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Fuji TV President Koichi Minato speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2025

Fuji TV to launch probe after allegations of sexual misconduct

The move comes amid rising criticism over the broadcaster’s handling of alleged sexual misconduct by former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai.
An employee at an auto parts maker in Ota, Gunma Prefecture. The automotive industries, which give fewer days off than other sectors do, are falling behind in the recruitment of new workers.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2025

Japan auto unions aiming to get five more days off in 2025

The number of nonworking days in the automotive industries has not increased in recent years and lags behind other sectors.
A man walks pastthe ASEAN logo during the ASEAN foreign ministers' retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2025

Malaysia takes on ASEAN mantle but tempers expectations on Myanmar and South China Sea

Malaysia is committed to addressing regional issues, but expectations on Myanmar and disputes in the South China Sea should be measured, a top official said.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito in November in Kobe. Hideaki Takeuchi, a former Hyogo assemblyman who had taken part in investigations over workplace bullying allegations against Saito last year, died Saturday in an apparent suicide.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 20, 2025

Former Hyogo assemblyman found dead in apparent suicide

Hideaki Takeuchi, 50, had taken part in investigations over workplace bullying allegations made against Gov. Motohiko Saito last year.
The site of a Rheinmetall arms factory in the municipality of Unterluess, Germany, in February last year. The war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe's need for increased armaments production.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2025

Europe needs a defense production act

The war in Ukraine has already prompted structural reforms and an increase defense spending at the national and EU levels.
More than two dozen news organizations operate out of the Pentagon reporting on the daily activities of the U.S. military.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2025

Trump's Pentagon says it will 'rotate' out some media from offices

The memo said that the New York Times, National Public Radio, NBC News and Politico must vacate their spaces by Feb. 14
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 3, 2025

BOJ discussed worries about price upward deviation in January

One member referred to "a growing possibility that underlying CPI (consumer price index) inflation will rise steadily toward achieving the price stability target of 2%."
Yoshiaki Nakano (center), head of the Mebuki residents’ association, comprising residents of the Moniwa No. 2 municipal-run housing complex in Sendai’s Taihaku Ward, addresses a board meeting on Feb. 2.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Mar 10, 2025

Public housing residents' associations in Sendai struggle to find leaders

Those age 65 and older account for 43.9% of the residents in such housing, 18.7 percentage points higher than the ratio of elderly in the city.
Prince Hisahito in the city of Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, on Feb. 12
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2025

Prince Hisahito's coming-of-age ceremony set for Sept. 6

The event will be the first coming-of-age ceremony for a male member of the imperial family since that of Crown Prince Akishino 40 years ago.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, an adviser to Tomin First no Kai, will suffer if the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and Tomin First fail to maintain their combined majority in the Tokyo assembly election in June.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2025

LDP faces headwinds in Tokyo assembly election

Political funds scandals affecting the party at both the national level and in the assembly could cost it votes.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino speaks at a Democratic Party for the People convention in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Feb. 11.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Apr 6, 2025

Breaking with tradition: From the shop floor to fighting for millions

Tomoko Yoshino has rubbed shoulders with political heavyweights and business leaders as the first female leader of Rengo.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in parliament in Budapest on Tuesday. Critics have likened recent moves by the prime minister to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to crack down on domestic rivals.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2025

Viktor Orban tightens grip on freedoms in Hungary ahead of election next year

Over the past 15 years, the premier has expelled a university, overhauled the judiciary and whipped up propaganda campaigns against political opponents.
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 21, 2025

Nippon Ishin grapples with poor governance ahead of Upper House election

Scandals, resignations and local election losses have left it far short of becoming Japan’s largest opposition force or a ruling party.
A demonstration is held in Malawi as part of government efforts to pilot test the use of drones for humanitarian purposes, with assistance from UNICEF. As this and other technologies become more accessible, we must ensure their use advances sustainable development.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2025

How efficiency can transform sustainable development

In our haste to improve efficiency, we can't ignore the interests of humanity. Democratizing access to AI and other technologies is a fundamental step in this direction.
Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 22.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 23, 2025

Three Upper House candidates are creating headaches for DPP

The DPP hopes to win more seats this summer, but keeping every candidate on-message could be a challenge for leader Yuichiro Tamaki.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks with the press as he waits to greet leaders before an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 26, 2025

ASEAN nations decry Trump tariffs at summit and seek to diversify trade

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim opened talks by saying that he had written to President Donald Trump seeking a U.S.-ASEAN meeting on the topic.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during an Upper House agriculture committee meeting on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2025

Some LDP lawmakers wary of Koizumi's aggressive price policy

There are fears that the approach may cause farmers, a key support bloc, to distance themselves from the party.
Since last summer, the Bank of Japan has been reducing its buying of government bonds by ¥400 billion every quarter, but that process will come to a halt, according to former board member Makoto Sakurai.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2025

BOJ likely to stop cutting bond purchases in next fiscal year, ex-official says

The government’s cost for debt servicing has risen to about a quarter of its budget for this fiscal year, thanks partly to higher interest rates.
By spurring the ASEAN countries to deepen cooperation, with one another and with others, U.S. tariffs could bring about an even more prosperous — and, crucially, resilient — grouping.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2025

Trump vs. a united ASEAN

By spurring the ASEAN countries to deepen cooperation, U.S. tariffs could bring about an even more prosperous — and, crucially, resilient — grouping.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a news conference about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest autism survey in Washington on April 16.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 10, 2025

Kennedy dismisses all 17 members of U.S. CDC vaccine panel

All sitting members were appointed under former President Joe Biden's administration.
A worker prepares a sign ahead of the Group of Seven summit at a satellite location in Banff, Alberta, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2025

Guest list for G7 summit tells of global challenges

The leaders of India, Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea are joining at a time of global turmoil and a radical new U.S. approach to world affairs.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stands next to U.S. President Donald Trump as alliance leaders pose for a group photo during a NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2025

NATO lines up ‘big success’ for Trump with new defense spending target

The new target for NATO member nations could give more ammunition to the U.S. in its calls for Japan to spend more money on defense.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday. The lack of a common understanding between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about Putin's goals is seen complicating future diplomatic plans to wind down the war in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 27, 2025

Following NATO summit, Trump and Europe still at odds over Putin's ambitions

The NATO summit highlighted the widening gap between how the U.S. and Europe see the military ambitions of Russia, the bloc's main foil.
A satellite view shows an overview of Fordo underground complex, after the U.S. struck the underground nuclear facility, near Qom, Iran, on June 22.
WORLD
Jun 30, 2025

U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites set up 'cat-and-mouse' hunt for missing uranium

Iran's more than 400 kg of uranium is enough, if further enriched for up to nine nuclear weapons.
Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 30, 2025

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji’s deadliest weekend still echoes today. Luckily, area rescue squads have leveled up their game.
Residents cool themselves in Parc Andre Citroen's fountains in Paris on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 2, 2025

Europe’s climate resolve faces big test as EU unveils 2040 goal

The European Commission is set to propose a binding law to slash emissions by 90% by 2040 as part of its overarching goal to reach climate neutrality by the middle of the century.
Ex-serviceman Izumi Murakami speaks of his experience during World War II, when he was still a child, in an interview in Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jul 14, 2025

Man inspired as a boy by WWII-era commando questions Japan's past actions

Izumi Murakami, now 92, joined the Air Self-Defense Force, but he concedes now that "there is nothing good that comes out of war."
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 24. Rio de Janeiro will host the two-day BRICS  Summit starting July 6, where leaders from 10 member states and others will explore ways emerging economies can 
shape global development. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2025

A BRICS+ development agenda for the Global South

An effective BRICS+ development agenda will require a coordinated mobilization of resources and institutional efforts.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya explains his campaign promises in Tokyo on June 30 for the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s Do It Yourself Party: Who we are and where we are headed

Our core philosophy is “to protect Japan’s national interests and bring about harmony in the world.”
Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire a howitzer toward Russian troops at a position in the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, in February.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2025

Russian use of chemical weapons against Ukraine 'widespread,' Dutch defense minister says

Russia has been dropping a choking agent from drones to drive Ukrainian soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, according to the intelligence.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers