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Luvsanbaldan Batsukh gets ready to leave his ger, or Mongolian tent, in Khishig-Undur in Bulgan province, Mongolia, on July 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 30, 2024

Mongolia's urban-rural divide deepens as young women leave the steppe

Many raised in a traditional nomadic lifestyle have rejected a life of physical labor and fighting the elements, seeking education and employment in Ulaanbaatar.
Berlin's growing military engagement with Indo-Pacific allies and partners is meant to signal that Germany "stands firmly at the side of those countries that are committed to complying with international law and do not accept it being called into  question," German Navy chief Vice Adm. Kaack told The Japan Times.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2024

Sea lane fears drive German military's Asian engagement, navy chief says

Developments in the Indo-Pacific, both economic and geopolitical, have direct implications for the security and prosperity of Germany, Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack says.
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.
Rafael Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal during his career.
TENNIS
Oct 11, 2024

Rafael Nadal leaves behind legacy as role model and inspiration for fellow players

Nadal will hang up his racket after the Davis Cup next month.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in a joint military drill involving Japan, the United States, Britain and Australia at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January 2023.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2024

Japan hosts Five Eyes group meeting for first time

The move highlights the growing cooperation between Tokyo and its allies amid shared concerns about a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
Orthopedic surgeon Mohammed al-Hanash sits at his clinic in Douma, east of the Syrian capital Damascus, on Saturday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 24, 2024

Syrian medics say were coerced into false chemical attack testimony

The medics, who treated the wounded at a field hospital near Damascus after the April 7, 2018, attack, said they were coerced into giving false testimony.
After a long wait, Beyonce proudly holds the one prize that has alluded her for many years: the Album of the Year award. "Cowboy Carter" also garnered the Best Country Album award.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 3, 2025

Beyonce finally wins top album, as Kendrick Lamar sweeps Grammys' rap category

Beyonce made history at the Grammys as she became the annual event's most decorated artist while the night paid tribute to the community of fire-ravaged Los Angeles.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani arrives for practice on Friday at Tokyo Dome.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Hype reaches fever pitch as Ohtani and the Dodgers get set for games in Tokyo

Shohei Ohtani talked about getting over jet lag and his excitement for the Tokyo Series as the Dodgers prepare to put on a show for Japanese fans.
Al-Ahli's Edouard Mendy (left) and Abdullah Abdo celebrate after defeating Al-Hilal in the semifinals of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
SOCCER
Apr 30, 2025

Al-Ahli's Ibanez heaps praise on coach Jaissle after reaching Asian final

The 37-year-old was believed to be on his way out of the club in January after a string of disappointing results in the Saudi Pro League.
American Robert Jefferson runs a YouTube channel called The Kamakura Gardener that invites viewers to enjoy the pleasures of gardening, cooking and slow living.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 2, 2025

‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube

Veteran broadcaster Robert Jefferson has built up a following through his comforting video content about gardening, cooking and living in Kamakura.
In a statement on their official website, Tokio said it had decided to disband following a compliance violation by Taichi Kokubun, without providing details as to what the violation entailed.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 26, 2025

Japanese pop-rock band Tokio announces disbandment after 31 years

The group said it will bring an end to its activities as Tokio following a compliance violation by member Taichi Kokubun but did not disclose details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12. The leader's efforts to conduct diplomacy in the face of conflict have drawn comparisons with British wartime leader Winston Churchill.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 20, 2023

Why Zelenskyy's diplomacy is a key factor in Ukraine's efforts to win war

The leader's counteroffensive came at a critical time, sandwiched between two summits — the Group of Seven summit in May and a NATO summit earlier this month.
Jonas Vingegaard celebrates with his bike after winning the Tour de France in Paris on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 24, 2023

Jonas Vingegaard secures second straight Tour de France title

Runner-up Tadej Pogacar, the 2020 and 2021 Tour champion, won the white jersey as the best under-25 rider for the fourth year in a row.
Spain's players celebrate defender Olga Carmona's game-winning goal against Sweden during their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal in Auckland on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 16, 2023

'Work of art' sends Spain into first Women's World Cup final

Spain's place in Sunday's final in Sydney is a remarkable journey for a nation that had never previously gone beyond the last 16 at a Women's World Cup.
Members of rescue teams from the Egyptian army carry a body as they walk through mud between buildings destroyed by flooding in Derna, Libya, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 14, 2023

Libyan flood survivor recounts horror in Derna after dams burst

'We walked out barefoot and saw our friends and neighbors dying around us,' said Ruba Hatem Yassine. 'And we couldn’t do anything.'
Hou Yu-ih, Taiwan presidential candidate and mayor of New Taipei City, speaks during a news conference in New York on Sept. 16. The Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, picked Hou Yu-ih, a popular local leader with little foreign policy experience, as its candidate for next year's presidential election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Taiwan’s former top cop wants China talks if voted president

"I have participated in countless gun battles and I always stood on the front line.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a news conference after addressing the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

Russia accuses West of 'de facto' fighting in Ukraine

This came after Kyiv said that Russian navy commanders had been killed or wounded in a missile attack on Moscow's Black Sea Fleet headquarters.
Namibia's players acknowledge the crowd after their 96-0 defeat to France at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Marseille, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 26, 2023

Uruguay and Namibia braced for their Rugby World Cup 'final'

The two sides have met five times before with Uruguay winning four of those, including a World Cup warmup in August.
Japan's Kotaro Matsushima attempts to avoid being tackled by Samoa's Ed Fidow during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 29, 2023

Japan keeps quarterfinal hopes alive with win over Samoa at World Cup

Japan will now face Argentina in Nantes on Oct. 8 with the winner likely moving on to the last eight.
A rocket is fired from Gaza toward Israel on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2023

How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault

While Israel was led to believe it was containing war-weary forces, Hamas fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight.
Former firefighter Yoshifumi Usui now guides tourists in search of active pursuits in and around the Aso caldera.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 21, 2023

In volcanic Aso, the land gives much more than it takes

Locals in Aso have a saying: “The land takes away, but it gives us something, too.”
South Africa players huddle ahead of the second half of the team's semifinal game against England in the Rugby World Cup, in Saint-Denis, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 27, 2023

Springboks expect 'grind' against All Blacks in World Cup final

South Africa has never lost a World Cup final, winning the 1995, 2007 and 2019 editions.
Tokyo now boasts five different Quidditch teams, while universities in Osaka and Kyoto also play host to their own clubs.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Nov 4, 2023

'Accio broomstick!' Quidditch is back and open to everyone

From relatively humble beginnings, Quidditch has continued to grow in popularity across Japan.
South Africa's Siya Kolisi in action during the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand on Saturday in Saint-Denis, France
MORE SPORTS
Oct 29, 2023

Siya Kolisi happy to escape 'dark place' for World Cup glory

Despite losing hooker Bongi Mbonambi in only the third minute, the Boks reorganized and battled through for a record fourth title.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Hamas' top leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in June. Both men met again in early November during which the former told the latter that Iran would not intervene directly following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' against Israel faces trial by fire

Iran has built a military alliance over four decades to oppose Israeli and American power in the Middle East.
Mika and Jesse say their landlady prefers a hands-off style of property management, leaving all matters, including maintenence and repairs, to the renting couple.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 18, 2023

Renting akiya: A backdoor into Japan's abandoned homes

“If the choice is between leaving (an akiya) empty or renting it out, please rent it out.”
Sam Altman, then-CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2023

The AI safety debate after OpenAI CEO's ouster

It's important to align technology with human interests as AI systems are more likely to lower than raise existential risks.
A soldier stands near a car destroyed in a strike by Lebanon's Hezbollah movement in Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel near the Lebanon border on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 28, 2023

In Israel's north, troops brace for long standoff with Hezbollah

Until a truce with Hamas went into effect in the Gaza Strip to the south on Friday, the Israel-Lebanon border saw near-daily exchanges of fire.
Snow falls on collapsed buildings in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 7, as the area began to look toward recovery from the massive earthquake that struck on Jan. 1.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jan 17, 2024

'Noto is kind, right down to its soil': A community's long road to recovery

Volunteers are coming together to help each other in the wake of disaster. However, eventually isolated rural villages will need rethinking.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff celebrates after his team's playoff win over the Rams in Detroit on Sunday.
SPORTS
Jan 15, 2024

Lions edge Rams for first playoff win in three decades

The Lions won a playoff game for the first time since beating the Cowboys on Jan. 5, 1992.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji