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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as Vice President JD Vance looks on during a meeting with President Donald Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the White House in Washington on April 14. Rubio and his aides shut down a State Department office on Wednesday that tracks and counters global disinformation from foreign actors, including the governments of China, Russia and Iran, U.S. officials said.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

U.S. State Department closing office targeting foreign disinformation

The GEC had come under intense criticism from some Republicans who said it was straying from its mission, accusing it of disfavoring opinions by conservative media in particular.
Tourists look at skulls of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime in a stupa at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields Memorial in Phnom Penh on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2025

Khmer Rouge anniversary marked, but without public prayers

The 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s march into Phnom Penh passed without survivor-led ceremonies.
A vegetable stand displays prices at a supermarket in Tokyo in 2023. Some lawmakers are proposing lowering the consumption tax on food to 0%, which is expected to result in a loss of up to ¥5 trillion in tax revenue annually.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2025

LDP and CDP lawmaker groups propose 0% consumption tax on food

Reducing the tax to 0% is expected to result in a loss of up to ¥5 trillion in tax revenue annually.
A revised child welfare bill passed the Upper House plenary session on Friday as cases of child abuse rise.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 18, 2025

New bill blocks visitations for parents suspected of child abuse

The revision to the child welfare law is intended to protect children in cases where contact with their parents could cause emotional or physical harm.
The Tokyo version of the globe-trotting exhibition features a Ministry of Magic set, which includes an imposing replica of the Magic Is Might monument representing magical fascism.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 18, 2025

Calling all Potterheads: ‘The Goblet of Fire’ comes to Tokyo

The grand scale and attention to detail is likely to impress — just make sure to withdraw some galleons at Gringotts before coming.
The proposal reportedly calls for a legal framework that would obligate telecom operators to store communication records for a fixed period.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2025

LDP proposal would require telecom companies to store usage records

The proposal calls for a legal framework that would obligate telecom operators to store metadata and usage records for a fixed period.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass speaks to reporters on Friday in Tokyo just after he arrived at Haneda Airport.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2025

New U.S. envoy arrives in Japan with focus on trade, defense and reining in China

Ambassador George Glass said Washington will aim to deepen cooperation with Tokyo on pushing back against China's economic and military moves.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2025

Japan defense chief says 'no reason' to change current U.S. troop deal

Gen Nakatani said that spending “is appropriately shared between the Japanese and U.S. governments based on mutual agreement, with a set time frame.”
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

Israel's military finds 'professional failures' in killings of Gaza medics

Fifteen paramedics and other rescue workers were shot dead on March 23 in three separate shootings at the same location near Rafah.
Rescue personnel search for survivors trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangkok on April 2, five days after an earthquake struck central Myanmar and Thailand. Thai authorities say they have arrested a Chinese executive at a company that was building the skyscraper.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 21, 2025

Exec linked to Bangkok building collapse arrested

The skyscraper was the only major building in the capital to fall in the catastrophic March 28 earthquake.
A draft executive order circulating among U.S. diplomats proposes a radical reduction to and restructuring of the U.S. State Department, which, if implemented, would be one of the biggest reorganizations of the department since its founding.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

Trump draft proposes radical reshaping of U.S. State Department

The order would eliminate dozens of positions and departments, including those dealing with climate, refugees, democracy and Africa.
Thunder guard Cason Wallace dunks against the Grizzlies during the second quarter in Game 1 of their playoff series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Sunday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 21, 2025

Thunder open playoff campaign with record victory

The Thunder's 51-point margin of victory was even more remarkable given that Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his statistically worst performance of the season.
Takaaki Nezu, executive director of Maruto Group Holdings, says it is the company’s social responsibility to help tackle the falling birth rate.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
May 5, 2025

Fukushima firms seek ways to encourage marriages

One supermarket chain has said such moves reflect a corporate responsibility to tackle the nation’s chronically low birth rate.
Candles and flowers are placed next to images of the late Pope Francis at the entrance of the Buenos Aires Cathedral on Monday.
WORLD / Society
Apr 22, 2025

What happens after the pope dies?

The Catholic Church will first enter a period known as "Sede Vacante," during which a senior cardinal takes over day-to-day affairs.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a government meeting on crime prevention measures at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2025

In fight against fraud, Japan seeks new weapon: undercover bank accounts

The government is looking to allow the police to set up bank accounts under false names to track the movement of funds obtained by fraudsters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the current front lines.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

Ukraine presses for ceasefire as Russia reported to offer concession

Both sides are trying to demonstrate progress toward ending the war after U.S. President Donald Trump said he could walk away from peace talks if there is no breakthrough.
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola during his club's match against Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2025

Guardiola calls season 'bad' even with Champions League within reach

City took a big step toward securing European qualification with its 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa on Tuesday.
A combination of images released on April 15 illustrate the end jig passing through the isolation valve during the second fuel debris trial retrieval at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2025

Second debris removal trial at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is completed

High radiation levels mean removing melted fuel and other debris from the plant is seen as the most daunting challenge in the decommissioning project.
Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, poses with a "Make America Great Again" cap at the White House in Washington on April 16.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 23, 2025

Japan wants to 'separate' tariff and security issues. That may be tough.

Disentangling the two will prove a challenge as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to voice long-held complaints about the alliance’s fairness.
Ukrainian service members fire a multiple rocket launch system toward Russian troops near the frontline town of Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on April 19.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 24, 2025

Trump ramps up pressure on Zelenskyy to accept peace deal

U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace deal that critics fear will favor Moscow.
Rory McIlroy celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Georgia, on April 13.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Apr 24, 2025

Rory McIlroy moved by way Masters win resonated with fans

The Northern Irishman completed the career Grand Slam 10 days ago at the Masters, with an emotional playoff win over England's Justin Rose.
Elon Musk confirmed plans on Tuesday to reduce his government time commitment to one or two days a week to focus on his battered car company Tesla.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 24, 2025

Trump's Cabinet ready to take back power with Musk stepping back, sources say

Elon Musk plans to reduce his government time commitment to one or two days a week to focus on his battered car company, Tesla.
The government plans to send Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to the funeral of Pope Francis.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2025

Japan plans to send foreign minister to pope's funeral

The head of the Catholic Church died Monday at the age of 88. His funeral is due to take place at the Vatican on Saturday.
Once known only by his first name, Sasuke Haraguchi scrapped the pretension of a crafted image for bare authenticity. He’s now an in-demand electronic producer and artist in his own right.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 25, 2025

Sasuke Haraguchi’s provocative soundtracks for digital natives

The 21-year-old electronic producer and artist taps into the chaotic nature of modern online life.
Emergency workers search for victims under the rubble of an apartment building that was destroyed by a Russian missile strike early Thursday in Kyiv. The attack, which killed at least 12 people, was the deadliest on Ukraine’s capital in nearly a year.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 25, 2025

Trump tells Putin to 'STOP' after Russian attack kills 12 in Kyiv

The rare rebuke from the U.S. president came after Moscow launched its biggest attack this year on the Ukrainian capital.
The scallop carpaccio with strawberries is a harmonious blend of flavors and textures, and one of the standout recipes in "Umai: Recipes From a Japanese Home Kitchen."
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 26, 2025

A modern Japanese cookbook that is ‘a beautiful mess’

With an easygoing tone, Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares’ first cookbook is a vibrant Japanese culinary guide that speaks to a globalized generation.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food in Tokyo gained 3.4% in April from a year earlier, as a mixture of impacts from last year’s school fee cuts and higher food and energy costs accelerated inflation, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 25, 2025

Tokyo prices rise most in two years, backing central bank's hike path

Consumer prices excluding fresh food gained 3.4% in April from a year earlier. Tokyo's figures are a leading indicator for national price gains.
Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday.
TENNIS
Apr 25, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Madrid Open with eye on French Open defense

Alcaraz sustained an injury during the Barcelona Open final.
Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda after a meeting in Beijing last month
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 25, 2025

Toyota chairman proposes record buyout of its supplier at $42 billion valuation

The proposal values Toyota Industries, which makes looms for textiles as well as parts for Toyota’s cars, at a premium of 40% over its closing stock price on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff prior to their talks in Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 26, 2025

Trump says Russia-Ukraine deal 'very close' after new Kremlin talks

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again rejected suggestions that his country give up on Russian-held Crimea.

Longform

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