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A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 14, 2024

Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'

These carefully choreographed images are often kept hidden in conservative Japan.
Nintendo is among the big name companies in which Kyoto Financial Group has cross-held shares.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 9, 2024

Kyoto bank defies call to unwind holdings after $6-billion gain

Kyoto Financial Group has amassed unrealized profits of more than $6 billion on holdings in other firms.
Interceptions of rockets launched from Lebanon to Israel over the border on June 27
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

Pagers and drones: How Hezbollah aims to counter Israel's surveillance

Stepped-up attacks on Lebanon's southern border in recent weeks have intensified concerns it could spiral into a full-scale war.
Dolphins Arena in Nagoya. While the new IG Arena will almost certainly provide a more enjoyable experience for fans, the hope is that action on the raised ring will retain the heat that Dolphins Arena has long been famous for.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 10, 2024

A farewell to a Nagoya sumo arena known for heat — inside and outside the ring

The upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament will be the last to be held at Dolphins Arena, which has been the scene of numerous memorable moments over the years.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in February 2019. At the summit, Trump lost his patience and cut negotiations with Kim short just as they were gaining momentum.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2024

Blame Trump for North Korea’s saber-rattling

What would have happened if Donald Trump hadn't failed to capitalize on Kim Jong Un's willingness to deescalate by losing his patience on that fateful February day?
In addition to standup comedy, Anthony Jeselnik co-hosts the podcast “The Jeselnik and Rosenthal Vanity Project” with NFL analyst Gregg Rosenthal.
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 11, 2024

Standup comic Anthony Jeselnik, known for fierce roasts, to play first Japan show

The comedian will hit Tokyo as part of the Asia stretch of his worldwide “Bones and All” tour.
Members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take part in a military review at Camp Asaka in October 2018. The nation’s public is currently favorable to the SDF, but if scandals aren’t handled correctly, that opinion may change. 
EDITORIALS
Jul 12, 2024

A multitude of scandals threaten Japan’s national defense

Individually, recent scandals are troubling. Together they are reflective of a problematic culture within the defense forces and bureaucracy.
Marketing and PR Director at MSC Cruises Japan Kathy Knowles believes inbound tourism in Japan is likely to increase, and hopes more people will want to explore the country by sea.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 13, 2024

Kathy Knowles: ‘I would never have been able to see so much if it weren't for this job’

Going on a cruise can be a fun summer travel option, so much so that this industry executive has made a career out of it.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito bows at a news conference at the prefectural government office in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2024

Hyogo vice governor to resign over death of prefectural official

Vice Gov. Yasutaka Katayama's resignation comes after the death of an official who distributed a document about alleged harassment by Gov. Motohiko Saito.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2024

Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally

The FBI identified the suspected shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a Pennsylvania resident who was later killed by Secret Service agents.
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 14, 2024

She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics

While news sites have suggested that being a volunteer is a way to attend the Games for “free,” that doesn’t apply to international volunteers like Mai Tarumi.
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Jul 14, 2024

How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet

As summers get hotter across the world we’re met with a paradox: To stay cool, it seems we’re compelled to consume more.
The child care program under discussion is aimed at addressing the issue of isolation of parents raising young children and fostering their growth through interactions with other kids.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2024

Japan discussing details of day care for all infants

Under the program, set to launch by fiscal 2025, day care services will be available for all children aged 6 months to 2 years.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a meeting on the Ukraine Compact during the NATO Summit in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD
Jul 14, 2024

Kremlin says NATO summit outcome is ‘threatening’ to Russia

During the summit in Washington that ended on Thursday, NATO allies promised more support to Kyiv.
Members of Japan's women's Tokyo 2020 Olympic volleyball team. Along with table tennis and hockey, volleyball is set to be one of the sports at the 2024 Paris Games in which Japan's female players will don new uniforms that help protect them against secret photography while they compete.
OLYMPICS
Jul 16, 2024

New uniforms to help protect athletes against secret photography

The clothes will be used by Japanese athletes in volleyball, table tennis and hockey at the Paris Games.
Participants in a "cross-mentoring" training session held by sports club operator Renaissance share their concerns with female executives from other companies who serve as role models.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2024

Japan intensifies efforts to address gender pay gaps

According to the labor ministry, the average monthly wage for full-time female workers last year was ¥262,600, about 75% of the ¥350,900 earned by men.
Japan's Naoya Inoue poses for photographs following a news conference ahead of his Sept. 3 super-bantamweight fight against Ireland's TJ Doheny, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jul 16, 2024

'Monster' Inoue to defend titles against Ireland's Doheny

The undefeated boxer stopped Mexico's Luis Nery in front of 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome in his last fight in May.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito speaks to reporters on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2024

Hyogo governor stands firm on not resigning despite official's death

Gov. Motohiko Saito said he has "responded within the necessary scope" of his duties in relation to allegations of power harassment against him.
The background footage shows a Chinese Coast Guard ship using a water cannon against a Filipino resupply vessel, during a news conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila in August 2023.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2024

The risky business of standing up to Beijing

Philippines faces balancing act between economic interests and territorial rights.
A commercial district in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. Thomas Crooks, 20, a lifelong resident of the borough, has been identified as the gunman who opened fire during a campaign appearance by former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD
Jul 18, 2024

Trump gunman Thomas Crooks leaves behind a pile of mysteries

Gunman Thomas Crooks seemed to have a bright future waiting for him after having earned a spot at a college engineering program.
Indian Ambassador Sibi George says one of his main tasks in his post is to boost Japanese public and private investments the South Asian powerhouse.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2024

India’s envoy in Japan calls for boosted supply chain and defense cooperation

The ambassador’s remarks come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to continue prioritizing ties with Japan.
Cadets at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kure Recruit Training Center row in unison during a cutter boat drill in Kure Bay, Hiroshima Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 29, 2024

MSDF’s Kure base faces recruitment challenges as youngsters shy away

The stressful nature of service and an increasing likelihood of actual combat are causing many to opt for other careers.
Myanmar's military marks the 72nd Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on March 27, 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 18, 2024

Thai government to meet banks over alleged transactions for Myanmar arms

Thailand's central bank may collaborate with international and local agencies to create a database on companies linked to Myanmar's junta.
Japan's tradition of offering investors gifts is nice. But with the stock market at record highs, such perks are no longer needed.
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2024

It’s time Japan's shareholders buy their own wine

The practice by Japanese companies of giving gifts once served as a good way to encourage trading novices to dabble in the stock market.
Akira Saito (second from right), who took office as MSDF chief of staff, and his predecessor Adm. Ryo Sakai (right) attend a ceremony at the Defense Ministry on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

More allowance frauds discovered at Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces

The amount of special allowances that divers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force fraudulently received exceeds ¥53 million, not ¥43 million as initially stated.
Recent events in U.S. politics, including an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, a favorable court ruling and his nomination at the Republican National Convention, have strengthened the perception he may be “untouchable,” yet nothing is set in stone.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2024

Trump’s wild week and a changing U.S. presidential race

Recent events have reinforced the idea of the “Teflon Don,” an extraordinarily lucky man for whom the laws of politics do not apply.
French maritime police patrol the waters of the River Seine in Paris on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 21, 2024

Paris Olympics preparations hit the home stretch

Police with sniffer dogs checked the 6-kilometer route along the Seine ahead of the opening ceremony on the river.
Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jul 21, 2024

As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals

Can a 700-year-old dance have an effect on extreme heat or torrential rain? Probably not. When you're feeling powerless, though, any little thing helps.
Secret Service officers surround U.S. former President Donald Trump, the Republican  presidential candidate, as he attends the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2024

Secret Service says it denied earlier Trump requests for more federal resources

The denied requests for additional resources were not specifically for the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the former president survived an assassination attempt.
South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee and  President Yoon Suk-yeol listen as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at an official state dinner, during Yoon's visit to Washington at the White House in April last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 21, 2024

South Korea's first lady grilled over Dior bag and stock manipulation

Kim Keon-hee, has been questioned over allegations of stock manipulation and graft involving a $2,200 luxury handbag, prosecutors said Sunday.

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