Search - community

 
 
Rubble left by Israeli air strikes targeting Gaza. The humanitarian crisis there has led U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call for an immediate cease-fire.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2023

The rules-based international order is collapsing in Gaza

After decades of missed opportunities, the war in Gaza is testing regional and global actors' commitment to an international rules-based order.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 15, 2023

Japan women prisoners suffer serious abuse: Human Rights Watch

Handcuffs during pregnancy, separation from newborn babies and insufficient care for elderly inmates are among the abuses suffered, the rights group said.
Mercedes driver George Russell drives during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix Launch Party in November 2022.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 15, 2023

Viva Las Vegas as Formula One bets big on Sin City race

It is all systems go for the launch of an event F1 owners Liberty Media believe can propel the sport into a new money-spinning orbit.
Students engage in group work during a class at Ogawara Elementary School in Ogawara, Miyagi Prefecture, in September.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 20, 2023

Small Miyagi town excels in national test amid education reforms

This year the average percentage of correct answers by Ogawara's sixth graders in the National Achievement Test was one of the highest.
Rassemblement National member of Parliament Marine Le Pen (left), and the president of the far-right party Jordan Bardella (right) march during a demonstration against antisemitism in Paris on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

EU's far right joins rally against antisemitism, unsettling some Jews

The strategy is to normalize the party's image, helping politicians bolster their anti-migration agenda while rebutting suggestions they are racist.
Armando Aroca, environmentalist, former guerrilla and current nursery manager of the Common Community Multi Active Cooperative (COMUCCOM) farm, points to a mural with the image of murdered environmentalist Jorge Santofimio in Puerto Guzman, Colombia, on June 27.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 16, 2023

How the murders of activists hurt Colombian ecological preservation

Conservationists are targeted as their work poses a threat to illegal activities
A residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in the Serhiivka, in Ukraine's Odesa region, in July 2022. Daria Krokva, a doctor, fled Ukraine for Japan in April 2022 after being advised to evacuate by a cousin in Kobe.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2023

Ukrainian doctor aims for national license in Japan

Daria Krokva is working hard on her Japanese proficiency in order to qualify for taking the national examination for medical practitioners.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office representative Hsiao Bi-khim waits to be introduced during the opening ceremony of the first ever Taiwan Expo in Washington on Oct. 12, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

Taiwan presidential frontrunner taps U.S. envoy as running mate

Born in Japan to a Taiwanese father and American mother, Hsiao Bi-khim has been Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S. since 2020.
Milk Talk members Yuqi Shinohara (left), who goes by the moniker Q.i, and Miles Ungar officially started their electro-boogie project in 2019.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 17, 2023

Milk Talk's deliciously funky mix of sweet and sour

The duo turns bottled-up feelings into electro-boogie delights on their debut album.
Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not?
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 16, 2023

Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move.

This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places.
Weapons and equipment that Israel's army says were found at the Shifa hospital complex in the Gaza Strip, as seen in this screen grab from video released by the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Gaza communications down as Israel searches main hospital

Al-Shifa hospital has become a focal point for Israeli operations in northern Gaza since soldiers raided the complex hunting for a Hamas command center.
A fan holds a sign during a game between the A's and Rangers in Oakland, California, on Aug. 7.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 17, 2023

MLB owners give stamp of approval to Athletics' move to Las Vegas

The A's will play their final season at the Oakland Coliseum in 2024 .
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a family photo during an APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions

Their talks signaled initial momentum toward a cautious detente, although the two countries appeared to prioritize an improvement in economic ties.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen drives during a practice session at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 17, 2023

Lewis Hamilton defends Vegas race after Max Verstappen's criticism

Hamilton offered his thoughts about the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Max Verstappen called it "99% show and 1% sporting event."
Indian cricket is struggling against climate change-induced heat and rain and the last thing it needs is oil-rich Saudi Arabia buying into the league.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023

The last thing cricket needs is Saudi money

Indian cricket is struggling against climate change-induced heat and rain. A partnership with oil-rich Saudi Arabia would lead to a certain defeat.
The risk of unsecure nuclear weapons or a vengeful leader such as Vladimir Putin going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but the world must prepare for the worst-case scenario. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023

Preparing for a Russian nuclear meltdown

The risk of “loose nukes” or a vengeful leader going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but the chances are not zero.
A woman sits where her apartment once stood in Lahaina, Hawaii, after the city was devastated by a wildfire, on Aug. 11.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 17, 2023

Nowhere is safe from worsening climate change, new U.S. report warns

The report comes at a time of record-shattering heat, with recent months ranking as the hottest on record across the world.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives for the leaders and spouses dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2023

Philippines' Marcos meets China's Xi amid South China Sea tensions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, seeking ways to come up with mechanisms to lower tensions.
Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, arrives for a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum for all U.S. senators hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol in Washington in September.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 18, 2023

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's ouster followed debate with board

The CEO's firing came after disagreements with his board — in particular Ilya Sutskever, an OpenAI co-founder and the company’s chief scientist.
Smoke rises from Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war on Saturday.
WORLD
Nov 18, 2023

Forever war? Israel risks a long, bloody insurgency in Gaza

None of the ideas floated so far by Israel, the United States and Arab nations for the postwar administration of Gaza have managed to gain traction.
A worker uses a vacuum cleaner inside a bullet train at Suseo Station in Seoul on Nov. 13. South Korea is launching a four-week campaign against bedbugs after multiple reports of infestations sparked widespread public anxiety.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2023

Bedbug anxiety comes for Asia, and the pest killers are here for it

Outbreaks in France and South Korea have people across Asia on high alert for bedbugs. Exterminators in the region say business is booming.
An Apple Store in Shanghai in September
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 19, 2023

Asian regulators turn focus to Big Tech

Across the region, there are indications that Big Tech may soon have to comply with standards that could become international benchmarks.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to face further headwinds at home, despite efforts to highlight his diplomatic achievements.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2023

Kishida focuses on diplomacy amid poor public support rates

Showing off his contribution to the discussions at the APEC summit, the prime minister expressed his eagerness to continue with diplomacy. 
An Israeli soldier gestures from a tank, near a border area with Gaza, in southern Israel, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 19, 2023

Is Israel’s military strategy to eradicate Hamas working?

Israel is making progress in ground control of Gaza, but it has not vanquished Hamas or freed most of the hostages as global condemnation grows.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter dance at a White House Congressional Ball in Washington, on Dec. 13, 1978.
WORLD
Nov 20, 2023

Former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96

Seen as unassuming and quiet before coming to Washington in 1977, Carter developed into an eloquent speaker, campaigner and activist.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Listed firms in Japan work on fostering female managers

An increasing number of publicly traded Japanese companies are actively fostering female managers to assume leadership roles in the future.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Nov 20, 2023

Japan's back-to-back wage bonanza would open door for BOJ exit

The news comes as the government pushes companies to hike pay to help offset rising living costs.
Kyle Vogt speaks on stage at the launch of the Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle in San Francisco in January 2020.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 20, 2023

CEO of GM's Cruise robo taxi unit resigns amid U.S. safety review

His resignation follows weeks of turmoil at the unit, which is undergoing a safety review after one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian.
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.
Newly arrived Rohingya refugees are stranded on a boat after the nearby community decided not to allow them to land in Aceh province, Indonesia, on Nov. 16.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2023

After hellish boat journeys, Rohingya refugees unwelcome in Indonesia

For those able to land in Aceh province, their status there is far from assured, and locals say they could still force the newcomers back to sea.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years