Search - special

 
 
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.
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole went 15-4 and led the league in ERA (2.63) on his way to his first Cy Young Award.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 16, 2023

Yankees' Gerrit Cole and Padres' Blake Snell win Cy Young Awards

Cole received all 30 first-place votes to become the 11th unanimous winner in the American League.
Palestinians flee northern Gaza on Sunday as Israeli tanks roll deeper into the enclave amid the ongoing conflict. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023

Where is outrage against Hamas over Gaza’s death toll?

Palestinian deaths weren’t a bug in Hamas' plan but an essential part of it.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 21, 2023

'Offensive' and 'defensive' diplomacy: Managing ties with China

Since the 20th National Congress of the CCP, in October last year, Beijing has been seeking to maintain a balance.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Japan enacts bill to raise annual pay of PM and ministers

The prime minister's annual salary will be raised by ¥460,000 to ¥40.61 million.
Visitors stroll through a tunnel of autumn maple leaves at Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture on Nov. 4.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Nov 19, 2023

Fall is the new summer: Warming threatens Japan’s cultural calendar

Climate change is disrupting Japan’s autumn and seasonal experiences, and with it the rhythm of people’s lives.
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.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and others place a paper rose on an Liberal Democratic Party candidate's name to indicate a victory in the Upper House election, at the party's headquarters in Tokyo in July 2022.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2023

Criminal complaint filed against LDP factions over political funds

According to the complaint, the five LDP organizations are suspected of failing to list the names of organizations that paid more than ¥200,000 at events.
Japan's culture of floor-sitting stretches back to ancient times. Only in the last 60 years has it faced off against a new lifestyle brought along by the rapid spread of chairs and other high furniture.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Nov 20, 2023

Has Japan mastered sitting?

Sitting is a deceptively simple act. But the story of sitting in Japan spans centuries of culture, politics and religion.
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te (left), presidential candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party, introduces Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto envoy to the United States, as his running mate in the 2024 election, during a news conference at Lai's campaign headquarters in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 20, 2023

Taiwan presidential front-runner taps U.S. envoy as running mate

Lai Ching-te tapped Hsiao Bi-khim, a fluent English speaker who had been Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S., to join him on the DPP ticket.
Australia captain Pat Cummins celebrates after the Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad, India, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Nov 20, 2023

Pat Cummins hails Australia's World Cup title as 'pinnacle in cricket'

The match was a personal triumph for Cummins, whose decision to field first was vindicated.
People use smartphones on the street in Tokyo in January 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 20, 2023

The NTT Law — a guard against monopoly, or barrier to innovation?

Some say the law regulating the telecom giant stops it from competing against the likes of Google, but others say it contains vital market protections.
Communication is important in a relationship, especially when you and your spouse grew up speaking different languages. Learn a few phrases that show you care.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 22, 2023

A few small expressions can go a long way in your relationship

As we celebrate Couple's Day in Japan, let's review ways to tell your special someone how great they are.
After losing her eyesight in a car accident, a woman goes to the home of an eye doctor and his son to receive a miracle device to restore her sight in “My Mother’s Eyes.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 23, 2023

‘My Mother’s Eyes’: Psychodrama pushes to mad extremes

Takeshi Kushida’s atmospheric horror film about toxic parent-child relationships unfolds in a fantasy world that strains credulity.
Hamas fighters take part in a military parade in Gaza in July to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2023

Israel's historical role in the rise of Hamas

The complicated relationship between Israel and Hamas with the the "Frankenstein" Jewish state help create
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

LDP faces scrutiny in parliament over underreporting of funds

Sizable omissions in political funding reports by the ruling party took center stage in parliamentary debate as the opposition questioned the government.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 22, 2023

Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder

While Japan and China look to ease tensions, NHK makes things tense with a Johnny’s-less “Kohaku” announcement.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 23, 2023

Nihon University recommends resignations over cannabis scandal

In August, a member of the football club was arrested for alleged possession of cannabis and an illegal stimulant.
A worker cleans a table in an empty McDonald's restaurant in Cairo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2023

Boycott campaigns over Gaza hit Western brands

Companies are feeling the impact in Egypt and Jordan, and there are signs the campaign is spreading in some other Arab countries.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 24, 2023

Domestic horses look to continue home dominance

It’s the weekend of the Group 1 Japan Cup in association with Longines, when one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan, if not the world, will be run at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday. Having grown in stature over the past 40 years or so, the race has made a real name for itself over that time in...
Blue Bottle Studio Kyoto's tasting sessions combine excellent coffees, curated music and a technical display of barista-ship.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 26, 2023

Blue Bottle Kyoto gives coffee the 'kaiseki' treatment

The menu unfolds with each course crafted to present a different facet of coffee culture.
Hidenori Izaki, one-time winner of the World Barista Championship, brings coffee to new heights at Cokuun.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 26, 2023

Tasting the 'Zen of coffee' at speakeasy-esque Cokuun

Drawing inspiration from fine dining and tea ceremony, Hidenori Izaki brews coffee with exceptional hospitality and speakeasy-style mystique.
Protests in Shinjuku, Tokyo, last November, echoed demonstrations in several major Chinese cities that called for an end to Chinese President Xi Jinping's draconian “zero-COVID” policy.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 28, 2023

Chinese intellectuals increasingly attracted to Tokyo

An increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. following the COVID-19 pandemic has driven some graduates to Japan.
Pro-Palestinian supporters gather in a show of solidarity at the National Monument in Jakarta on Nov. 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2023

Asia’s Muslims grow weary of the West’s double standards

Indonesia and Malaysia have long taken a strong pro-Palestinian stance and neither has diplomatic ties with Israel.
Indian leader Narendra Modi greets Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi in September.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2023

Are India and Thailand revising their diplomatic balancing acts?

New Delhi and Bangkok share an 'omnidirectional' approach to diplomacy, the limits of which are being tested.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (right) celebrates with engineer Gianpiero Lambiase after winning the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, Qatar, on Oct. 8.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 25, 2023

Gianpiero Lambiase embraces role as man in Max Verstappen’s ear

Lambiase has helped Verstappen win 53 Grand Prix titles and three Formula One drivers’ championships in their time together.
Filmmaker and teacher Karl Neubert says he enjoys working with vintage lenses because they can capture a more cinematic look.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 25, 2023

Karl Neubert: 'The joy a student finds in their debut film is a constant source of pride'

Filmmaker and teacher Karl Neubert discusses his role as an educator to the next generation of artists and how 30 years in Japan has shaped his work.
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.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes