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Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 9, 2024

Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?

How serious is the situation, and what should people do in the days to come? Here’s what you need to know.
Soldiers look at a bomb shelter painted like a forest at the Nova memorial site in Re’im, Israel, in April.
WORLD
Aug 12, 2024

Israel bolsters infrastructure defense amid Iranian threats

Israel is so reliant on technology that the country has earned the nickname "Start-Up Nation.”
Takuya Yokota, who leads the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, speaks during an event to spread awareness of the abduction issue among junior high school students on Aug. 9 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 12, 2024

Government ramps up efforts to raise awareness on North Korean abductions

There are concerns that the issue, which has dragged on for decades, is slipping from the public’s awareness, particularly among younger generations.
A container-sized cabin produced by Zheng Weirong's company
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 13, 2024

Chinese swap handbags for trips as ‘experience economy’ booms

Consumer spending in China is still constrained by modest income growth and falling home prices, which make homeowners feel less wealthy overall.
Designed by Bob Foundation in collaboration with Sugita Ace, the Sonaete series of disaster preparedness kits are packaged in bags, boxes and pouches that look attractive in homes.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 13, 2024

Stylish emergency goods can save precious seconds when disaster strikes

Eye-catching go bags, canary-inspired whistles and more aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness items you'll want to keep within arm's reach.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (second right) takes part in the inauguration ceremony for the Deep Tech Lab - Quantum in Copenhagen on Sept. 29.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2024

The growing strategic race in emerging technologies

Japan’s security and trading partners are increasingly serious about developing quantum capabilities. Japan has to do more to both keep pace.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’

The surprise move came amid growing criticism from rank-and-file party members and bad poll numbers.
What began as a nonviolent student protest against Bangladesh’s highly politicized system of public-sector job quotas quickly escalated into an anti-government Gen Z revolution.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2024

The fall of Bangladesh’s iron lady

What began as a student protest against the country’s highly politicized system of public-sector job quotas quickly escalated into an anti-government Gen Z revolution.
Considering there is another full year left before the current term of the Lower House expires, Fumio Kishida’s announcement he is standing down as the Liberal Democratic Party's leader has many wondering why.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 15, 2024

With Kishida’s sudden departure, who will lead Japan?

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s unexpected decision to not seek reelection has prompted a leadership race within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
An electronic signboard at Tokyo Station displays information about a megaquake alert last Saturday. The government lifted the alert on Thursday but urged continued vigilance.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2024

Japan lifts megaquake alert after no major seismic activity detected

Authorities note that although the alert is lifted, a large-scale earthquake remains a possibility.
Japan is divided into many different regions, sometimes distinguishing areas of the country by old borders or climate.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 16, 2024

When it comes to Japan, do you know your 'Kanto' from your 'Kanto-koshin'?

Japanese people tend to travel to their hometowns around this time of year, and asking where they went is an easy conversation starter.
A college student paints graffiti on a wall at Dhaka university in the capital on Monday following weeks of student-led protests that toppled autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 17, 2024

Bangladesh student protesters eye new party to cement their revolution

Their hope is to avoid a repeat of the last 15 years, in which Sheikh Hasina ruled the country of some 170 million people with an iron fist.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 17, 2024

How Trump’s intimidation tactics have reshaped the Republican Party

Those seen as disloyal to Trump and his Make America Great Again agenda have been the target of threats by his most ardent supporters.
Thailand's new prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, addresses supporters after receiving a royal endorsement from Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn to become the country's 31st prime minister, at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters in Bangkok on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 18, 2024

Thai king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister

Paetongtarn, 37, becomes Thailand's youngest prime minister just days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by the Constitutional Court.
Graffiti was found on the pillar bearing Yasukuni Shrine’s name and at its base at the Tokyo shrine's entrance Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2024

Pillar at entrance to war-linked Yasukuni Shrine vandalized again

Staff discovered Chinese characters for “toilet” and various letters of the English alphabet written on the pillar bearing the shrine’s name on Monday.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi at a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 19, 2024

CDP and JCP leaders reaffirm need for cooperation in Lower House poll

The leaders of the two parties agreed that the next election will be an important opportunity to topple the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition.
Despite the deep pessimism about the Gaza cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, many parties involved, including the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, the Gulf States, Lebanon and Iran, stand to gain from an end to the hostilities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 16, 2024

Only agents of chaos want more war in Gaza

It took a decade for the U.S. to catch Osama bin Laden after al-Qaida’s 9/11 attacks; Israel may need to wait on catching Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar, too.
Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onstage during a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday after Kennedy announced he was suspending his campaign.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspends White House bid and endorses Trump

Analysts are mixed on the effect Kennedy's exit will have on the presidential race and how much of his supporters will gravitate to Trump or Harris.
A banner is displayed by Northern Ireland fans in protest against the redevelopment of Casement Park for use in Euro 2028, at Windsor Park in Belfast last October.
SOCCER
Aug 24, 2024

Derelict stadium for Euro 2028 highlights Belfast’s bitter divide

The issue is stirring up old divisions and proving to be an early headache for the Labour government.
A Hezbollah drone is intercepted by the Israeli Air Force over the country's north on Sunday.
WORLD
Aug 25, 2024

Israel says strikes in Lebanon thwarted large-scale Hezbollah attack

Around 100 Israeli jets struck more than 40 Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon, destroying thousands of launcher barrels, the Israeli military said.
Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike between the southern Lebanese border villages of Zibqin and Yater on Sunday.
WORLD
Aug 26, 2024

Middle East on edge after Israel bombs Lebanon in preemptive strike

Israeli officials said they had precise intelligence Hezbollah was about to fire missiles at northern Israel and aim drones at a key intelligence center.
Digital minister Taro Kono speaks during a news conference to announce his candidacy in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 26, 2024

Taro Kono joins contest for LDP presidency

Touting his international credentials, the digital minister put economic reform at the top of his agenda, pledging to cut publicly funded projects that are ineffective.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 27, 2024

Japan calls Chinese military aircraft incursion 'unacceptable' threat to safety

Officials are grappling with the rationale for and response to the entry into Japanese airspace off Nagasaki Prefecture.
Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2024

Trump adds former Democrats RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard to transition team

Trump's move risks reinforcing criticism that he is embracing figures espousing fringe or extreme views in his bid to return to power.
Lower House member Manabu Horii
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 28, 2024

Scandal-hit former LDP member Manabu Horii announces resignation as lawmaker

"I've ended up trampling on the trust placed on me by each vote, entirely due to my lack of law-abiding spirit. So I decided to quit," he said.
The government has decided to continue offering subsidies to curb electricity, gas and gasoline bills until the end of this year.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2024

Japan to spend additional ¥980 billion to curb energy bills

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that his Cabinet plans to approve the additional spending on Sept. 3.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the second CDP lawmaker to join the leadership contest after party veteran Yukio Edano announced his decision to run last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 29, 2024

Noda announces CDP leadership bid with eye on a comeback for the opposition

The former prime minister emphasized that a certain degree of experience is required to tackle the challenges Japan is facing.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2024

Japan raises view of economy for first time in 15 months

The Cabinet Office said in its August report that the economy is recovering at a moderate pace, and only parts of it are pausing.
Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki celebrates after winning gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
PARALYMPICS / Swimming
Aug 30, 2024

Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki wins Japan's first gold medal at Paris Paralympics

Suzuki, who has 10 medals from the past five Paralympic Games, added a gold to his already impressive medal cabinet.
Big Blue head coach Mike Phair (front, right) participates in the X League 2024 Season Kickoff news conference.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 30, 2024

Japan ties guide veteran NFL coach Mike Phair to Big Blue in X League

The Arizona native had long been thinking about rekindling his involvement with Japanese football.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?