiles, annul the Korean War armistice or demand territorial concessions.
U.S. President Joe Biden, right, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirate's president, walk through the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2024

Biden designates UAE as a second major defense partner after India

The designation allows for close military cooperation through joint training, exercises and other collaborative efforts.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Aug. 28. The visit was part of efforts aimed at resetting British relations with the European Union, especially on defense and trade.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2024

Yes, let’s reverse Brexit (a bit) for Gen Z

Youth mobility isn’t just for privileged graduates seeking experience, CV points or language skills; it can also help fill labor shortages in the U.K.
Pedestrians in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York on Dec. 26, 2023
WORLD / Society
Sep 27, 2024

Chinese Americans face racism and mental health risks amid tensions

Survey respondents were presented with questions covering their experience of discrimination, political engagement and opinions on China-U.S. relations.
Associate professor Fumiyuki Yamasaki checks how a helmet fits on a baby at Hiroshima University Hospital’s outpatient clinic.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Oct 7, 2024

Hiroshima hospital’s helmet therapy helping reshape babies' heads

Results vary greatly depending on symptoms and when treatment begins.
The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington on June 1
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 3, 2024

Guns and transgender rights cases loom as U.S. Supreme Court returns

The justices return from their summer recess under intense scrutiny by many politicians and the public.
Elon Musk during the final match of the U.S. Open in New York on Sept. 8
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2024

Musk funded right-wing nonprofit for years before endorsing Trump, sources say

Revenues at Building America's Future climbed from some $11 million in 2021 to about $53 million in 2022, the year two people said Musk had already started his donations.
Despite Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's serious and studious personality, he is by nature a nonconformist and is less socially inclined compared to other politicians.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 3, 2024

The Shigeru Ishiba I personally know

Ishiba takes pride in his mottos and interests, remains steadfast in his beliefs and stays true to his path.
Shigeru Ishiba's nascent administration is attracting something of a reputation for flip-flopping — and it hasn’t even been a week.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2024

Don’t take Japan's new leader literally. But should you take him seriously?

Ishiba will discover that his supply of capital with the public will run out quickly if he offers no break from his predecessor.
X owner Elon Musk and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump meet prior to a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD
Oct 11, 2024

Disinformation stirred by Musk and Trump adds strain to hurricane recovery

Conspiracy theories and hate speech targeting the government’s storm response erupted across social media after Hurricane Helene devastated the Southeast.
Independence Square in central Kyiv
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2024

World Bank board approves new Ukraine fund, sources say

The fund will help fulfill a pledge by Group of Seven rich democracies to provide Ukraine with up to $50 billion in additional funding by the end of the year.
People engage in discussions during a program of School for Life Compath in Biei, Hokkaido, in August 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2024

Danish-style 'schools for life' gaining popularity in Japan

The schools promote personal growth and lifelong learning, covering topics such as self-discovery, societal exploration, modern art and forest adventures.
Justice Minister Hideki Makihara speaks during a joint interview with media outlets at his office in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 11, 2024

Justice minister says he has severed all ties with Unification Church

Hideki Makihara has promised to follow the Liberal Democratic Party’s commitment on ceasing ties with the group moving forward.
A pig bone is hung at the entrance to the Shiokawa district in the village of Tamara, Okinawa Prefecture, in August 2021.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Oct 21, 2024

Okinawan pig slaughter ritual blocked by public health authorities

The ban presents a dilemma to residents who say making changes takes away the practice's meaning.
The Tokaido Shinkansen platforms at Nagoya Station are packed with passengers on Aug. 9, when the operator ran a record 483 trains in a single day.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Chubu
Oct 21, 2024

Timetable planners form backbone of Tokaido Shinkansen's 60-year journey

Timetables based on precise demand predictions and the efforts of staffers on the ground have been integral to the evolution of bullet trains.
Violin, a day care center for the elderly, is housed in a building that used be an office of the Kudokai crime syndicate in the city of Kitakyushu. It retains the original look of the Kudokai facility, with its thick steel-plated front door, glittering chandelier and marble floor.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Oct 28, 2024

Former yakuza office repurposed to become elderly care facility

The building that houses Violin, a day care center for the elderly, was once one of the main facilities for the Kudokai syndicate.

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