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Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra (center, right) — daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — and Srettha Thavisin (center, left), a local property tycoon, at a campaign event in Bangkok on May 12
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 3, 2023

Thai party to unveil new coalition after Move Forward break

Conservative parties are expected to join the new coalition and their inclusion would boost support for the nomination of Srettha Thavisin.
Australian Ambassador to Japan Justin Hayhurst (center) walks beside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) during the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2023

Tokyo-Canberra ties key to Indo-Pacific’s future: Australian envoy

"We’ve never been more important to each other," says Justin Hayhurst, Australia’s new Ambassador to Japan.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 3, 2023

Japan's vision of nuke-free world in focus ahead of anniversaries

The tension between Tokyo's lofty goals and realpolitik necessities has made any move toward nuclear disarmament largely elusive.
Shinjiro Atae, a J-pop idol who came out publicly as gay during a recent fan event, with his stylist and makeup artist in the afternoon prior to his announcement, in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 3, 2023

In Japan, LGBTQ celebrities fuel impetus for change

Celebrities coming out as LGBTQ can have a big impact in Japan and fuel change. But such announcements are rarely made easily.
An S-400 surface-to-air missile system outside the town of Gvardeysk, near Kaliningrad, Russia, in March 2019. The S-400 is one of the defense items India has procured from Russia.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 15, 2023

A new tide of weapons imports, production and development

Some countries are beginning to diversify when looking for partners for their arms needs.
Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 4, 2023

Simone Biles ready for long-awaited return to gymnastics

After confirming her return to competition last month, Biles said she is still undergoing therapy to help her handle the mental side of the sport.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Some economists see the central bank’s loosening of restraints on 10-year bond yields as a message to the government that it now will have to do financial management responsibly, because the BOJ won’t control yields as firmly as it used to.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Japan’s fiscal plight draws scrutiny after BOJ policy tweak

Tokyo seeking to expand spending on defense and child care, even as the national debt has grown to almost 260% of gross domestic product.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 4, 2023

Illegal stimulants found in Nihon University football player dorm

Police are planning to conduct a further investigation into the 21-year-old male football player who is suspected of possessing them.
A Ukrainian ship in the Black Sea off the coast of Odesa in March 2022. Ukraine has issued a warning that commercial ships using any of six Russian Black Sea ports would be considered military targets.
WORLD
Aug 6, 2023

Ukraine drone hits second Russian ship in two days

Ukraine has issued a warning that commercial ships using any of six Russian Black Sea ports would be considered military targets.
Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui gives a press briefing in Beijing in June.
WORLD
Aug 6, 2023

China's Ukraine peace talks gambit shows shifts amid hard realities

Beijing appears to be confronting some hard realities as the conflict drags on, analysts say.
Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto visits a high-speed rail project site in Ahmedabad, India, in May 2018.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023

Scandal-tainted Japanese lawmaker sought money to buy horse

Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto is suspected of receiving ¥30 million from the president of a company between 2021 and this year.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

Scores of horses suffer sunstroke at samurai festival

Organizers may move the annual event — featuring over 400 participants dressed as samurai on horseback — to a cooler time of year.
The music score for “Glory to Hong Kong”
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 8, 2023

Hong Kong government to appeal in failed bid to ban protest song

Reiterating that disseminating the song was a national security crime, the government said its injunction was crucial to safeguarding the city.
Kyushu Kumamoto Plant, which received a platinum certification. | SUNTORY
ESG CONSORTIUM
Aug 8, 2023

Suntory replenishes a century of water stewardship

Born and raised in Naples, Oliviero Morelli joined MSC Cruises in 2004, and 11 years later became president of MSC Cruises Japan.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

Nuke ban treaty still out of reach as Japan marks atomic bombings

Japan, which is positioned under the "nuclear umbrella" of the U.S., has refrained from joining the treaty, citing its own “tough security environment.”
A year of restraint in investments has helped SoftBank regain its financial footing, accumulating a cash pile of almost ¥6 trillion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 9, 2023

SoftBank begins making investments again but ‘timidly with fear’

A year of restraint in investments has helped SoftBank regain its financial footing, accumulating a cash pile of almost ¥6 trillion.
Policemen stand guard outside the hospital where presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was taken after being shot at a rally in Quito on Wednesday. Mr. Villavicencio, a 59-year-old journalist, was one of eight candidates in the Aug. 20 presidential election.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 10, 2023

Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated

A suspect in the crime later died of injuries sustained in a shoot-out. The violence injured nine others, including a candidate for the legislature.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023

Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?

Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa controls the ball during a training session in Auckland on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 11, 2023

Rejuvenated Nadeshiko Japan 'ready to fight against anyone'

Japan, a sagging power suddenly revived, might be the most impressive contender remaining in the Women's World Cup.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 13, 2023

Japan Wind Development chief likely to admit bribing lawmaker Akimoto

It was newly found that Akimoto received ¥30 million, separately from the suspected bribe, from around 2019 for applying to the Japan Racing Association.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 13, 2023

Legislation on assisted reproductive technology delayed in Japan

Currently in Japan, the right of children born through fertility treatment to know their biological parents is not guaranteed
As of Saturday, at least 89 death have been recorded as a result of the wildfire that engulfed the Maui town of Lahaina, Hawaii. That toll is likely to rise as the search for victims continues.
WORLD
Aug 13, 2023

Maui fire death toll, at 89, is highest in U.S. in a century

Maui death toll is likely to rise in the coming days as only 3% of areas burned Tuesday had been searched by canine teams.
Sydney Swail and Jolly, a young tabby cat, at an adoption event at Manhattan’s Animal Care Center in New York on Aug. 4
WORLD
Aug 13, 2023

Too many cats, too few vets: New York city animal shelters are bursting

Because of overcrowding, dogs at the Manhattan shelter are being kept in makeshift kennels in offices and stacks of cat cages line the halls.
Leaders at Sweden's Psychological Defense Agency, a state agency, in Stockholm
WORLD / Society
Aug 14, 2023

Sweden is not staying neutral in Russia’s information war

Officials say the Kremlin has targeted Sweden with a concerted psychological campaign to discredit the country and undermine its bid to join NATO.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un stands on a multipurpose armored vehicle after a visit to an important munitions factory at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 14, 2023

Kim Jong Un calls for more missiles ahead of South Korea and U.S. drills

Seoul and Washington say the exercises are staged to improve their ability to respond to Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 14, 2023

Japan panel weighs raising overtime pay for teachers

The government is set to discuss an increase in overtime pay for teachers in a bid to compensate them for long working hours and attract new applicants.
If you have a specific birth plan in mind, like giving birth at home, it's important to make sure the clinic you use offers that option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2023

Giving birth in Japan? Here’s what you need to know.

Giving birth can be overwhelming — even more so if you don’t understand the local language or know the steps you need to take.
Ksenia Sobchak, one of the best-known media figures still based in Russia
WORLD / Politics
Aug 15, 2023

Ksenia Sobchak's advice to anti-war Russians: Find ways to cope

At once Putin insider and critic, Russia-based media figure Ksenia Sobchak opposes the war. But she wants those like her to accept it, rather than resist.
Thousands of Afghan women run microenterprises from their homes.
WORLD / Society
Aug 15, 2023

Afghan women set up secret businesses to escape Taliban bans

The administration has banned women from most jobs, barred girls from secondary and higher education, and restricted their movement.
An attendee walks past a wall decorated with binary code during July's World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 15, 2023

Beijing aims to regulate China’s AI sector while maintaining edge

Like Europe, China is moving ahead with government oversight of what may be the most promising — and controversial — technology of the last 30 years.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building