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Social media giant Meta slashed its content moderation policies on Tuesday, including ending its U.S. fact-checking program, in a major shift that conforms with the priorities of incoming president Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 8, 2025

Big Tech rolls out the red carpet for Trump ahead of his inauguration

Since the November election, a stream of senior moguls have traveled to meet with Trump at his Florida estate.
Firefighters respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, California, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jan 8, 2025

Wildfire triggers panicked evacuations in Los Angeles suburb

Hundreds of firefighters swarmed the area, attacking the blaze from the ground and from the air.
Economy minister Yoji Muto during a meeting on Wednesday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2025

Economy minister calls for continued wage increases

"Now is the time to step on the accelerator on wages and investment in order to transition to a growth-oriented economy," said Yoji Muto.
An apartment building burns during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county, California, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jan 9, 2025

Los Angeles under siege as wind-driven wildfires upend city

The fires, which burned more than 26,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon, has upended life in America’s second-largest city.
Taiwanese authorities are investigating a Chinese-owned cargo ship suspected of dragging its anchor over an international subsea telecoms cable northeast of the island.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 9, 2025

China says Taiwan 'hyped' sea cable damage claims

Taiwanese authorities said they were investigating a Chinese-owned ship suspected of dragging its anchor over an international subsea telecoms cable.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters in Tokyo Thursday before leaving for a trip to Malaysia and Indonesia.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2025

Ishiba leaves for Malaysia and Indonesia

The tour of the two Southeast Asian countries marks Ishiba's first overseas trip since taking office in October.
A home is engulfed in flames as the Palisades Fire burns along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 9, 2025

NFL still planning to stage playoff game between Rams and Vikings in LA

"The NFL's priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community," the league said in a statement.
When not zipping around, Bingo loves to cuddle and even play games on the smartphone.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 9, 2025

And Bingo was her name-o

Since finding each other at an adoption fair, Tara Podias and Bingo have become inseparable.
Otono Kuboki, a Japanese Canadian hair stylist for salon chain Sozo, is a key figure in the company's mission to elevate the viability of Japan's hairdressing industry to foreign residents.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 11, 2025

Can an international makeover help Tokyo salons meet foreign demand?

Sozo Education aims to train Tokyo’s next crop of stylists not just in English vocabulary related to hairdressing but in the diverse needs of foreign hair types.
The additional sanctions against Russia "are to contribute to international efforts for peace," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 10, 2025

Japan expands its sanctions against Russia

Japan will also ban the export of 335 more goods, including small motorcycles, to Russia starting on Jan. 23.
Police investigate the scene after eight people were injured by a hammer-wielding woman on Hosei University's Tama campus in Tokyo on Friday afternoon.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 11, 2025

Eight students recovering after hammer attack at university in Tokyo

The suspect, who said she is a South Korean national and student at the university, claimed to have lashed out after being bullied.
“The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic” centers on three teenage protagonists who are transported into a fantasy world where they must grapple with a foreign culture.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 11, 2025

Isekai anime offers a key to understanding globalization

The fantastical genre wherein characters are dropped into unlikely worlds — and sometimes bodies — can be read as an allegory for the structure of the contemporary anime industry.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a joint news conference at the Malaysian prime minister's office in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 10, 2025

In Kuala Lumpur, Ishiba vows to promote security cooperation with Malaysia

Leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in the maritime field, cybersecurity and the economy.
Kaz Shiomi is looking forward to the Osaka Expo this year, which will be held from April 13 to Oct. 13.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 10, 2025

Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’

Producing toys under her kiko+ & gg* brand, the business owner hopes to encourage children to find their own unique paths in life.
Smoke from the Pacific Palisades fire blankets the area in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Researchers see a growing health danger from the vast plumes of pollution spawned by wildfires like the ones devastating Los Angeles.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 12, 2025

Far from the Los Angeles fires, the deadly risks of smoke are intensifying

By some estimates, wildfire smoke causes as many as 675,000 premature deaths a year worldwide, as well as a range of serious health problems.
The exterior of a blast furnace building run by Nippon Steel in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 12, 2025

U.S. delays enforcement of order blocking Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal

The delay will give the courts time to review a legal challenge brought by parties earlier this month against Biden's order.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters after a three-way virtual summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2025

Ishiba urges Biden to dispel concern about investment in U.S.

Japanese firms invested almost $800 billion in the United States in 2023, more than any other country, and 14.3% of the total, according to official U.S. data.
A beachfront property destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen in Malibu, California on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Jan 13, 2025

Olympic chiefs vow to replace U.S. swim star medals lost in LA fires

Hall said he fled taking only his dog, the insulin he uses to treat his diabetes, a painting of his grandfather and a religious artifact.
The sky over Los Angeles is filled with smoke from wildfires on Thursday evening.
SPORTS
Jan 14, 2025

Los Angeles sports teams donate $8 million to wildfire relief efforts

The teams and the Fanatics store will also distribute $3 million worth of sports merchandise to evacuated residents.
Cleveland-Cliffs is reportedly in talks with North Carolina-based steelmaker Nucor to acquire U.S. Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2025

Japan avoids commenting on Cleveland-Cliffs CEO's provocative comment

Lourenco Goncalves’ remarks over Nippon Steel’s takeover bid for U.S. Steel and description of Japan as being "evil" stunned many in Tokyo.
A firefighter monitors the spread of the Auto Fire in Oxnard, North West of Los Angeles, California, on Monday.
WORLD
Jan 15, 2025

Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous winds ramp up

A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted "particularly dangerous" Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles would spike the wildfire threat anew.
Tiger Woods lines up a putt during an event in Orlando, Florida, in December.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 15, 2025

Tiger Woods pledges support amid 'unimaginable loss' in Los Angeles

Flames that razed the Pacific Palisades came uncomfortably close to The Riviera Country Club, which is slated to host the 2028 Olympic golf tournament.
Shinji Ishimaru announces details of his new regional party at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025

With new regional party, Shinji Ishimaru touts rebirth

The former mayor of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture aims to field candidates in July's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.
In only two days, more than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, a person close to the company said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2025

Over half a million ‘TikTok refugees’ flock to China's RedNote app

In only two days, more than 700,000 new users have reportedly joined Xiaohongshu, a popular networking app known for lifestyle content and product recommendations.
Nine-year-old Paprika loves food and is sure to bring a smile to your face.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 16, 2025

Always happy, always smiling

Paprika, sure to bring smiles, is looking for a new home.
Israeli soldiers stand on a tank, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2025

How Qatar gambled on a Gaza truce, and won

The wealthy peninsula, bordered by oil giant Saudi Arabia, took the strategic decision to play deal-maker decades ago.
Hideki Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational at Riveria Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, on Feb. 18, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 17, 2025

Tiger Woods-hosted PGA Tour event to be relocated due to LA wildfires

The PGA Tour event that Tiger Woods was scheduled to host in Southern California next month will be played at an alternate venue due to the massive wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles, the Tour said on Thursday.
Children pray for the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake during an early morning ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the quake, in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 17, 2025

30th anniversary of Hanshin quake marked with desire to pass on lessons

Hyogo Prefecture is also calling on the central government to pick Kansai as the base of a new disaster relief agency currently in the works.
Former Israeli hostage Romi Gonen with her mother Merav at an undisclosed location in Israel on Sunday after a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal in the war between Israel and Hamas was implemented.
WORLD
Jan 20, 2025

Israel and Hamas swap hostages and prisoners as ceasefire starts

The six-week truce aims for the gradual release of 33 of the almost 100 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and of around 1,000 Palestinians in prison in Israel.
Economists, legal experts and business leaders concur that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to implement fresh tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt the country's export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jan 20, 2025

Japanese firms weigh fallout from Trump tariff pledges

Additional tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt its export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan