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South Africa's Siya Kolisi takes selfies with fans after a practice session in Corsica on Aug. 29.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 1, 2023

Springbok icon Siya Kolisi defies odds to return in time for World Cup

Siya Kolisi rose from a hungry and impoverished childhood to become 'an international rugby icon.'
India's ambitious space program blasted off Saturday on a four-month voyage to the center of the solar system, a week after the country's successful unmanned moon landing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2023

After moon landing, India launches rocket to study the sun

A week after a historic moon landing, India aims to expand its space presence with a solar probe that will study solar winds and their earthly impact.
Argentina's forward Lionel Messi celebrates after the Qatar 2022 World Cup final match against France in Lusail, Qatar, on Dec. 18.
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 6, 2023

Messi back as 2026 World Cup qualifiers kick off

Nine months ago, Messi crowned his glittering career by leading Argentina to a World Cup crown in Qatar.
Mohamed Sebbagh, 66, stands in front of his destroyed house on Sunday, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Amizmiz, Morocco.
WORLD / Society
Sep 11, 2023

Morocco survivors seek aid as earthquake toll passes 2,100

Relief workers face the challenge of reaching hard-hit villages in the High Atlas, where settlements are often remote and where many houses crumbled.
Shuhei Abe, founder of Sparx Group, is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2023

Buffett spurs Japan activist pioneer to seek $2 billion for fund

Shuhei Abe is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in South Africa on Aug. 23
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2023

What does Xi really mean? Chinese diplomacy’s true intentions

Decoding the true meaning behind Xi Jinping's words, and his silences, reveals an increasingly isolated China.
Monkey D. Luffy (Inaki Godoy), a young wannabe pirate who leads a crew of misfits driven by personal missions, is defined by his ability to stretch his body, making him elastic and indestructible in every way.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 16, 2023

‘One Piece’: Netflix tries to translate the anime magic (again)

Based on a remarkably endurable manga and anime franchise, the live-action series may satisfy fans, but most of the personality of the original is gone.
Soldiers hold flags as they speak in front of destroyed buildings in Klishchiivka, Ukraine, in a screen grab taken from a social media video released on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Ukraine recaptures eastern village near Bakhmut

Recent gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June.
Couples prepare to have their photo taken during a wedding photography shoot on a in Shanghai on Sept. 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2023

Fewer 'I dos' ruin the party for China's $500 billion wedding industry

The trend is worrying officials trying to revive marriage rates and birth rates, which dropped to record lows last year.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen (right) and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda take part in a fan event in Tokyo on Wednesday, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, at the weekend.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 21, 2023

Red Bull's march to the title in focus as F1 arrives in Japan

The team will be looking to secure a second straight constructors' championship on the home turf of its engine supplier, Honda.
Sogo & Seibu’s flagship store in Ikebukuro is closed due to a strike on Aug. 31. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2023

As goes the Sogo department store, so goes Japan

The number of department stores located outside Japan's 10 biggest cities has dropped by 30% in the past decade.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answers questions during a news conference in New York on Thursday as relations between Ottawa and New Delhi deteriorate.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

After China, India crisis tests 'naive' Canadian diplomacy

Experts say a growing number of autocracies are exerting influence on Canadian soil.
Freshness and seasonality, along with the chef's ability to highlight both, feature heavily in Japanese fine dining.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 24, 2023

Does Japan's fine dining philosophy stand alone?

While Japanese fine dining is not as categorically defined as French gastronomie, a culture of refined dining has long existed in the country.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval ratings stood at 59%, according to a recent poll, up from 37% when elected last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2023

South Korea's Yoon lambasts critics, calling them ‘communists’

The remarks may rally his conservative base and distract from unease about some of his policies, but it risks fueling division and alienating some voters.
The Capcom booth at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba last week
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2023

Capcom sets sights on India's growing game market

Capcom targets selling more than 100 million copies of games a year.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo meet Saturday, on the sidelines of the Asian Games.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 25, 2023

South Korea seeks Xi’s visit to mark ‘turning point’ in ties

Seoul is seeking to have Chinese leader Xi Jinping visit for the first time in about a decade, amid South Korea's closer ties with the U.S.
Finnish Army conscripts with the 2nd Military Police Company during a training exercise in a suburb of Helsinki on Sept. 6. After decades of going it alone in security issues, Finns are finding that life in a large alliance is complex, expensive and deeply political.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 26, 2023

Finland raced to join NATO. What happens next is complicated.

The country must integrate itself into the alliance and its requirement of collective defense — with all of its financial, legal and strategic hurdles.
Philippine fishermen catch fish as the sun rises near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sept. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2023

Tensions with China cross a new line in the South China Sea

The Philippines is pushing back against China’s territorial claims. But Beijing's response has raised fears about an escalation in their ongoing row.
Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, speaks during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023

Sony gaming chief Jim Ryan to retire in March

Ryan became CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019 and oversaw initiatives including the launch of the PlayStation 5.
Rickshaw pullers in Tokyo walk or run an average of 20 kilometers a day and, in addition to being physically strong, they must have extensive knowledge of the city.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2023

Social media inspires Japanese women to dash into rickshaw work

Rickshaw pullers must have extensive knowledge of Tokyo and know how to engage the tourists who mostly hire them for sightseeing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Ramos-Horta during a meeting in Dili, East Timor, in June 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 29, 2023

Timor president says China military cooperation 'never discussed'

China's increased efforts to form security ties with developing countries in close proximity to Australia have raised alarm bells in Canberra.
Yvie Oddly poses in front of Eagle Tokyo Blue, a Ni-chome bar instrumental in organizing many events around the Japan visits of "RuPaul's Drag Race" stars.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 2, 2023

A 'Drag Race' tour brings inspiration and profits

When the competitors of "RuPaul's Drag Race" come through Tokyo, the local scene gets a major boost.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev prior to a meeting in Brussels on May 14
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2023

In taking Karabakh, Azerbaijan's president avenged his father

A confluence of factors had convinced Ilham Aliyev, 61, that the time was right to do something his father couldn't.
Smer-SSD party leader Robert Fico (center) celebrates his victory in general elections alongside party members, in Bratislava on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2023

Slovak populists opposed to Ukraine aid win election

Analysts predict a Robert Fico government could radically change Slovakia's foreign policy to resemble that of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
North Korea's Kim Il Gyong competes in the women's weightlifting 59-kg division at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Monday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 3, 2023

North Korean weightlifters continue Asian Games domination

The performances of the North Koreans on Monday, which included another world record and two golds, shocked some of their competitors in Hangzhou.
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 4, 2023

Ventforet secures historic ACL win over Buriram United

The Yamanashi Prefecture side remains undefeated in a Group H also featuring China’s Zhejiang FC and Australia's Melbourne City.
Sake master Daisuke Suzuki (right) and a staff member sort rice at his brewery in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on Sept. 1.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2023

Fukushima sake brewer warms shattered fishing community

A local sake maker has returned to Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, years after disaster wiped out its brewery there.
Ayatana's hand-pounded curry paste is just one example of what chef Bo Songvisava calls her revival of traditional Thai cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2023

Ayatana elevates Thai comfort food to gourmet cuisine

Japan has no shortage of Thai food, but this new Kyoto restaurant aims to transcend its reputation of a casual bite.
Over four days in September, Japan Soca Weekend brought together the Tokyo area's Caribbean community for dance parties, outdoor blowouts and a crowning Carnival festival on a racetrack in Chiba.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Oct 10, 2023

‘Peak happiness’ at the first Japan Caribbean Carnival

For Japan’s Caribbean community, Carnival provides a deep sense of community and offers a cure for homesickness.
Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher celebrates his team's win over Scotland in their 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B finale at the State de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 8, 2023

Ireland thrashes Scotland as England avoids Rugby World Cup stumble

England survived a Samoan scare by a point, while Wales beat Georgia to top Pool C.

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