Search - 2023

 
 
Hiroshi Masuda (left), head of the Memorial Museum for Soldiers, Detainees in Siberia, and Postwar Repatriates, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Japanese war memorial network unites to pass on memories to youth

The facilities will work on strengthening their capabilities to disseminate information and provide content for schools.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025

Japan’s record tax haul leaves questions over Ishiba’s handout pledge

Ishiba’s plan to distribute cash handouts of ¥20,000 per adult is expected to cost around ¥3.5 trillion, according to his Liberal Democratic Party.
A port near Shanghai. Beijing has often responded to actions it opposes with targeted trade measures.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2025

Beijing braces for U.S. trade deals that aim to shut out China

China is becoming increasingly wary of U.S. efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains.
Naomi Osaka says she feels more comfortable on grass after reaching the third round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jul 3, 2025

Naomi Osaka finds comfort zone at Wimbledon after once being 'paralyzed' by fear

Osaka won her first two matches in straight sets.
Microsoft’s gaming division began cutting hundreds of employees on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 3, 2025

Microsoft makes deep Xbox job cuts and cancels games

Microsoft announced Wednesday that it’s eliminating 9,000 workers companywide in its second wave of layoffs this year.
Andriy Ilkiv, head of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Department of the National Police in Lviv Oblast, shows his prosthetic leg against the backdrop of the GCS-200 demining complex near the village of Zaliman, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on May 2.
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025

Demining Ukraine: from drones to risking it with a rake

The drones which have revolutionized the way war is fought in Ukraine may also now become a game-changer in demining the country.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after his victory over Oliver Tarvet at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jul 3, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka sidestep rash of upsets at Wimbledon

Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club.
The rise of China’s DeepSeek-R1, a low-cost, high-performance open-source AI model, has challenged the belief that only nations with vast computational resources can lead in artificial intelligence, signaling a shift in global AI power dynamics.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 3, 2025

A ‘Sputnik’ moment in the global AI race

Much remains uncertain about DeepSeek’s LLM and its capabilities should not be overestimated — but its release nevertheless has sparked intense discussion.
Albin Enbacke is among the train drivers responsible for ferrying iron ore from the Kiruna mine.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Sweden’s arctic railway prepares for a more militarized future

Should Finland’s border with Russia ever become an active front, the track would be one of the best ways for NATO to transport vehicles and supplies.
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity

Authorities said there was no risk of tsunami and there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Palestinians inspect the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2025

Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza

Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
Children look at smoldering debris at Mustafa Hafez school, which sheltered Palestinians displaced by the war, following an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2025

Gazans reel from Israeli strike on school-turned-shelter

Many Gazans have sought shelter in school buildings, but these have repeatedly come under Israeli attacks that the military says target Hamas militants hiding among civilians.
Karuizawa Distillers, which runs Komoro Distillery in Nagano Prefecture, has teamed up with the city of Furano and real estate developer Seibu Group to open a whisky distillery in Furano.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 4, 2025

Beyond the lavender fields in Furano, a whisky distillery emerges

The region has teamed up with Karuizawa Distillers and property developer Seibu Group to build a state-of-the-art facility to make single malts.
Shuhei Nakata, president of Nakata Kogei — a wooden-hanger maker in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture — says a revised work evaluation system and a strict policy against workplace harassment has helped to attract women to the company.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 14, 2025

Fukushima looks to local initiatives to combat population decline

The measures will bring the area in line with other parts of Japan that are proactively trying to retain residents.
Al Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi speaks during a news conference in Orlando on July 3.
SOCCER
Jul 4, 2025

New managers making mark at Club World Cup

As the tournament progresses, the early success of these new managerial appointments suggests that fresh ideas and bold decisions can reshape even the most storied teams.
UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar rides during the team presentation ahead of the Tour de France in Lille, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 4, 2025

Tadej Pogacar expresses respect for Tour de France rival Jonas Vingegaard

The 26-year-old Slovenian won the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world title in 2024 and is the hot favorite again.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange wants more exchange-traded funds and a wider variety of such offerings.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 4, 2025

Forming an ETF just got easier in Japan with new white-label service

Japan Asset Management Platform handles many of the formalities and much of the necessary operations for fund managers.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya explains his campaign promises in Tokyo on June 30 for the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s Do It Yourself Party: Who we are and where we are headed

Our core philosophy is “to protect Japan’s national interests and bring about harmony in the world.”
Inflation is surprisingly strong, increasing the possibility that the Bank of Japan will raise its interest rate by the end of the year, according to Tsutomu Watanabe, an emeritus economics professor at the University of Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2025

Japan's inflation is outpacing BOJ's view, expert says

The remarks of Tsutomu Watanabe, a former central bank official, are likely to feed market expectations for another interest rate hike this year.
Farmers spray herbicide at Kazuhachi Hosaka's rice farm in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, on June 19.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2025

In reversal, Japan now wants rice farmers to produce more. Will it work?

The new direction has taken on an unexpected urgency as Japan grapples with a shortage of the all-important staple.
Naomi Osaka after losing her third round match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Wimbledon on Friday.
TENNIS
Jul 4, 2025

Osaka out of Wimbledon as Pavlyuchenkova battles back

Osaka was in a strong position after taking the first set, but her bid to finally make the last 16 imploded as Pavlyuchenkova mounted a comeback.
Naomi Osaka serves to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during their third round match at Wimbledon on Friday.
TENNIS
Jul 5, 2025

Osaka still dreams of glory despite latest Wimbledon disappointment

Osaka blew a golden opportunity to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time as she was beaten by Russian world No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Brave Blossoms players celebrate after Japan beat Wales on Saturday in Kitakyushu.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jul 5, 2025

Brave Blossoms extend Wales losing streak to 18 with 24-19 win

Japan fought its way back into the game after a slow start to earn the win in Kitakyushu.
The share of households with children in Japan slid 1.5 points from the year before to a record low of 16.6%.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2025

Record 80% of Japanese mothers are employed

The latest survey also found that 58.9% of households felt they were struggling to make ends meet, almost unchanged from the year before.
Women walk near destroyed buildings, with one holding the flag of Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila in February.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 5, 2025

Under pressure, Hezbollah weighs scaling back its arsenal

The internal discussions, which aren't yet finalized, reflect the formidable pressures the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group has faced since a truce was reached in late November.
Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Jasper Philipsen crosses the line to take the first stage of the Tour de France in Lille, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 6, 2025

Philipsen wins windy Tour de France opener as Evenepoel trapped in split

Philipsen took the yellow jersey in a frantic sprint finish in the northern city of Lille, his 10th Tour de France stage win.
Donald Trump addresses the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in July last year.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2025

Cashing in on his comeback, Trump rescues frail finances

Contrary to the president’s assertions, records filed in a fraud case against him suggest that his riches were not the product of a steady and strong empire.
Mets starter Kodai Senga pitchers during a game against the Rockies on June 6.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 6, 2025

Mets' pitcher Kodai Senga makes Double-A rehab start

Senga, who has been out since straining his right hamstring while covering first base on June 12, struck out four and gave up three earned runs in the start.
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jul 6, 2025

Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste

Some scholars and activists are raising concerns that Indigenous voices are not being heard amid the debate over whether to host nuclear waste storage facilities.
People gather outside a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 7, 2025

Israel's Netanyahu says he believes Trump can help seal ceasefire deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a hostage release and ceasefire deal could be reached this week, which could lead to the release of "quite a few hostages."

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