Search - about-us

 
 
An International Criminal Court prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has created a diplomatic quandary for some of Israel's key allies.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 22, 2024

Israel's allies grapple with bid for ICC warrant against Netanyahu

The move has some of the ICC's vocal backers questioning the extent of their loyalty.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te is sworn into office during the inauguration ceremony in Taipei on Monday. The global community should stand firm in their support for Taiwan and not be intimidated by China's aggressive tactics.
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2024

Taiwan and its new president deserve our support

Taiwan is not an independent country, but neither is it a “renegade province” as the Chinese leadership insists.
Simon Cheng, a pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong now living in Britain, at the offices of an organization he founded to aid new Hong Kong arrivals, in London on May 20. Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers have resettled in the United Kingdom since 2021, including prominent pro-democracy activists — and China has not forgotten them.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2024

Spying arrests send chill through Britain’s thriving Hong Kong community

The arrests have cast a spotlight on activists’ concerns about China's surveillance of its critics abroad.
Seiji Adachi, member of the policy board at the Bank of Japan
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2024

BOJ policymaker hints of rate hike if yen fall has big impact on inflation

While short-term currency moves alone would not trigger a policy shift, the central bank could raise interest rates if excessive yen falls persist.
Onosato receives the Emperor's Cup from Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Sunday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
May 29, 2024

Onosato's path to sumo greatness was plain for all to see

Sumo’s latest top division champion tore through the collegiate and amateur circuits at an almost unprecedented clip.
A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 30, 2024

In unusual move, North Korea fires off barrage of at least 10 ballistic missiles

While the North has in the past launched multiple missiles in a single volley, the sheer number fired Thursday pointed to training for so-called saturation strikes.
Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has seen threat actors rely on artificial intelligence to produce fake images, videos and text to try influencing users on its sites.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 30, 2024

Meta removes AI-generated influence campaigns from China and Israel

Social media companies such as Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X have struggled with the influx of fake and misleading AI-generated content on their sites.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left) shakes hands with Chinese defense chief Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024

Japan defense chief tells China counterpart of 'serious' military concerns

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara met Chinese defense chief Dong Jun on the sidelines of a major Asian security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda apologizes during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024

Japan's auto-testing scandal deepens, resulting in some shipment halts

Toyota and four other Japanese automakers have admitted to falsifying testing data and performing tests under inappropriate conditions, among other infractions.
Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2024

Alphabet taps Eli Lilly executive as new CFO replacing Porat

Anat Ashkenazi will replace Ruth Porat who announced last year she planned to step down.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin,” once the victim of high waves that dragged it into the sea, sits at the end of a pier on the south side of Naoshima.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 6, 2024

The sweaty pleasure of Japan’s inconvenient art

This week, writer Thu-Huong Ha is our tour guide into the world of Japan’s inconvenient art movement.
A draft of a letter from bacteriologist Shibasaburo Kitasato to educator Inazo Nitobe
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2024

Draft letter of famed bacteriologist Kitasato to be made public

Shibasaburo Kitasato established a serum therapy for tetanus and will be the face of Japan's new ¥1,000 bill.
Australian-born Connor O'Leary will represent Japan in the surfing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Surfing
Jun 11, 2024

At Paris Games, Connor O’Leary aims to win and inspire

The waves in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, may bode well for the goofy-footed surfer.
A display of unmanned systems during a presentation of drone military hardware of the Unmanned Systems Force of the Ukraine Armed Forces in Kyiv on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

G7 to announce ‘new steps’ on frozen Russian assets, U.S. says

The development indicates that leaders have all but agreed on a political deal to announce a loan of roughly $50 billion.
A deminer clears mines in a field outside the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine on June 4. According to the Ukraine Ministry of the Interior almost a quarter of Ukrainian territory is contaminated by mines.
WORLD
Jun 12, 2024

Women deminers step in to clear up Ukrainian land

Almost a quarter of Ukrainian territory is contaminated by mines, according to the Ukraine Ministry of the Interior.
Researchers are still years away from understanding the actual impact of AI on addressing human diseases. But given the speed with which the technology is evolving, its increasingly looking like the impact could be vast.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2024

Inventing medicines is one of the most exciting uses of AI

AlphaFold has advanced significantly since its earlier version, offering static images of protein interactions.
Toshiba Vice President Koji Ikeya says the company will aim to boost profitability by investing about ¥50 billion in fiscal 2026.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2024

Toshiba to double investments in power and defense business

The Japanese electronics and machinery maker will aim to boost profitability by investing about ¥50 billion in fiscal 2026.
However non-Japanese fathers in Japan manage the vagaries of life abroad, many share a preference for forging ahead for the benefit of their children.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 14, 2024

There’s no one-size-fits-all fatherhood for foreign-born dads in Japan

From Hokkaido to Okinawa, fathers in Japan talk getting married, raising kids and taking life as it comes.
Ukrainian fans attend a training session for the national team ahead of the start of Euro 2024, on Thursday in Wiesbaden, Germany.
SOCCER
Jun 14, 2024

Ukrainians in Germany rally to support team at Euros

More than 1,000 Ukrainians came out to cheer on the team at a public training session in the western city of Wiesbaden on Thursday ahead of the start of the tournament.
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has a complicated history with the Celtics.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 17, 2024

Mavericks star Kyrie Irving focused on Game 5 as NBA Finals head back to Boston

Irving is cognizant of his complicated personal history with the Celtics.
Michael Taylor, former U.S. Green Beret and architect of the 2019 Carlos Ghosn escape plot, said that other inmates deported from Fuchu Prison to a detention center in Los Angeles were so traumatized that they ended up with psychological problems.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 18, 2024

Man who sprung Ghosn challenges depiction of Fuchu Prison

Michael Taylor, who served part of his sentence at the facility, said he felt the depiction had missed key elements of the "Fuchu experience."
Young Kenyan students look at a computer monitor in Nairobi on Oct. 31, 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 19, 2024

From Swahili to Zulu, African techies develop AI language tools

Technology experts warn the lack of AI tools in African languages will lead to millions of people on the continent being excluded.
Emperor Naruhito speaks during a news conference at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday, ahead of his visit to Britain from Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2024

Emperor recalls time with British royals ahead of visit to U.K.

"I have very fond memories of the Queen driving a car and inviting me to a barbecue," Emperor Naruhito said.
While MyDearest's games are understably digital, employees also joke that sometimes they known coworkers only by their avatars used during meetings.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jun 21, 2024

Action drives VR, but Japan prizes anonymity and plot

A far cry from origins as a tech novelty, Japan's virtual reality industry is currently valued at $3.9 billion (about ¥615 billion).
France's Antoine Griezmann fires toward the Dutch goal during the two teams' group stage match on Friday.
SOCCER
Jun 22, 2024

Mbappe-less France draw with Dutch at Euro 2024 as Ukraine wins

Mbappe watched from the bench after breaking his nose in France's opening game of the tournament.
Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (center) celebrates his goal during Edmonton's Game 6 win on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Jun 22, 2024

Oilers roll past Panthers to force improbable Game 7

Thanks to their 5-1 victory at home over the Florida Panthers on Friday, the Oilers have their chance to claim Edmonton's first championship since 1990.
Albania's players greet their fans after a UEFA Euro 2024 Group B soccer match between Albania and Spain in Duesseldorf on Monday.
SOCCER
Jun 25, 2024

Albania proud of battling with great teams despite Euros exit

"My players left everything on the pitch and they will remember this for the rest of their lives," said Albania's coach Sylvinho.
News of a North Korean missile launch is shown at a the main rail station in Seoul on May 30.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 25, 2024

State-run think tank makes rare call for Seoul to consider own nukes

While discussions have grown about Seoul deploying or building it own nuclear weapons, it is extremely unusual for a state-run body to broach the issue.
Officials recover the landing module of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe after it landed in Inner Mongolia, in northern China, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2024

China probe first to return to Earth with samples from moon's far side

The Chang'e-6 lunar probe landed on Tuesday in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.
Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya celebrates after winning gold in the women's Olympic marathon in Sapporo in August 2021.
OLYMPICS
Jun 26, 2024

At Paris Olympics, women athletes finally reach parity

When the event was revived by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, he saw it as a celebration of gentlemanly athleticism "with female applause as its reward."

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