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A resident in Uchinada, Ishikawa Prefecture, points to a boundary of his property with his neighbor which shifted due to liquefaction following the massive earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula in January 2024.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2025

Noto quake liquefaction hampers land boundary redrawing

Liquefaction during the Noto quake caused a lateral flow of up to 3 meters along a prefectural road running north to south through Uchinada and Kahoku.
Daiwa Securities CEO Akihiko Ogino says mergers and acquisition deals are harder to come by this year due to uncertainties over U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2025

Daiwa pauses M&A hiring as tariff uncertainty chokes deal pipeline

The assessment from Japan’s second-largest brokerage indicates how changes in global trade policy are rippling through spending activity.
Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene speaks at the parliament in Ulaanbaatar on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 3, 2025

Mongolia prime minister resigns after losing confidence vote among lawmakers

Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene will remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offers a flower during a ceremony to pay respects to unidentified war dead from World War II at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo on May 26.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2025

Ishiba faces political and diplomatic quandary ahead of WWII anniversary

There is fierce opposition among conservatives to any form of official reflection on the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
A marine heat wave has led to boom in the octopus population.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Jun 3, 2025

Octopus invasion in English Channel flags marine heat wave risks

Warming waters have suited the octopus but when one part of the natural ecosystem changes, there can be knock on effects.
TSMC’s plan to build a second factory in Kumamoto Prefecture is key to Japan’s ambitions to regain leadership in semiconductors.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 4, 2025

TSMC flags delays in Japan expansion while U.S. plans advance

The sudden influx of workers from TSMC’s first plant is already bogging down rural infrastructure in Japan.
The number of "zombie companies" in Japan, which do not make enough to cover their interest payments, was estimated to have grown some 228,000 in fiscal 2023, one of the highest in a decade.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2025

'Zombie company' apocalypse might be the point of Japan's minimum wage push

Government efforts to accelerate the pace of pay increases could lead to poorly performing companies going out of business.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 4, 2025

South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’

Lee Jae-myung, in his inauguration speech, said his government would continue his predecessor’s policy of strengthening cooperation with Japan.
Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China in 2010.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 4, 2025

Global alarms rise as China's critical mineral export curbs take hold

China has a stranglehold on minerals crucial for sectors ranging from aerospace to semiconductors.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden, New York City on Thursday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 4, 2025

Knicks fire Thibodeau as coach after exiting NBA playoffs

The Knicks, who have not won the NBA title since 1973, fell to Indiana in six games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in The Hague, Netherlands on Tuesday. Schoof has resigned as prime minister after the far-right Freedom Party pulled out of the government.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Dutch prime minister resigns after far-right party pulls out of coalition

The Freedom Party withdrew from the Dutch government over the refusal of three coalition partners to agree to its plans to curb migration.
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2025

Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)

Halfway through 2025, J-pop is in flux — swinging between AI absurdity, idol nostalgia and viral sugar highs.
The scene where a crumbling glacier partially collapsed and tumbled, at the village of Blatten, Switzerland, on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 4, 2025

Swiss glacier collapse is a lesson on climate disaster management

The collapse of the glacier in the Swiss Alps was an expected disaster. When the first signs of instability started to appear, the town was evacuated.
A mother takes her child to kindergarten in Hanoi on Wednesday. Vietnam's birth rate fell from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 1.91 last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 4, 2025

Vietnam scraps two-child limit as birth rate declines

The birth rate fell from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 1.91 last year, below replacement level.
Australia's Milos Degenek celebrates after qualifying for the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Nov. 30, 2022
SOCCER
Jun 4, 2025

Australia targets easier World Cup path ahead of Japan clash

If Australia does beat Samurai Blue on Thursday, it still faces a long wait to confirm whether a berth has been secured for a sixth straight World Cup finals.
Japan and the United States are aiming for a meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven leaders summit on June 16 and 17.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 4, 2025

U.S. doubles steel and aluminum tariffs as Japan counts on a breakthrough

The United Kingdom is exempt from the higher rates because it struck an early trade deal with the United States.
Akio Toyoda’s involvement in the $33 billion buyout of Toyota Industries signals a potential corporate comeback, and that’s a good thing despite criticism.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 4, 2025

For Toyota, more Akio Toyoda would be a good thing

This opposition is nonsensical. Akio turned Toyota into the biggest automaker in the world during a period of intense industry change.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2025

Trump’s late-night lament over Xi deepens impasse in trade fight

Exactly what the Chinese are asking the White House to relinquish in order to secure a phone call with their leader remains unclear.
Kosei Tanaka speaks during a news conference to announce his retirement in Nagoya on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 5, 2025

Four-division world champion Kosei Tanaka retires at 29 due to eye injuries

Tanaka is the fastest boxer to earn belts at four different weights.
Oilers center Leon Draisaitl celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Jun 5, 2025

Leon Draisaitl scores in overtime to lift Oilers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

Draisaitl's NHL record-tying third overtime goal of the playoffs gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.
Cristiano Ronald celebrates with Nuno Mendes during Portugal's Nations League win over Germany in Munich on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jun 5, 2025

Portugal heaps praise on Cristiano Ronaldo after Nations League win

Ronaldo came into the tournament amid swirling doubts about his future at the club level, with the veteran's contract at Saudi side Al-Nassr set to expire at the end of June.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, meet with survivors of the war as they visit the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum in Itoman on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2025

Imperial family mourns WWII victims in two-day visit to Okinawa

The visit was Princess Aiko's first to Okinawa, which reflected the imperial couple's wish that memories of the war be passed onto the next generation.
The trouble between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 6, 2025

Trump and Musk trade barbs on social media as alliance crumbles

Within hours of Trump criticizing Musk in the Oval Office, the once-close relationship had disintegrated in full public view.
Takuya Haraguchi, head of ReFruits, speaks while looking at the kiwifruit vine at his farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. A newcomer to farming, he hopes to revive the area by growing kiwifruits in this former no-go zone.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2025

'Moving forward': the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits

Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there.
Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu (left) reacts after the loss against Australia in Perth on Thursday.
SOCCER
Jun 6, 2025

Moriyasu mourns end of unbeaten run after loss to Australia

"It ended up being an extremely frustrating and disappointing result," Moriyasu told reporters.
Canada defender Alphonso Davies (left) dribbles the ball during the second half of a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal match against Mexico at SoFi Stadium in California on Mar. 20.
SOCCER
Jun 6, 2025

Soccer surging in Canada a year from World Cup hosting

Data ranks soccer as the most popular sport among Canadian youth and, while the country retains its love for ice hockey, families increasingly struggle to take part.
Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate for South Korea's conservative People Power Party, listens to Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the party, as he attends an election campaign rally in central Seoul on May 19.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 6, 2025

South Korean conservatives looking for rebirth after election loss

The defeat has left conservative leaders pointing fingers and trading blame as the party searches for a new direction.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to the media as he inspects a warehouse storing stockpiled rice in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 30.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 6, 2025

From ridicule to redemption: Rice crisis returns Koizumi to the spotlight

The lawmaker, sometimes said to be long on image and short on substance, has won praise for bringing down the price of rice.
Keita Ueno (right), the owner of Kiki Driving School and an instructor who supports both foreign nationals and Japanese citizens returning from abroad in getting their foreign driver’s licenses converted, is worried about the current lax system for the process.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jun 6, 2025

Accidents raise concern over how Japan vets foreign drivers

A driving school owner points out that traffic signs could carry different meanings in other countries, and driving standards might vary significantly.
The Eggplant, Trang Pepper and Mole dish encapsulates Igniv Bangkok's philosophy of weaving Thai ingredients into its creative Swiss food.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 8, 2025

With Igniv Bangkok, the Thai capital’s fine dining scene gets a boost

The progressive Swiss restaurant is emblematic of the city’s evolution toward a diverse gourmet destination that includes choices from modern German to creative Japanese.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear