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The wife of an author turns into a forest after a fight with her husband and growing tired of serving as the idealized and sexualized subject of his novels in Maru Ayase's "The Forest Brims Over."
CULTURE / Books
Aug 12, 2023

Maru Ayase takes a hard look at Japanese misogyny in 'The Forest Brims Over'

Translated by Haydn Trowell, author Maru Ayase takes the reader into a surreal world to deal with a problematic issue.
Chinese national flags fly over Tiananmen Square along with other red flags ahead of the fifth plenary session of the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 12.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 16, 2023

China is hiding more and more data from the rest of the world

China’s abrupt decision to pause releasing data on its soaring youth jobless rate this week was the latest sign the Asian giant is increasingly restricting sensitive information - especially when it’s unflattering to the nation’s faltering economy.
Afghan women during a protest against Taliban restrictions on women's freedom in Kabul in 2021
WORLD
Aug 14, 2023

Afghan women take protests online as Taliban crush dissent

Organizing through social media and messaging apps, women have posted pictures and videos of the protests, drawing attention to the worsening crisis.
England's Alessia Russo celebrates after scoring her team's third goal against Australia during the Women's World Cup semifinals in Sydney on Wednesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 17, 2023

England beats Australia to reach first Women's World Cup final

Sam Kerr's wondrous second-half strike was not enough to lift co-host Australia into the Women's World Cup final.
South Africa's Siya Kolisi is set to make his return on Saturday against Wales.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 17, 2023

Springboks elated to have captain Siya Kolisi back ahead of World Cup

Kolisi suffered a serious knee injury in April that cast doubt over his availability for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Australia captain Sam Kerr vowed that her team would be ready to face Sweden in the third-place match at the Women's World Cup on Saturday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 17, 2023

Australia faces quick turnaround ahead of third-place match

"We have to pick ourselves up and go again," Australia captain Sam Kerr said. "And we're going to do everything to win third place."
If you've come to the realization that divorce is the only way forward, there are a host of details about the Japanese marriage system to confirm before you're finally ready to cut ties.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Aug 21, 2023

Navigating the notorious gauntlet of divorce in Japan

Everyone wishes for “happily ever after” no matter where you’re from, but Japan recorded 1,671 bicultural divorces in 2021.
Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay (left) runs past fallen Dutch runner Sifan Hassan (second from left) to win the women's 10,000-meter final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Aug 20, 2023

Gudaf Tsegay wins 10,000-meter gold after Sifan Hassan stumbles

World record holder Letesenbet Gidey was second in 31:28.16, while Ejgayehu Taye won the bronze with 31:28.31.
North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket is launched in Cholsan County, North Korea, on May 31 in this image taken from video.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2023

North Korea to launch satellite between Thursday and Aug. 31

Japan has indefinitely extended an order issued to destroy any North Korean ballistic missile, rocket or debris that threatens the country's territory.
France's scrum-half Antoine Dupont warms up ahead of a match between France and Australia near Paris on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 30, 2023

Now or never for favorites France as Rugby World Cup hosts

France might be below Ireland and the Springboks in the world rankings but they have seldom been in such good form before a Rugby World Cup.
Japan center Dylan Riley (left) escapes from Italy's center Luca Morisi during a match on Aug. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 31, 2023

Japan ready to shake off COVID-19 legacy at Rugby World Cup

The Brave Blossoms beat Ireland and Scotland to reach the quarterfinals for the first time four years ago, sparking rugby-mania across the nation.
A child stands in front of the Hibiya Music Hall, which collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 31, 2023

The earthquake that turned Tokyo to ash

This week we commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake.
An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 7, 2023

Anger at Fukushima’s wastewater; hope in its renewables

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima.
England flyhalf George Ford kicks a penalty during a 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D match against Argentina in Marseille, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Fantastic George Ford kicks 14-man England to win over Argentina

The flyhalf scored all the points, including a record-equaling three drop goals in a 10-minute first-half blitz that seemed to sap Argentina's spirit.
Viola Todorovic at the place where she was held captive and subjected to torture during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. She was 19 years-old when she was disappeared by the secret police.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2023

Chile political prisoners reclaim torture sites to preserve coup memory

These places have become focal points of shared memory as victims and their families look to gain more control over the past
King Charles III coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

Charles III has been a very dull monarch, thank God

Defying expectations, King Charles III is popular. Losing the fervor or his years as prince and being dependable — even dull — has paid off.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of Johnny & Associates, Noriyuki Higashiyama and Julie Keiko Fujishima, bow at a press conference on Sept. 7.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 14, 2023

Johnny’s talent agency has admitted to a past of abuse. What next?

Karin Kaneko joins the show to update us on how the story is unfolding.
Nobody wishes for a medical emergency, but preparing for one while you're in a foreign country can only make things easier.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2023

How to avoid medical purgatory when hospitalized in Japan

Much like a legal will, a visit to the hospital is the last thing for which you want to prepare — yet doing so will save you stress and worry.
Montse Tome, the new coach of Spain's women's soccer team, speaks at a news conference in Las Rozas, Spain, on Monday.
SOCCER
Sep 19, 2023

Spain's women's players say their boycott remains, deepening crisis

Should they refuse the call-up, the players could face sanctions including fines of up to $32,000 and the suspension of their federation licence.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023

Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
A mosaic image of the asteroid Bennu, composed of 12 PolyCam images collected in December 2018 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 24 kilometers
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 24, 2023

NASA readies for dramatic return of asteroid sample to Earth

Scientists hope the sample will provide a better understanding of the origin of the solar system and how the Earth became habitable.
A Chinese coast guard vessel (rear center) shadows Philippine fishing boats anchored near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Sept. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 27, 2023

China's coast guard pursue Filipino fisherman in disputed waters

Since 2012, China has deployed vessels to block or restrict access to a fishing ground that has been tapped by generations of Filipinos.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan attends the China Development Forum 2023 in Beijing on March 25. At an investor day in June, Sawan outlined plans to slow investment in renewables and low-carbon business as part of a strategy to boost returns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023

Shell CEO faces pressure from within over renewables commitment

Employees have issued a rare open letter to Wael Sawan after he outlined plans to slow investment in renewables in a strategy to boost returns.
Uruguay's Felipe Arcos Perez is tackled during his team's Pool A match against Namibia at the Rugby World Cup in Lyon, France, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 28, 2023

Uruguay accomplishes mission with win over Namibia at Rugby World Cup

The South Americans made the most of Namibia's poor discipline to stage a second-half comeback and prevail 36-26 to avoid finishing last in Pool A.
Members of the Afghan women's volleyball team spin balls for photos after practice in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 28, 2023

Games-displaced Afghan women athletes defy Taliban at Asian Games

There are 17 Afghan women competing at the Asian Games
Jamie Joseph is aiming to bring Japan to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals in a second straight tournament.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 3, 2023

Jamie Joseph's evolution sparked Brave Blossoms' transformation

The Brave Blossoms will qualify for the last eight for the second successive time under Joseph if they beat Argentina in Nantes on Sunday.
Images of French scientist Jean-Michel Claverie and work by his research team from Information Genomique et Structurale at Aix-Marseille University, France
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2023

Probing the permafrost that could release 50,000-year-old viruses

Discoveries by virologist Jean-Michel Claverie shine a light on a little-known risk of global warming as it thaws ground frozen for millenniums
Sher Aqa, left, grieves over the body of his 12-year-old daughter, Roqia, during a funeral in the earthquake-ravaged village of Siaab, in Herat Province, Afghanistan, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Oct 12, 2023

‘The wrath of God’: Afghans mourn unimaginable loss from quake

Wails echoed across what was left of the village when the ambulance arrived. Inside was the body of a 12-year-old girl, Roqia. She had died in a nearby hospital Tuesday morning, days after a devastating earthquake hit this stretch of northwestern Afghanistan and sent her mud-brick home crashing down...
Hiruzen Kougei employee Moeko Hirao, craft brewer “Sugichan” and furry friend Tsubu help out with the tomato harvest at 6:37 a.m.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Oct 16, 2023

The farmer's intern: A month in the Japanese countryside

Escaping the chaos of Tokyo for a month, our writer heads to rural Okayama Prefecture and discovers the delights of natural farming.
Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena hits against the Rangers during Game 3 of the ALCS in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 19, 2023

Cristian Javier shines again as Astros beat Rangers in Game 3

Cristian Javier had another strong postseason performance to help the Astros win Game 3 of the ALCS.

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