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By 2018, the number of children registered for adoption had dropped to around 15,000, down from about 44,000 in 2009, according to official statistics.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 6, 2024

China stops foreign adoptions, ending a complicated chapter

The ban raises questions for many of the hundreds of families in the United States who were in the process of adopting children from China.
A building housing the Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch in the city of Tachikawa
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 6, 2024

21-year-old gets 23 years over robbery-murder in western Tokyo

The case was part of a high-profile series of robberies across Japan allegedly committed by the same group.
Gabon President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema waves as he arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing on Sep. 1.
WORLD
Sep 7, 2024

U.S. pitches deal to thwart Chinese military base in Africa

The U.S. is assembling an economic and security assistance package for Gabon in a bid to prevent China from establishing a military footprint there.
The Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race is expected to have a record number of candidates.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Sep 8, 2024

Unpacking Japan’s messy leadership election

With so many candidates and old rules gone, brace for the most unpredictable LDP race in ages
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her first U.S. Open title in New York on Saturday.
TENNIS
Sep 9, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka savors U.S. Open win after roaring back from tough year

Sabalenka dropped only one set on the road to the final and downed American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5.
Cleaner Kazuyoshi Taguchi (bottom) and colleague Kazumi Minowa clean the right ear of the Ushiku Daibutsu giant Buddha statue in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2024

Celestial clean: Japanese duo spruce up world's tallest bronze Buddha

The 120-meter statue of Buddha is spruced up once a year.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike poses with Liberal Democratic Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on July 8, following her win for a third term in the gubernatorial election the previous day.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 10, 2024

After Tokyo governor poll, eyes turn to 2025 assembly election

Both the Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are under pressure to regroup ahead of the quadrennial metropolitan assembly election.
Michikazu Takao, a 52-year-old unemployed man who has been arrested over the theft of a safe from a beauty salon, wears a cap adorned with three crow feathers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 10, 2024

Man with crow-feathered cap arrested over theft of safe at beauty salon

Michikazu Takao, 52, told police that he believes crows possess special powers and that he carried the feathers as a protective charm.
Masato Kanda, Japan's former top currency diplomat, led massive bouts of yen-buying intervention in the currency markets in 2022 and 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2024

Japan nominates ex-currency diplomat Kanda to head ADB

Since its 1966 founding, the ADB's top post has always gone to a Japanese national, making Kanda a strong candidate.
Soccer player Junya Ito has filed a criminal complaint against two women and a weekly magazine for suspected defamation, saying that the magazine article on his alleged sexual assault has damaged his reputation and credibility.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 10, 2024

Soccer player Ito appeals against nonindictment of two women

Police had sent to public prosecutors papers on the two women for allegedly making false allegations against two men including Ito, but both women were not indicted.
Unclaimed luggage in the Delta baggage claim area at Los Angeles International Airport on July 25 following a catastrophic system outage.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 11, 2024

U.S. airlines may soon face cash penalties for delayed flights

A proposed compensation program would mean U.S. airlines would have to pay a set cash payment amount to each passenger on a disrupted flight
Mauricio Pochettino will take over as the head coach of the U.S. men's national team after his abrupt departure from Chelsea earlier this year.
SOCCER
Sep 11, 2024

Mauricio Pochettino appointed as new coach of U.S. national soccer team

The former Chelsea coach replaces American Gregg Berhalter, who was fired in July after a disappointing Copa America campaign.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu
WORLD
Sep 11, 2024

Top Russian official reports swift advance in Ukraine

Russia said its forces had advanced by 1,000 square kilometers in eastern Ukraine, which ruled out any cease-fire talks with Kyiv.
Signs expressing opposition to the University of Tokyo's proposed tuition hikes are displayed at the university's Komaba campus in Tokyo in July.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 11, 2024

University of Tokyo plans to raise tuition fees by 20% in 2025

The university expects to make the proposal official by the end of September, barring unforeseen issues.
With the world's democracies and authoritarian regimes watching, the U.S. election on Nov. 5 will have global implications.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2024

The choice confronting American voters

Republicans and Democrats differ significantly on the role of government in society, a divide that the U.S. Supreme Court used to mediate.
Japan Freight Raiway's Kudara freight terminal in the city of Osaka
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2024

JR Freight suspends operations over data tampering

Data on the pressure applied when fitting wheels onto trains’ axles was falsified for inspection records.
Pope Francis blesses a child during his visit to Dili, East Timor, on Tuesday. The pontiff's Asia-Pacific tour is a strategic step toward a larger goal: a visit to China, a country that could soon have the largest Christian population in the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2024

Pope Francis’ Asia trip is all about China

The Vatican is among 12 diplomatic allies Taiwan still has left. There are concerns these loyalties could shift as the Holy See attempts to improve ties with Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 11, 2024

Russia and China join forces for major naval exercise

Moscow and Beijing have deepened cooperation in recent years, as both countries seek to counterbalance what they see as a United States-led global order.
When it comes to a career in cuisine, chef Andreas Fuchs thinks newcomers will know within three months whether they want to commit to it or not.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 12, 2024

Andreas Fuchs: ‘I love that no two days are the same’

As the Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s executive chef, Andreas Fuchs is responsible for overseeing extensive menus across multiple venues.
Mauricio Pochettino was officially announced as the new United States manager on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Sep 12, 2024

Christian Pulisic urges new U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino to change team culture

Pulisic wants to be part of a team willing to fight and take risks.
A child consultation center in Fukuoka Prefecture. Households frequently relocating within short periods experienced a lack of proper handovers of child abuse cases between local governments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 12, 2024

Over 40% of fatal child abuse victims under age of 1, survey shows

Excluding cases of murder-suicide, the number of children in Japan who died from abuse stood at 56.
Israeli soldiers near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. With about 170,000 active personnel, Israel’s army is large by global standards, relative to its population of 10 million. But it’s still too small to cope with today’s threats.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2024

Israel needs more soldiers as reservists tire of constant war

That Israel is fighting a protracted war on numerous fronts almost a year after Hamas' deadly rampage on Oct. 7 last year is exacerbating its troop shortage.
Since opening in 2022 in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo Comedy Bar has hosted comedy workshops, roast battles, open mics and international guests.
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 12, 2024

Tokyo Comedy Bar supersizes laughs with 11-night festival

Spanning 46 different shows, this month’s comedy festival spotlights rising local talent and international names in both English and Japanese.
A Japan Freight Railway train passes through a train station in Osaka in 2017. JR Freight on Thursday resumed operations for all of its freight trains after a temporary halt following the discovery of data tampering and other irregularities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024

JR Freight resumes train operations after discovery of data tampering

The freight operator had suspended operations on Wednesday to inspect container cars suspected to have been affected.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito responds to questioning in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024

LDP and other parties demand Hyogo governor's resignation

All 86 members of the prefectural assembly have now called for Saito's resignation.f
Japan has many rivers that run through its cities, but few offer the level of serenity and relaxation as Kyoto's Kamo River.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 14, 2024

The enduring allure of Kyoto’s Kamo River

Many foreign tourists seek advice online about how much time they should devote to lounging by the lazy currents of the Kamo River.
Hokkaido's cuisine and the culture that underpins it get top billing in Tim Anderson's newest cookbook.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 15, 2024

‘MasterChef U.K.’ winner’s new cookbook puts Hokkaido cuisine on vivid display

Tim Anderson's cookbook covers a lot, but its strength is in presenting Japan’s largest prefecture as a detailed tapestry via straightforward recipes.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tours a facility for producing weapons-grade nuclear materials at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this photo released Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 13, 2024

North Korea unveils images of uranium enrichment facility for first time

The pictures could give outside experts a better understanding of how many and what types of nuclear weapons the North has produced.
Seibu Ikebukuro department store in Tokyo's Toshima Ward in September last year
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seibu Ikebukuro department store to boost upscale brand lineup

The renovated store will feature about 60 cosmetics brands, while enhancing its basement food floor.
Aiko Kato (left) touches the stump of a sacred tree at Sakataru Shrine in June in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was cut off after it fell down due to the Jan. 1 earthquake
JAPAN / Society
Sep 13, 2024

Crowdfunding for damaged Noto shrine raises 10 times target

The shrine offered gifts to donors, including a special soda infused with the essence of its fallen sacred tree.

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