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Environmental activist Paul Watson waves after getting released from prison in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2024

Japan 'regrets' release of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson

The 74-year-old Canadian-American activist was released after Copenhagen turned down Tokyo's request to bring him to Japan.
A rebel fighter stands in front of an abandoned tank in the town of Adra on the northeast outskirts of Damascus on Monday.
WORLD
Dec 18, 2024

Conflict in Syria 'has not ended,' U.N. warns

The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria has warned of "significant hostilities" already witnessed there between Turkish-backed and Kurdish fighters.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak with evacuated people at Wajima Junior High School in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2024

Emperor and Empress mourn flood victims in Wajima

Four people were killed in the September floods, including a 14-year-old junior high school student.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami reviews military equipment during an IRGC ground forces military drill in the Aras area, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, on Oct. 17, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2024

Iran's Revolutionary Guards extend control of oil exports, sources say

All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards.
The U.S.-China relationship will be better served by collaboration, not acrimony. The moment for better ties could come next year when President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2024

The Trump-Xi bromance has a chance in 2025

It was a smart move by the U.S. president-elect to invite Xi to his inauguration, but future attempts need to be more than just empty gestures to make a real difference.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea leader James Marape address a news conference in Sydney on Dec. 12.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2024

Australia shows how smart diplomacy is done

Recent deals reflect the laser focus the Australian government is devoting to its closest neighbors and a bureaucratic reorganization that translates into action.
Current Sapporo Holdings President Masaki Oga (left) and the next President Hiroshi Tokimatsu, currently executive group managing officer, shake hands on Wednesday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2024

Hiroshi Tokimatsu named next president of Sapporo Holdings

Tokimatsu, 62, will also become president of Sapporo Breweries.
Rivers and canals meander through many of the townships in Ningbo, with some homes built close to the water.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

Can China shield the biggest uninsured economy from floods?

Only about 10% of Chinese families have a home insurance policy, compared to nearly 90% in the U.S.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands at the official residence of the NATO secretary-general in Brussels on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

Europe's conundrum: How to fund defense spending

All potential options come with their own challenges, such as fiscal pressures, political resistance or funding costs.
While ByteDance faces a possible TikTok ban in the U.S. and China targets Nvidia, tensions escalate, posing risks for global tech companies caught in the conflict.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2024

From TikTok to Nvidia, the tech war is getting uglier

While ByteDance faces a possible TikTok ban in the U.S. and China targets Nvidia, tensions escalate, posing risks for global tech companies caught in the conflict.
Muharram Idris, a former commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), near Banda Aceh, Indonesia's Aceh province, on Nov. 22. Idris once led 3,000 men to fight Indonesia's army in separatist Aceh, but now serves as a local official after the legacy of a devastating tsunami two decades ago brought peace to the province.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

'Peace was born': How the 2004 tsunami changed Indonesia's Aceh

The giant waves that engulfed the impoverished province killed tens of thousand — and paved the way for an end to three decades of conflict.
When chef Yoshihiro Kitagawa returned to his hometown of Matsusaka to open Shibousai Kitagawa in 2015, he chose a tranquil location on the rural fringe of the city.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Dec 22, 2024

Shibousai Kitagawa: Creative Chinese in the home of Matsusaka wagyu

Alongside the superlative array of vegetable appetizers, a focal point at Shibousai Kitagawa is the revered local Matsusaka wagyu.
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 22, 2024

A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year

In addition to wordplay, color and shape often determine the reason why certain foods are part of Japan’s New Year holiday menu.
Self-Defense Force members march in formation at Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, during a ceremony on Nov. 9.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 21, 2024

Japan ready to improve working conditions for SDF members

Improving working conditions for the members "is a serious challenge" for his administration, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers.
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 22, 2024

North Korea aiding Russia where it needs it most, Canadian general says

Pyongyang's provision of troops as well as weapons and munitions that Moscow can't produce fast enough carries a symbolic element.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky delivers a speech during a handover ceremony of Self-Defense Force vehicles to Ukraine, at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, in May last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 22, 2024

Zelenskyy to replace Ukraine ambassador to Japan

Sergiy Korsunsky played a key role in galvanizing Tokyo’s support for Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Protesters behead a statue of Saddam Hussein's predecessor, Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr, president of Iraq from 1968 to 1979, in Baghdad's al-Mansur district in May 2003, erasing one of the last symbols of the Baath Party's 35-year regime.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2024

Can lessons from Iraq's regime change be applied in Syria?

If regional tensions escalate, disruptions to energy supplies could impact global markets, including Japan, which remains disengaged despite the mounting crisis.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 23, 2024

Trump upending global politics a month before taking office

While it’s not unusual for political leaders at home and abroad to jockey for the ear of an incoming president, the scale of Trump’s pre-inauguration influence is vast.
Bernhard Langer and son Jason Langer at the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Dec 23, 2024

Team Langer beats Team Woods in PNC Championship playoff

The day will perhaps best be remembered for Charlie Woods' first-ever hole-in-one.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 23, 2024

For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani

The superstar was the center of attention for almost a full calendar year during a season straight out of a Hollywood movie.
Stefan Kaufmann, former president and CEO of Olympus
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2024

Ten months sought for ex-Olympus CEO Kaufmann over drugs

Stefan Kaufmann said that the allegations against him are all true, in the first hearing of his lay-judge trial at the Tokyo District Court.
People look at flowers and candles left as a tribute for the victims of the "Alter Markt" Christmas market on Monday, after a man drove a car into the crowd through an emergency exit route on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 24, 2024

Germany probing possible security lapses after Christmas market attack

Saudi Arabia had given Germany warnings about the suspect as far back as 2023, which German authorities investigated but found vague.
Then U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz runs up the East Capitol stairs as the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown approaches on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 30, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2024

Matt Gaetz found to have paid for sex and drugs, and obstructed U.S. Congress

Matt Gaetz was found to have paid $90,000 to 12 women, a substantial portion of which the panel found was likely for either sexual activity or drug use.
Singapore's central business district in January 2023. The city-state’s supportive digital-asset environment has been credited with making it a "safe, long-term choice” for a regional hub.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 24, 2024

Singapore pulls ahead of Hong Kong in race to be crypto hub

The Southeast Asian city-state doled out 13 cryptocurrency licenses in 2024 to a range of operators, more than double its awards in 2023.
Han Duck-soo, South Korean Prime Minister, gives a speech during an event in Seoul on May 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 24, 2024

South Korean opposition seeks to impeach acting president Han

The exact timing of the impeachment proposal against Han will be decided after an internal party review, report says.
A North Korean soldier watches his South Korean counterparts at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone. South Korea's political crisis, with President Yoon's impeachment, threatens U.S. influence while boosting opportunities for China and North Korea to expand their influence.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2024

Beijing and Pyongyang will exploit South Korea's turmoil

The geopolitical landscape in the region may soon become less friendly to the U.S.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 24, 2024

Under Cambodia’s new leader, room for dissent narrows

While Prime Minister Hun Manet has often spoken of the need for independent media and civil society in Cambodia, his government has moved in the opposite direction.
David Nemecek
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2024

The star dealmakers remaking the rules of corporate debt

The world of liability management is a small, aggressive and, thus far, male-dominated corner of corporate finance.
Volunteers place eelgrass seeds on slabs of agar gel with tweezers during an event in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, on Nov. 9.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2024

Seagrass bed restoration work spreads in Miyagi Prefecture

Seagrass and seaweed beds are capturing global attention as they absorb carbon dioxide.
The government will raise adjustment allowances for public school teachers, paid instead of overtime, for the first time since the special measures law on salaries of public school teachers came into force in 1972.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2024

Japan decides on 10% boost to teacher allowances

The hike, expected to start in January 2026, would be the first since the law came into force in 1972.

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