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Harmony Korine (center-left, in orange) DJs a set with his EDGLRD crew at a Tokyo event promoting his film, “Aggro Dr1ft,” at WWW X on June 6.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2024

Harmony Korine wants us to dream movies, and he’s working on a ‘pill’ for that

Korine and his collaborators came to Tokyo to screen his new film "Aggro Dr1ft," his first visit to Japan in 17 years.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in this screen shot taken from video in London on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 25, 2024

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange to be freed after pleading guilty to U.S. Espionage Act charge

Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents.
Jailed Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza stands behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing to consider an appeal against his prison sentence, in Moscow, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 1, 2024

Signs of major prisoner exchange between Russia and the West multiply

Many major figures jailed in Russia have suddenly disappeared in a sign they might be being gathered for a swap.
Damage to a Philippine Coast Guard vessel allegedly incurred during a collision with a China Coast Guard ship in the disputed South China Sea is seen in this image released on social media Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 19, 2024

Beijing and Manila trade blame over South China Sea ship collisions

China claims the Philippine side "intentionally rammed" one of its ships in the disputed waterway — an accusation Manila denies.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speak to the media outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington on Friday following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 14, 2024

Biden hasn’t let Ukraine strike deep into Russia. Could Britain change that?

A trip to Washington by Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, came after President Vladimir Putin of Russia warned that the allies’ next step could mean war for NATO.
While Shigeru Ishiba’s victory suggests a shift within the Liberal Democratic Party, he still faces challenges from those who remain loyal to the old party guard. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2024

Japan’s perennial political underdog finally gets a win

Ishiba margin of victory was slim, meaning that there is still a sizable portion of the party who will be resistant to his initiatives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his government has intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to link up with Russian forces fighting Ukraine, warning that such a move would be “the first step to a world war.”
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2024

Zelenskyy seeks 'strong reaction' to North Korean involvement in Ukraine war

The Ukrainian leader has urged partners to take measures in response to claims Pyongyang is sending thousands of troops to fight beside Russia on the front lines.
U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein talks to reporters following a meeting in Beirut on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

U.S. envoy en route to Israel in bid toward ceasefire with Hezbollah

U.S. diplomatic efforts, led by envoy Amos Hochstein, are focused on brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to prevent further regional destabilization.
The European Union is considering stationing the equivalent of a defense attache with its delegation in Tokyo — a first for Brussels in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2024

EU considering stationing defense attache with Tokyo delegation

The adviser would provide military expertise within the EU delegation in Tokyo and interact with counterparts from the Self-Defense Forces, officials said.
A line of police officers stand guard as protesters gather at the edge of Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Wednesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol formally lifted martial law earlier, six hours after having declared it.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 4, 2024

Yoon fights for political life as martial law repercussions reverberate

A coalition of lawmakers from six opposition parties on Wednesday submitted a motion to impeach the South Korean president, with a vote set for Friday or Saturday.
The United States team celebrates after defeating Poland in the United Cup final in Sydney on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jan 6, 2025

Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz carry U.S. past Poland in United Cup final

The Americans also won the 2023 title in the inaugural edition of the tournament, which serves as a tuneup for the Australian Open.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a letter to the U.N. stating the U.S.' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, on Jan. 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 31, 2025

The global climate order teeters under a second assault from Trump

Inflation and threats to energy security have eroded the political strength of climate-forward leaders and emboldened Trumpian populists around the world.
A coalition of mostly Democratic-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit to stop billionaire Elon Musk from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 8, 2025

U.S. states sue to block Musk's DOGE from accessing payment systems

The suit claims Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has no legal power to access the U.S. Department of Treasury systems.
Demonstrators protest against actions taken by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, outside the Treasury Department in Washington, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2025

U.S. federal judge temporarily blocks Musk's DOGE from accessing payment systems

A federal judge temporarily blocks Elon Musk’s government efficiency team from accessing U.S. Treasury systems, citing risks of sensitive data leaks and cybersecurity threats.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while signing a variety of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. Trump said on Monday that he could cut aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refused his demand to permanently take in most Palestinians from Gaza, substantially increasing the pressure on key allies in the region to back his audacious proposal to relocate the entire population of the territory in order to redevelop it.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Trump says Hamas should free all hostages by Saturday or 'let hell break out'

Trump cautioned that Israel might want to override him on the issue and said he might speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell in New York on Monday, when stocks plummeted as investors fretted that uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariff policy could tip the world's biggest economy into a recession.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 11, 2025

Markets rocked by Trump show economic fear across Wall Street

What had been a steady pullback from the U.S. stock market accelerated sharply Monday as investors retreated from virtually every type of risk.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media on his military airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2025

U.S. wants no G7 Russia antagonism as allies fear blockage

The U.S. opposes language in a joint document that could harm its efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann (center) poses for a picture with U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler (second from left), former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (second from right) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul on Thursday, ahead of their departure to Doha.
WORLD
Mar 21, 2025

Taliban releases American airline mechanic from detention

Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann was freed after more than two years in captivity in Afghanistan, in a deal brokered by Qatar.
Japan celebrates after beating Canada to secure a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup finals at Ariake Colosseum on Sunday.
TENNIS
Apr 14, 2025

Japan gets past Canada to book spot in Billie Jean King Cup finals

The United States also booked a spot after defeating Slovakia.
The motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 15.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2025

Trump’s freebie Qatar jet is the stuff of nightmares in spyworld

"If we had built the plane, knowing it was going to a foreign government, we would probably have bugged it,” said Thad Troy, a former station chief with the CIA.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and French President Emmanuel Macron at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February. The mood at the event was largely optimistic despite growing evidence that chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT are being used by malicious actors.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2025

How much will we risk in the name of AI?

AI safety breaches are a very present danger. Evidence shows that leading chatbots are perpetuating Kremlin talking points, while many leaders tout optimism rather than concern.
A Mexican Navy training ship is seen near the Manhattan Bridge after it slammed into the nearby Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday.
WORLD
May 18, 2025

Mexican Navy training ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge, killing two

Nineteen others were injured after the ship lost power and hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.
Detainees play outside during a media tour of the Port Isabel Detention Center, hosted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Harlingen Enforcement and Removal Operations, in Los Fresnos, Texas, on June 10, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2025

Deportations to South Sudan appear to violate court order, U.S. judge says

The development marked a new clash between the federal judiciary and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration in its efforts to implement mass deportations.
A banner showing Lee Jae-myung (left), the South Korean presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, and Kim Moon-soo, the candidate for the conservative People Power Party, outside a polling station in Seoul on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2025

South Korean presidential election set to reshape diplomatic chessboard

Liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung is projected to sail to a win that could shake up ties with Japan and the U.S. and kick-start talks with North Korea.
Despite doubts and talk of alternatives in Asia and beyond, the dollar remains dominant because there are no viable rivals and it continues to serve as the world’s key safe asset.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2025

The problem with Asia's ‘sell America’ moment

The region’s currencies are enjoying a healthy rally. History warns against anti-dollar triumphalism.
Omicho Market, "the kitchen of the Kanazawa people," has seen very small numbers of visitors, with some restaurants still closed.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2024

Cancellations hit tourist-favorite Kanazawa after Noto quake

Tourism industry professionals are calling on tourists to "visit Kanazawa to back up the Noto region."
Kiyomitsu Nagai (right), head of Tsukui Yamayuri-en, and others offer a prayer before a memorial monument on Friday, the eighth anniversary of a knife attack at the prefectural care home for people with disabilities in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024

Memorial ceremony held for 2016 care home attack victims

The memorial ceremony was attended by 89 people, including bereaved families, who offered a moment of silence for the victims and laid out flowers.
Looking for LGBTQ+ events this holiday season? Tokyo is chockful of a variety of ways to spread cheer in the way that suits you best.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 20, 2024

Make the Yuletide gay: Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Christmas events

Drag shows and lip-sync karaoke may not be traditional holiday get-togethers, but they deck the halls just the same.
Aoi Suzuki and her two sons head back down to a barbecue after watching the sun set.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 28, 2023

Traveling Okinawa with a broken heart

Writer and photographer Lance Henderstein reads us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.
A woman stands on one side of the wall texting in front of a nightclub while, on the other side of the wall, a man works in an izakaya.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 24, 2023

One night out in Tokyo

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic