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Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left) and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (second from left) pose for a photo with Indian defense chief Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2024

Japan and India to update key document on security cooperation

Tokyo is also looking to provide New Delhi with advanced naval antennas and exploring the possibility of repairing Japanese warships in India.
A recruiter holding a placard advertising jobs talks to young men at an unofficial job market in the suburbs of Beijing.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Aug 21, 2024

China's rising youth unemployment breeds new working class

Millions of graduates are being pushed into a tough bargain, with some forced to accept low-paying work or even subsist on their parents' pensions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, look at weapons said to have been captured during Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, as they visit the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Aug 21, 2024

Ukraine's drone attack on Moscow 'one of largest ever,' mayor says

Russian air defense units destroyed at least 11 drones flying toward the capital, as well as 34 over the border Bryansk region and others, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov in Moscow on July 30.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

In rare interview, key Putin ally says West risks global war over Ukraine

The head of the Rostec arms maker slams U.S. over moves to "provoke" the Ukraine conflict by allowing Kyiv to attack Russian territory.
The integration of large language models into war-game simulations and planning promises faster scenario analysis, but recent research highlights significant issues, including a risk of escalation.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2024

Resist the seductive power of AI in military decision-making

The maturation of AI and the creation of large learning models have driven the war-gaming industry — and it is an industry — to new heights of fever and frenzy.
Existential risks like bioterrorism or climate change, created by humans, are not being treated by governments with anything like the seriousness or urgency they deserve.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2024

Will we survive the next 100 years?

Existential risks like bioterrorism or climate change, created by humans, are not being treated by governments with anything like the seriousness or urgency they deserve.
A Ukrainian Humvee passes through the destroyed Russian border post at the Sudzha border crossing with Ukraine, on Aug. 12.
WORLD
Aug 22, 2024

Ukraine attacks Moscow in one of largest ever drone strikes on Russian capital

For months, Ukraine has fought an increasingly damaging drone war against the refineries and airfields of Russia.
Revised guidelines on municipal governments' postpartum care programs will likely include care for women who temporarily stay at their parents' homes to give birth.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Japan to revise guidelines for local government postpartum care

The upcoming revision comes as some local governments face difficulties implementing postpartum care projects by themselves.
Venezuelan opposition supporters participate in a global protest against Venezuela's disputed presidential election, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug 17.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

Venezuela at a crossroads: Democracy or dictatorship?

The government of strongman Nicolas Maduro is doubling down on his disputed reelection victory while the opposition vows to resist "to the end."
An influencer uses a phone at the United Center, ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), in Chicago on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

At DNC, influencers battle journalists for space and access

The Democratic National Convention has credentialed more than 200 "content creators" to cover the four-day event.
Shoppers outside a Sephora store in Vancouver on Aug. 15
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2024

LVMH’s Sephora cuts around 10% of staff in China as its woes deepen

While Sephora has expanded to some 300 stores since entering China in 2005, the country is increasingly difficult for higher-end retailers to navigate.
A Rapidus factory construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, on July 24. The plan to ramp up renewable energy usage in the region to 60% by 2030 is part of a larger concept known as “Hokkaido Valley.”
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Aug 26, 2024

Hokkaido more plugged in to renewable energy than rest of Japan

The local government aims to raise its share of renewable energy to 60% from the current 40%, but Hokkaido's grid needs to be upgraded first.
Ebenezer Agyarko tends to his cocoa plantation in Kwabeng, north of Accra, the capital of Ghana.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 22, 2024

Chocolate prices unlikely to decline even as African cocoa harvest improves

Issues that have long hobbled the industry remain, meaning bean prices aren’t likely to fall back to previous levels.
Torrential rain in Tokyo on Wednesday night
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 22, 2024

Tokyo under assault by ‘guerrilla rainstorms’

An inflow of warm, humid air from the Pacific Ocean is contributing to the unstable weather conditions this week, the Meteorological Agency says.
Astellas Pharma's headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Japanese citizen indicted on suspicion of espionage, China confirms

Chinese prosecutors have indicted a Japanese citizen on suspicion of espionage, China's foreign ministry said.
Currently, the frequency of medical visits is checked using receipts of medical fees issued by medical institutions and pharmacies to health insurance program operators.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Ministry to identify and support those who make frequent medical visits

The health ministry plans to carry out a model project for swiftly identifying welfare recipients who frequently visit the same medical institutions.
Okayama and Tottori prefectures are some of the least-visited regions in Japan among foreign tourists — which is why they offer such a welcome break from crowd-clogged cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 23, 2024

In Japan’s flyover country, 72 hours of hidden gems

Some of Japan’s least-visited prefectures among foreign tourists host opportunities for peace, quiet and rural beauty.
Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, speaks during a news conference following the suspected first case of the new, more dangerous strain of mpox in Bangkok on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 23, 2024

Thailand confirms Asia’s first case of new mpox virus strain

The patient who tested positive for clade Ib was a European man who arrived in Bangkok last week from Africa.
Canadian National Railway workers picket at the CPKC Toronto yard, after the company and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) locked out employees following unsuccessful negotiation attempts with the Teamsters union, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 23, 2024

Canada moves quickly to end unprecedented rail shutdown

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board will consult the two rail companies and unions before issuing a back-to-work order that should come soon.
Nissin Food Products' instant noodle products that were the subjects of a Fair Trade Commission antitrust warning on Thursday
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

Nissin gets antitrust warning over prices of instant noodles

"We take this warning seriously and will work on improvements to further strengthen our legal compliance system," the firm said.
Dutch driver Max Verstappen has not lost at a home race since Formula One returned to Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2021.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Aug 23, 2024

Max Verstappen wary of rivals ahead of 'very close' Dutch Grand Prix

The Red Bull driver has never lost in front of his home fans since Zandvoort was returned to the F1 circuit in 2021, but says the feeling this weekend is very different.
A boy pushes a biped robot developed by LimX Dynamics at the World Robot Conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 23, 2024

China's robot makers chase Tesla to deliver humanoid workers

The Asian giant's push into the emerging industry draws from the formula behind its initial electric vehicle drive more than a decade ago.
The Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch is hearing a trial involving former university student Issei Nakanishi, 21, who is accused of robbery and the manslaughter of an elderly woman in the city of Komae in western Tokyo in January 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 23, 2024

Ex-student denies manslaughter charge over Tokyo woman's death

Issei Nakanishi, 21, is alleged to have conspired with others to rob the 90-year-old woman in her home in the city of Komae, western Tokyo, in January 2023.
Masanobu Sakamoto (left), head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, meets with industry minister Ken Saito (right) in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 23, 2024

Head of fishery group expresses industry's concern over import bans

Such bans by other countries in response to the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant leave the sector uncertain about its future, he says.
Shohei Ohtani steals second against the Tigers during the eight inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on July 13.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 23, 2024

Shohei Ohtani on doorstep of 40-40 season after embracing art of stealing bases

With 39 stolen bases, Ohtani has obliterated his previous career high for stolen bases (26, in 2021).
A television station broadcasts U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Chair Jerome Powell speaking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 24, 2024

Powell's Fed not shy about election-year cuts and ready to defend job market

The Fed chief sent a strong signal that the central bank will start cutting interest rates in mid-September, roughly seven weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, alongside Fukushima fisheries cooperative chief Tetsu Nozaki (far right), inspects fish caught off Fukushima Prefecture during a visit to Iwaki on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Japan to compile additional measures to support fisheries industry

The additional measures will be put in place to help fishery operators hurt by China's blanket ban on imports of Japanese marine products.
Elisabeth Furaha applies medication on the skin of her child, Sagesse Hakizimana, who is undergoing treatment for mpox, near Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Aug. 19.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 25, 2024

Why mpox vaccines are only just arriving in Africa after two years

The slow arrival of the shots — available in many places outside Africa — showed that lessons from COVID-19 about global health care inequity must still be learned.
Lions players celebrate after a win over the Buffaloes on Wednesday at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 25, 2024

A fight over free agency in NPB, with help from an American union

The union representing players in NPB is fighting to secure rights over players' images and give them the opportunity to make the jump to MLB sooner.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a summit seeking peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad, Switzerland, on June 15.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2024

Kamala Harris must correct America's Ukraine policy

The war in Ukraine could be a boon for Harris, but she must correct Biden’s mistakes and provide the additional resources Ukraine needs to defeat Russia.

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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