Search - special

 
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

Zelenskyy under pressure as Ukraine's allies shift priorities

Allies are pushing the Ukrainian leader to turn his attention to what kind of country will emerge from the war, even as Kyiv struggles for a breakthrough.
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.
John Williams (right) and Seiji Ozawa (center) have been friends for decades. Their long-awaited reunion in Japan comes courtesy of a musical collaboration between Williams and the Saito Kinen Orchestra for the 31st edition of Ozawa’s annual music festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2023

Music legends John Williams and Seiji Ozawa reunite at Matsumoto festival

The American composer and conductor led a special program featuring his famous film scores at his long-time friend's annual event in Nagano Prefecture.
Protesters on Thursday held a rally in the Armenian capital Yerevan urging the government to intervene in the Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijani forces entered the enclave earlier this week.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2023

Azerbaijan may have won the war, but a bigger test begins

The strength of a cease-fire and peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh will be tested by Azerbaijan's commitment to a true, long-term transition.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in 2020
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2023

Human success means evolving with AI, not shunning it

Most future jobs will be hybrid, powered by human and artificial intelligence. The challenge lies in striking the right balance.
U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong in Hanoi on Sept. 11.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

Biden aides in talks with Vietnam for arms deal that could irk China

Such a deal could consummate the newly upgraded partnership between Washington and Hanoi as tensions boil in the South China Sea.
Paternity leave has not taken root in Japan due to concerns over decreases in income and disruptions to the work side of life.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Japan local governments working to encourage paternity leave

From Saga to Yamanashi, local officials are trying a variety of policies to give their male employees a chance to better participate in family life.
Women with portable electric fans in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo on Sept. 12. In Japan, Cool Biz became especially popular with women, who tended to wear lighter clothes and often complained about the cold temperatures needed to make business suits comfortable for their male colleagues.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Where did all the dark-suited Japanese businessmen go?

Under Cool Biz, salarymen and government workers don short-sleeved shirts in the summer as offices are kept above 28 degrees Celsius to save energy.
Since the arrival of ChatGPT and other bots, fears over the potential for abuses and unintended consequences have gripped the public conscious.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2023

Worried about rogue chatbots? Hire a hacker.

It’s the good hackers being dangerous that allows us to find out what are the risks to artificial intelligence.
Fans shoot Friday's second practice session at Suzuka Circuit.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 25, 2023

Amateur race photographers thrive at Suzuka Circuit

The famed Japanese speedway's "cameraman seats" were launched 10 years ago as a way to accommodate both hobbyist shooters and regular race fans.
Zaein, created by artificial intelligence company Pulse9, is one of South Korea's most active virtual humans.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 26, 2023

In South Korea, AI-driven virtual humans go mainstream

Digital humans have been created for some of the country's largest conglomerates, with research indicating the tech could be worth $527 billion by 2030.
A Philippine Coast Guard member cuts a rope connecting a floating barrier that was installed near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, in this undated photo released late Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 26, 2023

Philippines removes floating barrier in South China Sea

Manila said Tuesday said it had conducted “a special operation” to remove a 300-meter floating barrier installed by China.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2023

Macron is pushing the EU into $900 billion fight with China

The bloc's new approach is being shaped by French concerns that Beijing’s trade practices have started to pose a critical threat to core industries.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2023

Talks on imperial succession stall under Kishida administration

The prime minister has said that ensuring stable imperial succession is "an issue that cannot be put off," but no concrete steps have been taken.
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.
China's COSCO Shipping Ports is the world’s largest shipping company and port terminal operator.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2023

China’s port investments and risks to national security

The gray area between domestic and foreign jurisdictions and private and state-owned enterprises should be cause for concern.
The Palais de Rumine, one of the former buildings of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland where famed-Italian sociologist, economist, political scientist and philosopher Vilfredo Pareto taught and penned many of his major works.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

Italian intellectual Vilfredo Pareto and the roots of politics

The great Italian public intellectual Vilfredo Pareto saw free trade as beneficial to all and military spending as detrimental to many.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 22
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Solomons leader says he spurned U.S. summit 'lecture'

The pro-China prime minister severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2019, unlocking large sums of Beijing aid and investment.
Anton Korynevych (left), permanent representative of the Ukrainian President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Oksana Zolotaryova, director of the International Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, speak to the press at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Ukraine conducts 'lawfare' to hold Putin to account

Over the past two weeks, judges in The Hague have heard lawyers for the two warring nations argue over details of the Genocide Convention.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leaves a meeting in Jakarta on Sept. 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Marcos' challenge of China pressures U.S.

There are questions about how far Manila is willing to go and whether the U.S. would really have its back if the situation escalates.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attends the launching ceremony of Hai Kun, the island's first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2023

How Taiwan's new subs could complicate a Chinese invasion

The way in which Taipei deploys what is set to be a fleet of eight new attack submarines will be crucial in its efforts to deter or counter Beijing.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has overseen foreign policy successes during his two years in power, including on the nation's approach to development aid and climate change.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2023

Kishida's mixed bag of successes and shortcomings

Kishida has also been adept in terms of diplomacy in at least four areas: the war in Ukraine, the Taiwan issue, development aid and South Korea relations.
Jessica Gerrity says kyūdō is for everyone. It's just a matter of finding a dojo that fits you best.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 30, 2023

‘Archery gives me a chance to decompress from a busy life’

Gerrity is trained in several forms of traditional Japanese martial arts and works to promote Japanese culture as a tourism ambassador.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington in December 2014.
WORLD
Sep 29, 2023

Long-serving U.S. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at 90

Feinstein was a Washington trail-blazer who among other accomplishments became the first woman to head the influential Senate Intelligence Committee.
A Ukrainian drone pilot, call sign Darwin, operating a first-person-view, or FPV, drone on a test flight near Kupiansk, Ukraine, on Aug. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2023

Ukraine’s war of drones runs into an obstacle: China

Ukraine's latest fight is one over global electronics supply chains that run through China.
A Palm Sunday procession makes its way toward a government-sanctioned Catholic church in Youtong village in China's Hebei province
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2023

The Holy See shows how to deal with China

In China, the relationship between politics and religion is unique, and the Holy See has adopted a sophisticated approach to diplomacy with Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with servicemen taking part in Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Kremlin in Moscow on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 3, 2023

Russia allots a third of 2024 spending to defense amid Ukraine war

Russia also plans to ramp up state borrowing to help fund its invasion and is counting on a recovery in oil and gas revenues to pre-invasion levels.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2023

Debate begins on funds to tackle Japan's low birthrate

The prime minister has instructed relevant ministers to draw up a road map for securing necessary funds by reducing social security spending.
Central to China’s global media campaign is the aggressive use of new technologies to target and spread messages, silence critics and create a digital infrastructure that is more easily controlled.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2023

Pushing back against China’s media offensive

China is using propaganda, disinformation, censorship and covert tactics to promote its preferred narrative and suppress critical reporting.
People walk past the Taiwanese flag in Taipei. Ahead of elections, Taiwan routinely flags the risk of interference from Beijing, saying that China seeks to sway the outcome to benefit candidates who may be more favorable toward the country.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 4, 2023

Beijing has 'diverse' ways of interfering in votes, Taipei warns

Military pressure, economic coercion or fake news could create a false choice between "war or peace" in the election, frightening voters.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan