Search - 2023

 
 
Demonstrators with signs stand around the John Harvard Statue in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following a rally against U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks on Harvard University on April 17.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2025

Trump administration freezes future grants to Harvard

The U.S. president has targeted the university over allegations of antisemitism on campus during pro-Palestinian protests.
The Osaka city board of education organized classes in which elementary school students disassembled devices slated for disposal and learned about the recycling of the rare metals contained in them last November.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 6, 2025

Disposal questions arise as student learning devices need replacing in Japan

The Osaka city board of education organized classes in which elementary school students disassembled devices slated for disposal.
OpenAI had backpedaled on plans to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 6, 2025

OpenAI dials back conversion plan, with nonprofit to retain control

The announcement follows a storm of criticism and legal challenges, including a high-profile lawsuit filed by rival and co-founder Elon Musk.
Israeli soldiers work on a mobile cannon at a position near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2025

Hamas says Gaza truce talks pointless as Israel wages 'hunger war'

The comments from a senior Hamas official followed Israel's approval of a military plan involving the "conquest" of Gaza, where nearly all 2.3 million people have been displaced.
Opinion polls show popular support for Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has risen further above President Tayyip Erdogan since he was detained and jailed in March.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2025

Popular support for jailed Istanbul mayor grows, polls show

Two surveys released in recent days suggest that Imamoglu's detention on March 19 has also reinforced views that he is Erdogan's main rival in any future presidential vote.
Smoke billows up at Sanaa Airport in Yemen after Israeli military warplanes struck the Houthi rebel-held capital on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2025

U.S. and Yemen's Houthis agree to ceasefire

The deal comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would end attacks against the Houthis after the rebels agreed to stop harassing ships.
The global shipping industry is also contending with U.S. measures beyond the barrage of levies.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2025

World’s trade superhighway feels strain from U.S.-China decoupling

Among signs of disruption are plunging fees, fewer services and a pall of uncertainty over what for decades has been one the main maritime highways of the global economy.
Kazuo Sumi, former president and chairman of railway operator Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
JAPAN
May 7, 2025

Ex-Hankyu Hanshin Holdings chief Kazuo Sumi dies at 76

The Kansai native died at his house in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 26.
Tatsumi Onose (right), who plays the part of Commodore Matthew Perry in Shimoda's Black Ship Festival, says the historical episode the event is based on should be remembered for its positives more than its negatives.
LIFE / Travel
May 8, 2025

Celebrating Japan’s defeat at Shimoda’s Black Ship Festival

Held this year from May 16 to 18, an event to the south of Tokyo turns a historical episode of national humiliation into a plain old good time.
An Israeli military vehicle patrols on the Israeli side of the Gaza border on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 8, 2025

U.S. and Israel discuss possible U.S.-led administration for Gaza, sources say

There would be no fixed timeline for how long such a U.S.-led administration would last, which would depend on the situation on the ground.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House, the greenback is down more than 9% against a basket of major currencies as investors pull back from owning U.S. assets.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 8, 2025

Ukraine considers shift from dollar to euro amid geopolitical realignments

"This work is complex and requires high-quality, versatile preparation," Central Bank Gov. Andriy Pyshnyi said.
Akio Toyoda’s $42 billion plan to buy Toyota Industries is one of the examples in a recent wave of management buyout ambitions in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2025

Japan’s tycoon families seek buyouts to evade investor pressure

The desire to delist stems from mounting pressure public companies face from investors and the threat of being acquired.
Takaji Wakita, deputy head of the Japan Institute for Health Security, speaks during an interview on April 21 in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 8, 2025

Japan bolsters pandemic readiness with new health crisis institute

The Japan Institute for Health Security represents the centerpiece of a strengthened framework designed to apply lessons from the early missteps of the COVID-19 crisis.
Veterans in France. For over a dozen NATO members, pensions make up a large — and largely overlooked — chunk of their defense budgets.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 8, 2025

Europe's costly military pensions complicate defense buildup

For over a dozen NATO members, pensions make up a large — and largely overlooked — chunk of their defense budgets.
Tokyo-based satellite maker Axelspace's initial public offering is expected to be approved by the Tokyo Stock Exchange later this month, people with knowledge of the matter said.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2025

Axelspace is latest Japan space startup to seek IPO, sources say

If successful, it would be the fifth such listing of a Japanese spacecraft venture over the last two years.
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025 was bustling with participants of various nationalities Thursday, and multiple languages could be heard around the room as many engaged in conversations throughout the day.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 8, 2025

SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025 expands to become one of Asia's largest startup events

This year, the conference — focused on sustainable cities and high technology — feels bigger and more global.
Bill Gates, who pledged on Thursday to give away almost his entire personal wealth in the next two decades and said the world's poorest would receive some $200 billion via his foundation, during an interview in New York City, on Thursday
BUSINESS
May 9, 2025

Bill Gates says Musk is 'killing' world's poorest children by cutting aid

Bill Gates has pledged to give away $200 billion via his charitable foundation by 2045.
A J-10C fighter jet
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 9, 2025

Pakistan hails role of Chinese jets in repelling India strikes

Hostilities between India and Pakistan have escalated since an April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians in the Indian-controlled part of the territory.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Viktorija Golubic during their match at the Italian Open in Rome on Thursday.
TENNIS
May 9, 2025

Naomi Osaka takes inspiration from Andre Agassi as clay court season heats up

Osaka said her decision to play in Saint-Malo was inspired by Agassi.
St. Mary of the Assumption, the church where Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, used to attend while growing up in Chicago, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
May 9, 2025

Chicago celebrates its native son's elevation to pope

The election of former Cardinal Robert Prevost has sparked questions on a range of topics, from the future of his papacy to which baseball club he supports.
Wings guard Paige Bueckers, seen during media day, was the top pick in the 2025 draft.
BASKETBALL
May 9, 2025

Paige Bueckers and Wings to measure success in terms of growth

The UConn star and No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft could play a major role in revitalizing a Dallas franchise that missed the playoffs in 2024 with a 9-31 record.
Hoshoryu (right) practices against Kotozakura at Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 2.
SUMO
May 9, 2025

Hoshoryu dominates rivals in practice, but real test awaits at May Basho

Sumo is a sport where practice results are unreliable if taken as a predictor of future success.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano throws in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 10, 2025

Tomoyuki Sugano's gem vs. Angels helps O's halt skid

Sugano (4-2), who played 12 seasons in Japan before signing a one-year, $13 million contract with the Orioles, pitched his best game in the majors.
A stolen Kanzeon Bodhisattva statue in Daejeon, central South Korea, in January
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 11, 2025

Stolen Buddha statue handed over to Japan in South Korea

South Korea's Supreme Court recognized the Japanese temple's ownership of the statue in 2023, rejecting claims that it was stolen by Japanese pirates in the 14th century.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer address the media after trade talks with China in Geneva on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025

U.S. and China cite ‘substantial progress’ in Geneva trade talks

U.S. negotiators described "substantial progress" and also said details would be announced Monday.
Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of hostage Edan Alexander, points at the portrait of her grandson at Kibbutz Nir Oz, in southern Israel on April 20.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025

Hamas says it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander

Israeli officials said that their offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarized.
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal takes a shot during his team's match against Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday.
SOCCER
May 12, 2025

Barcelona stages thrilling rally to top Real Madrid and move to brink of title

Barcelona battled back to claim a fourth "clasico" victory from four meetings this season, showing its dominance over Carlo Ancelotti's side.
A median estimate of economists shows Japan's gross domestic product likely shrank by 0.3% in the January-March quarter on an annualized basis.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025

Japan’s sputtering economy likely stalled before Trump’s tariffs

Gross domestic product adjusted for inflation shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter on an annualized basis, according to economists.
A former nonregular government employee, who cooked lunch for a public school in the Tohoku region, says she was dismissed after she was made to take an open recruitment exam.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
May 19, 2025

Civil service contract workers fear lack of job security

Contracted civil servants are paid about half the salaries of regular staff or even less, and a fear of being dismissed hangs over their heads.
Exports in fiscal 2024 climbed 4.1% from the previous year to ¥106.24 trillion, led by shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and vehicles.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025

Japan's FY2024 current account surplus hits record ¥30 trillion

A weaker yen boosted dividend and interest flows from overseas, a Finance Ministry report showed.

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