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JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Japan's parliament debates relief for Unification Church victims

The two separate bills being discussed are in part aimed at safeguarding and preventing the transfer of the church’s assets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics, shake hands at the end of a news conference in Kyiv on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 25, 2023

Zelenskyy names 'three victories' Ukraine needs on global front

The wins include approval of major aid packages from the U.S. Congress and the European Union, and a formal start of accession talks to join the EU.
Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 27, 2023

Max Verstappen wraps up record-breaking season in style

The three-time world champion came home 17.993 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Akina Shu has visited around 50 countries as a speaker and ambassador on the digital nomad lifestyle since 2020.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2023

Japan is enticing for digital nomads, but visa hurdles remain

While the country does not offer a digital nomad visa, the government is working on introducing one sometime in 2024.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 27, 2023

Nihon University vice president sues chairperson over power harassment

Yasuhiro Sawada has claimed Mariko Hayashi used her superiority to paint him as being solely responsible for the mishandling of a drug scandal.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium with the trophy after winning the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 28, 2023

Room for improvement for Red Bull? Rivals hope not

Red Bull will hope to defend its titles in 2024, when there will be a record 24 races, with an even better car.
Monthly regular pay rose 3.2%, or ¥9,437, on average this year, both record highs since comparative figures began in 1999.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2023

Japanese firms giving record pay raises this year, poll shows

Policymakers have said hiking wages is essential to ending deflation and to achieving and sustaining an inflation rate of 2% in a stable manner.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after speaking to the United Nations in New York on Sept. 22
WORLD / Politics
Nov 29, 2023

Israel authorizes religious funding amid concern over cost of war

The government’s budget stance has drawn ire, with 300 prominent economists penning a joint letter urging cutbacks.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2023

Nihon University to disband American football club over drug scandal

The decision brings an end to the 83-year history of one of the nation’s most prominent college football teams.
Rabbits are supposedly easier to get through quarantine, but Japan’s outgoing quarantine rules for our fluffy friends actually take a fair bit of time.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 1, 2023

Hare today, gone tomorrow: Another cautionary tale for expats headed home

In another piece about leaving Japan, our departee learns some hard truths about the country’s quarantine guidelines for animals.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 30, 2023

World leaders react to the death of Henry Kissinger

Here are reactions to the death of Henry Kissinger, a controversial Nobel Peace Prize winner who left an indelible mark on foreign policy:
A man walks past national flags of participating countries at the venue of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 1, 2023

Early pledges on 'loss and damage' fund build shaky trust at COP28

More pledges are expected to be made to the new fund during the two-week COP28.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2023

Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning

A.R.E — based on the Japanese word “are” (“that”) — took the top spot, after the Hanshin Tigers popularized the term as an indirect reference to victory.
As well as writing scripts for movies and plays, Taichi Yamada was successful as a novelist, winning many prizes including the Yamamoto Shugoro award, given in 1988 for his novel "Ijintachi tono Natsu."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 1, 2023

Screenwriter Taichi Yamada dies at 89

Yamada is known for popular TV dramas such as "Fuzoroi no Ringotachi" and "Otokotachi no Tabiji."
New Zealand's Ardie Savea (right) in action with South Africa's Jean Kleyn at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 28
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 1, 2023

All Black Savea eager to test himself with Japan move

The All Blacks loose forward has signed for Kobe Steelers on a one-season deal that means he will not miss any games for his country.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2023

U.S. Osprey crash rekindles safety concerns in Japan

The unique aircraft has had its share of incidents, but still has a relatively safe record compared to other military aircraft.
Tokyo Healthcare University professor Takayuki Mifune explains how he is trying to re-create bonito broth from 1,300 years ago.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Dec 4, 2023

The quest to re-create what the Japanese ate 1,300 years ago

Professor Takayuki Mifune and his team are hoping to understand, in minute detail, the culinary habits of our Japanese ancestors.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd during halftime of a game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, on Nov. 25.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2023

Trump denied immunity against U.S. election subversion charges

In the ruling, a federal judge said the office of the president doesn’t come with a "lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”
A Ukrainian special forces unit operating on the waters of the River Dnieper, where Russians held the opposite bank, on Nov. 5, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2023

Crossing the Dnieper: What a Ukrainian military operation might mean

Ukrainian troops have taken positions along the Dnieper River, posing a threat to Russia’s dominance of the region.
Ukrainian Paralympic Committee President Valeriy Sushkevych has said a recent vote to allow Russian athletes to compete at the Paris Games was tainted.
PARALYMPICS
Dec 3, 2023

Ukrainians strive to force IPC into Russia Paralympics U-turn

Sushkevych says he has "new facts" that reveal the extent of the Russian Paralympic Committee's support for the war in Ukraine.
The Euro trophy in front of the drawn groups for the 2024 edition of the tournament, in Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday
SOCCER
Dec 3, 2023

Germany to take on Scotland in Euro 2024 opener as draw set

The Germans, three-time winners, will kick off the one-month tournament in Munich on June 14, with the final on July 14 at Berlin's Olympic stadium.
The floor is painted red for the NBA In-Season Tournament game between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Dec 3, 2023

The NBA’s new in-season cup is bringing in viewers

Modeled after cup competitions in European football, the tourney is meant to add some spice to a sometimes bland stretch of the NBA calendar.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a session at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 3, 2023

For embattled Kishida, Dubai trip fails to pay dividends

The PM's visit to Dubai for a U.N. climate summit will do little to offset woes at home, including an LDP funding scandal and sagging approval ratings.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 3, 2023

Second LDP faction suspected of breaching political fund law

The allegation came after a similar practice at the faction previously led by the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to light recently.
Rohingya refugee Abdur Rahaman at a temporary Indonesian immigration shelter in Lhokseumawe, in Aceh province.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 4, 2023

Young Rohingya leave Bangladesh camps for university dream

Refugees still face challenges in obtaining an education in Indonesia.
The Bulls' court is painted red for their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Nets at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL
Dec 4, 2023

New in-season tournament delivering early returns for NBA

The NBA In-season Tournament was established to add spice to the early part of the season.
A man talks on the phone during COP28 in Dubai on Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2023

Japan, France back plan to boost climate lending with IMF reserves

Multilateral development banks say they can bolster climate finance in developing markets by leveraging the IMF's Special Drawing Rights.
An aerial view shows the Eiffel tower by the River Seine in Paris. A plan to hold the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on the river looks set to go ahead, even after a deadly attack in the French capital at the weekend.
OLYMPICS
Dec 5, 2023

'No Plan B': France set on Olympics river opening despite attack

Media reports have indicated grave concern within the security forces that the opening ceremony could be vulnerable to attack.
People walk through Dubai's Expo City during COP28 on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 5, 2023

COP28 crowds: A dangerous distraction or sign of success?

With a record 84,000 registered attendees, this year's COP28 is a far cry from the first in 1995, a low-key affair with fewer than 4,000 delegates.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2023

Japan defense chief says concerns linger after U.S. Osprey crew remains found

Dive teams have found the remains of five more crew members from a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that crashed off southwestern Japan last week.

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