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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed his eagerness to revise the political funds law in the current session of parliament, slated to end on June 23.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2024

Spotlight on political reform after budget clears Japan's parliament

Ruling and opposition parties are eager to outline a bolder plan for reform to raise their profile among voters amid growing political disenchantment.
People place their bets at the Fanduel sportsbook in East Rutherford, New Jersey, during the Super Bowl in February 2019.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 31, 2024

U.S. sports leagues bet on gambling. Now they’re facing its risks.

Leagues have signed lucrative marketing deals with betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings and recent incidents have highlighted issues.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. While some BOJ watchers flag the risk the BOJ could move quickly to raise interest rates again, Tsutomu Watanabe, who was a potential governor candidate last year, says he doesn't think the move will come so soon.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 1, 2024

BOJ’s next hike likely in October at earliest, ex-official says

The views of Tsutomu Watanabe contrast with those of some BOJ watchers who flag the risk the BOJ could move quickly as the yen slumps near a 34-year low.
An employee of Jet Blue airlines walks around an engine of an Airbus A320 passenger aircraft in a maintenance hangar of the company at JFK International Airport in New York on March 4.
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2024

Maintenance staff shortage in U.S. could clip aviation industry's wings

The sector lacks some 24,000 aviation maintenance technicians in North America, a figure due to reach nearly 40,000 by 2028.
A smoke plume erupts during Israeli bombardment on Khan Yunis as seen from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2024

Fighting rages across Gaza amid revival of truce talks

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich (right) with then-wife Dasha Zhukova in 2014. Zhukova's mother, Elena Zhukova, is engaged to media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2024

The oligarch, his ex-wife, her mother and Rupert Murdoch

Were it not for other stories coming out of Russia, Rupert Murdoch's engagement to Roman Abramovich's ex-mother-in-law would have made more headlines.
Customers browse Gashapon official shop “Ikebukuro Sohonten” in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2024

Top capsule-toy maker Bandai bets on huge market outside Japan

Machines for capsule toys have become ubiquitous in Japan, found not only in arcades, but also malls, supermarkets, airports and train stations.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

New Indonesia leader visits China, promising close ties

Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto was also due to visit Japan for two days from Tuesday.
Ayuko Kato, minister for policies related to children, speaks at a parliament session on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 2, 2024

One year on, Japan's children agency struggles to show leadership

The agency is facing challenges to demonstrate leadership, unable to move forward with unprecedented measures to combat the declining birthrate.
An audio work by Saga University's Art Works to Listen and Imagine project is available on the internet.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Apr 8, 2024

Experiencing art exhibitions through listening

Events and exhibitions are being held to encourage visitors to appreciate artworks with their ears and imagination.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center), and Taro Aso, the party's vice president, meet in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

LDP’s formal punishment likely to spark discontent

Exempting Kishida and Nikai from any reprimands over the slush funds scandal will likely deepen rifts within the party, experts say.
Heita Kawakatsu, governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, explains his remarks at the prefectural government office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu to resign over latest gaffe

"Unlike (those who) sell vegetables, raise cattle and make things, you are basically highly intellectual people," he said to newly hired officials.
Shohei Ohtani's response, or lack thereof, to the gambling scandal sheds light on the cultural differences in crisis management between Japan and the West.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2024

Ohtani swings and misses at PR, but he’s not Japan’s first

Shohei Ohtani's response, or lack thereof, to a gambling scandal sheds light on the cultural differences in crisis management between Japan and the West.
Russian Army servicemen stand near a mobile recruiting center in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 4, 2024

Russia says concert attack has spurred army recruitment

Russia is relying on a steady stream of new recruits to the armed forces as it seeks to push deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Former president of the Spanish football federation Luis Rubiales in Madrid on Sept. 15
SOCCER
Apr 4, 2024

Rubiales arrested at airport over alleged federation graft scandal

His arrest came two weeks after investigators searched 11 locations as part of a probe.
Climate change, with its natural disasters, is putting nuclear facilities and weapons complexes at risk.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2024

Climate change and nuclear waste are a toxic stew

Nuclear power could be a crucial part of a clean-energy transition, but not if it comes with a high risk of multiple Fukushima-like catastrophes.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) attends a disciplinary panel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 4, 2024

LDP announces formal punishment for scandal-tainted lawmakers

An LDP disciplinary panel handed down the reprimands following weeks of debate among the leadership and several rounds of internal investigations.
If it's too hot to do much (and the costs for air conditioning continue to surge) during the day, it might be time to consider shifting the bulk of our activities to cooler nighttime hours.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 6, 2024

A solution for scorching days: Do everything at night.

Working night shifts, however, comes with a host of health problems, increasing the risk of diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.
Palestinians flee an area in central Gaza City after Israeli bombardment in March. U.S. President Joe Biden said an "immediate” cease-fire is necessary to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2024

Biden tells Netanyahu U.S. support hinges on protecting civilians

The comment marks a shift in position for the U.S. leader, who has faced increased pressure to take a harder line against Israel amid mounting deaths.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meets with the family of one of the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in the Syrian capital Damascus, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2024

Iran embassy strike shows Israel's growing reach and disregard for norms

"In my view, it's without precedent," one analyst said, adding that he could not recall any state targeting another's diplomatic presence in this way.
Palestinians carry aid as others struggle to receive their portion amid widespread hunger in Gaza City on Thursday.
WORLD
Apr 5, 2024

Peace feels further than ever at six months of Israel-Hamas war

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Oval Office in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2024

Biden ultimatum to Netanyahu: protect Gaza civilians, or else

Analysts said the implicit threat was to slow U.S. arms transfers to Israel or to temper U.S. support at the U.N.
Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) is caused by bacteria called group A streptococcus, the same type that causes a strep throat infection, which affects mostly children. A strep A throat infection is not the same as STSS, however.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Apr 5, 2024

Japan's tissue-damaging bacterial disease: What you need to know

Misconceptions are fueling jitters at home and abroad, with travelers considering putting off their plans to visit the country.
Mourners gather in Tehran on Friday for the funerals of senior Iranian military and intelligence officials killed in Israel's bombing of the Iranian Embassy building in Damascus, Syria.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 6, 2024

Israel and U.S. are on alert for Iran to strike back at Israel

Analysts say Iran is more likely to strike Israel itself than through Hezbollah, its closest militant ally.
The Noto Tetsudo railway resumed operations on Saturday. The railway stretches over 33.1 kilometers, connecting Nanao and Anamizu stations.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2024

Quake-hit railway in Noto fully reopens after three months

The first train of the day departed from Anamizu Station adorned with a sticker that read: "Ganbaro Noto" (Let's go Noto).
U.S. independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event in Oakland, California, on March 26.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 7, 2024

'Real threat': U.S. presidential long-shot RFK Jr alarms Democrats

The environmental lawyer and conspiracy theorist has double-digit support and polling suggests he's hurting Biden more than Trump.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu during a practice session ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. Komatsu is the first Japanese to hold the top position at a non-Japanese F1 team.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 7, 2024

Tokyo native Ayao Komatsu brings ‘calm’ and ‘focus’ to improving Haas F1 team

The impact is apparent three months into leadership change that made Komatsu team principal.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an interview at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday, ahead of his visit to the United States this week.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2024

Kishida advocates wider defense network ahead of U.S. trip

The Japanese leader said he would push ahead on cooperation with like-minded countries on security, including on defense equipment and technology.
During a rally in New York on Nov. 6, protesters call for a cease-fire in Gaza. U.S. President Biden should ensure that Israel abides by a March 25 U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2024

Biden must show Netanyahu that enough is enough

How can the U.S. president take the moral high ground if he allows Netanyahu to continue disregarding civilian life in Gaza, while arming Israeli soldiers?
A U.N. conference on Afghanistan in Geneva in September 2021. In December last year, the U.N. decided to appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan, but the role hasn't been filled yet.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2024

Could a new U.N. envoy move the needle on Afghanistan?

If the Taliban refuse to dialogue with other Afghans, the U.N. should empower those outside of the group. The appointment of a special envoy could help.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?