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Shohei Ohtani walks through the dugout with his dog Decoy before the Dodgers' game against the Orioles at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 29, 2024

Shohei Ohtani signs exclusive trading card deal with Topps

Ohtani has had a nonexclusive relationship with Topps since 2018.
A map of western Japan shows the Nankai Trough and, to its north, the hypocentral region where the energy for an earthquake is thought to be building.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 30, 2024

Did you feel that? It may be time to refresh your disaster kits — and vocabulary.

Part of Japan got a scare when the first-ever megaquake alert was issued earlier this month, a reminder that knowing the right terms in a disaster is crucial.
Zakia Khudadadi celebrates after earning a bronze medal in taekwondo in the K44 47-kg category at the Paris Paralympics on Thursday.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 30, 2024

Zakia Khudadadi becomes first member of refugee team to claim Paralympic medal

Khudadadi, who fled Afghanistan, earned bronze in taekwondo.
Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki celebrates after winning gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
PARALYMPICS / Swimming
Aug 30, 2024

Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki wins Japan's first gold medal at Paris Paralympics

Suzuki, who has 10 medals from the past five Paralympic Games, added a gold to his already impressive medal cabinet.
Hiroshi Sunairi’s documentary “From Okinawa with Love” follows the unwavering Okinawan photographer Mao Ishikawa, who made her name documenting the relationships between Japanese bar girls and African American servicemen.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 30, 2024

‘From Okinawa with Love’: A revealing documentary about a true original

Hiroshi Sunairi takes a fly-on-the-wall approach to explore the life of Mao Ishikawa, who photographed Okinawans and the effects of the U.S. military.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown (left), Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele (second left), Tongan Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku (second right) and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa, announce the Pacific Resilience Facility decision at a meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2024

Pacific bloc scrubs Taiwan from document after China complaint

A new joint declaration by Pacific leaders was reissued Saturday morning after China slammed an earlier version as a "mistake" that "must be corrected."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the 33rd Independence Day ceremony at Saint Sophia Square, in Kyiv on Aug. 24
WORLD / FOCUS
Aug 31, 2024

In war-fatigued east Ukraine, Zelenskyy loses his shine

While the Ukrainian leader initially had close to a 90% approval rate after Russia invaded, his rating now stands at a mere 55%.
Kimi Antonelli (left) speaks with Toto Wolff, Mercedes' team principal, on Friday during a practice session for the Italian Grand Prix.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Aug 31, 2024

18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025

The Italian Antonelli, who has won two races for Prema Racing in Formula Two this year, will join George Russell as Hamilton moves on to Ferrari.
Workers restore a high-voltage line destroyed in a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on Feb. 7.
WORLD
Aug 31, 2024

Ukrainians fear grim winter amid massive attacks on power plants

This week’s air raids on Kyiv and other cities across the country were the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion began 2½ year ago.
Makoto Asai (right) works at his restaurant in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 1, 2024

Reconstruction demand aiding business recovery eight months after Noto quake

There is a long way to go before full-scale postdisaster reconstruction, with many businesses operating for shorter hours or at makeshift facilities.
People at bubble tea chain Mixue Bingcheng in Beijing on Thursday. Bubble tea is wildly popular in China, where people sipping through straws from large plastic cups is a common sight across the country.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 1, 2024

Penny-pinching youth transforming China's bubble tea craze

Bubble tea is wildly popular in China and a common sight on high streets and in shopping malls across the country.
Jannik Sinner hits a shot against Christopher O'Connell during the third round of the U.S. Open in New York on Saturday.
TENNIS
Sep 1, 2024

Jannik Sinner avoids upset bug to advance to fourth round at U.S. Open

Sinner thumped Christopher O'Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
McLaren driver Lando Norris during the Italian Formula One Grand Prix in Monza, Italy, on Sunday
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 2, 2024

McLaren boss says both F1 titles now on and orders may follow

McLaren is only eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings.
Keisuke Yoshida, 42, is accused of killing his wife by poisoning her with methanol at their home in Tokyo’s Ota Ward between Jan. 14 and 15 in 2022.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 2, 2024

Ex-employee of Daiichi Sankyo denies poisoning his wife with methanol

Keisuke Yoshida, formerly a senior researcher at the pharmaceutical firm, said he had never thought of killing his wife.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrives to attend a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Aug. 6. Lammy said the decision to suspend the licenses did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo, but only involved those that could be used in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 3, 2024

U.K. suspends 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel

The suspension is due to the risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, its foreign minister David Lammy says.
A man raises his arms in front of burning wooden pallets on Sunday as protesters block Tel Aviv's Ayalon highway during an antigovernment rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza since October.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 3, 2024

Hostage deaths prompt angry Israelis to push Netanyahu’s red lines

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested to demand a truce with Hamas.
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024

U.S. Steel to remain American-led, Nippon Steel says

The Japanese firm said post-acquisition the majority of U.S. Steel's board of directors and all members of core senior management would be U.S. citizens.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi announces his candidacy for leadership of the party in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2024

In leadership bid, LDP Secretary-General Motegi says no tax hikes

He pledges to tackle Japan’s sluggish economy without increasing the burden on taxpayers and abolish the contentious "funds for political activities."
A young woman visiting a rural backwater from Tokyo (An Ogawa) finds an unlikely playmate in Tatsunari Ota’s “There Is a Stone.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 5, 2024

‘There Is a Stone’ finds beauty in the inconsequential

While very little happens, Tatsunari Ota’s slow-moving debut feature offers stirring moments of simplicity.
Sao Paulo's Neo Quimica Arena on Wednesday, two days before the first NFL game to be staged in Brazil.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 5, 2024

NFL breaks new ground with game in Brazil

For one night only, the land of Pele and "The Beautiful Game" will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football.
A factory operated by metal processing company Iwanuma Seiko, which has been entrusted with work involving the space industry for the first time
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 17, 2024

Small firms in Tohoku showcase technologies in growing space sector

The government plans to boost the space technology market, leading to hopes of a space industry ecosystem in the region.
The 225-issue Nikkei average plunged 4.2% on Wednesday, its sharpest drop since a 12% crash on Aug. 5.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 5, 2024

Japanese stocks seen as volatile and capped as U.S. walks economic tightrope

Japan's stock market is heavily influenced by movements in Wall Street and the exchange rate, which remain uncertain due to the unpredictable U.S. presidential election.
Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a supporters meeting in Tokyo on Aug. 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 5, 2024

Taxes and political reform in focus in upcoming LDP campaign

The candidates’ recipes to put the economy back on track after decades of low growth are varied, with some emphasizing redistribution and others promising no tax hikes.
Held annually in Cologne, Germany, Gamescom is the world's largest gaming convention, meaning it attracts attendees and exhibitors from near and far.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 7, 2024

Traveling to Germany is ‘worth the cost’ for Japan’s indie studios

"Nothing beats seeing players' faces as they play our game in person, and getting to ask them directly about their experience, both positive and negative.”
Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei competes at the world championships in Budapest in August 2023.
OLYMPICS / Athletics
Sep 6, 2024

Outrage and sorrow at death of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei

Cheptegei's murder was the latest horrific act of gender-based violence in the East African country, where activists have warned of a rising femicide epidemic.
Red Square in Moscow. According to U.S. authorities, the Kremlin used an elaborate scheme to use American influencers to spread propaganda.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 6, 2024

Russia used a fake investor to dupe influencers, U.S. says

U.S. authorities have highlighted what they say is an elaborate scheme by the Russian government to spread propaganda.
Japan's household spending rose less than expected in July as consumers remained wary of loosening their purse strings in the face of higher prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2024

Japan’s household spending stays flat in signs of tepid growth

Spending on housing and education jumped from June figures, while outlays on transportation and food declined.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The BOJ was seen as having contributed to the global market meltdown in early August after its 0.25% hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2024

BOJ’s hiking pace may be faster than expected, ex-official says

While almost no economists expect the BOJ to adjust its benchmark rate on Sept. 20, many BOJ watchers expect another rate hike by January.
Shuzo Fukushi, who heads Rice Meister Kojimachi in Tokyo, shows a bag of Calrose mixed with domestic rice at his store on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 6, 2024

Demand for Calrose rice rises amid Japanese rice shortage

The California rice is a medium-grain variety cheaper than the Japanese short-grain cultivar, but with a similar taste.
U.s. President Joe Biden speaks to members of the U.A. Local 190 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 7, 2024

Biden aides working on proposal for U.S. sovereign wealth fund

The fund would allow the U.S. to invest in national security interests including technology, energy, and critical links in the supply chain.

Longform

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