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U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak during a news conference in Washington on Tuesday. Zelenskyy came to the U.S. Congress to appeal for more aid to resist Russia's invasion, and Republican leaders told him to first wait for an elusive U.S. deal on immigration.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

Zelenskyy meets U.S. Republicans in push for aid to fight Russia

Some Republicans oppose more aid, saying any further money must be paired with changes to immigration policy at home.
The Palace of Westminster in London. Russia's intelligence service has carried out a yearslong cyberattack campaign against high-profile politicians, public service staff members, journalists and others, the British government said on Dec. 7.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

U.K. government at high risk of ‘catastrophic’ cyberattack

Departments responsible for national infrastructure across the government are running outdated systems that put them in danger of a breach.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda (center) attends a party hosted by his faction, which was previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in May in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

Focus turns to replacements as scandal-hit LDP ministers face ax

In a news conference Wednesday evening, Fumio Kishida said he would make replacements the following day but declined to comment on the details.
Shohei Ohtani is joining a franchise that has long been a trailblazer in an increasingly diverse and global game.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 13, 2023

In a land of stars, Los Angeles can’t stop talking about Ohtani

Dodgers fans were still beside themselves days after Ohtani agreed to the most lucrative contract in sports history.
Members of the Deokjeok High School baseball team during a tournament in Seoul in August
BASEBALL
Dec 13, 2023

South Korean island is a field of dreams for young baseball hopefuls

A sports academy in remote Deokjeok has breathed life into the island, which was struggling to retain, and attract, youngsters in the aging nation.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones before a game against Scotland at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Jones will be returning to the post, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 14, 2023

Wounded Eddie Jones has plenty to prove on Japan return

The 63-year-old is revered in Japan for masterminding their "Miracle of Brighton" win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.
Low fertility threatens to undermine South Korea’s economic future by shrinking its workforce and slowing consumption.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 14, 2023

South Korea set to see fertility rate fall even further

The country already has the world’s lowest fertility rate at 0.78 as of 2022.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones celebrates after the team's victory over the U.S. at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 14, 2023

Make friends, start winning again: Eddie Jones' to-do list

Here are five challenges facing 63-year-old Eddie Jones as he returns to the Brave Blossoms.
The yen climbed by more than 1% against the dollar to the ¥140-range in Thursday trading.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 14, 2023

Yen gains over 1% as Fed pivots to rate cuts ahead of BOJ meeting

The Japanese currency surged past the four-month high of ¥141.71 reached last week amid dollar weakness due to dovish moves by the Fed.
A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2023

Big in Japan 2023: Anime, Murakami and The Legend of Zelda

Our guests tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 14, 2023

Japan’s next-gen fighter project with U.K. and Italy hits milestone

The three countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental organization, divide up work share and set out the roles of each partner.
Shohei Ohtani puts on a Dodgers cap and uniform during his introductory news conference at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 15, 2023

Shohei Ohtani says shared commitment to winning led him to Dodgers

The one-of-a-kind talent received a Hollywood intro Thursday as he began his new chapter with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Firefighters tackle a fire in a field in San Buenaventura in the Bolivian Amazon in November.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 15, 2023

Despite COP28 deal on fossil fuels, 1.5 C goal likely out of reach

The "UAE Consensus" does not commit the world to phasing out oil and gas, nor to near-term timelines for transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holding his year-end news conference at Gostiny Dvor exhibition hall in central Moscow on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 15, 2023

Vladimir Putin exudes confidence that war in Ukraine is going his way

Russian president referenced Kyiv's struggle in securing more aid from allies in his first year-end news conference after the invasion.
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan plans to introduce several thousand more vending machines with digital price displays that can be controlled remotely to vary prices according to demand.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023

Coca-Cola Japan to expand trial of dynamic-price vending machines

The dynamic pricing scheme allows the prices of vending machine items to be raised when demand is high and lowered when sales are low.
U.S. President Joe Biden hugs Brittany Alkonis, wife of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, on the day of the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2023

U.S. Navy officer jailed in Japan transferred to U.S. custody

Lt. Ridge Alkonis has been serving a three-year prison term since being convicted of negligent driving over a fatal car crash.
A member of the insurgent Karenni Nationalities Defence Force rescues civilians trapped amid airstrikes, during a battle to take over Loikaw in Kayah State, Myanmar, in November.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2023

Rebel fire and China's ire: Inside Myanmar's anti-junta offensive

Operation 1027 has become the most significant threat to the regime since it seized power in a 2021 coup.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 15, 2023

Why should any city want to host a world expo?

The projected budget for the 2025 Osaka Expo has nearly doubled and netizens and opposition politicians are calling for a cancellation.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaks at a IRGC Aerospace Force achievements exhibition in Tehran on Nov. 19.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2023

Holding Iran accountable for Hamas' attacks

From Holocaust lessons to present danger, why Iran must be stopped not only for Israel but for the world.
Baseball player Shohei Ohtani speaks during a news conference on his presentation after signing a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023

Dip Corporation shares rise after Ohtani named brand ‘ambassador’

Shares in the internet job agency gained by as much as 8.9% in Tokyo trading after the firm announced its tie-up with the star baseball player.
Diggers move piles of coal after it was unloaded from a ship at Lianyungang Port in China's Jiangsu province.
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 16, 2023

Coal use hits record in 2023, Earth's hottest year

The IEA reported that nations would burn even more coal this year than in 2022, but that demand would tail off starting in 2024.
South Korea's Jung Hoo Lee bats during a World Baseball Classic pool game against Australia at Tokyo Dome on March 9.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 16, 2023

South Korea's Lee promises to impress San Francisco Giants fans

The 25-year-old left-handed slugger won five Golden Gloves as best overall KBO League player at his position over his seven seasons for the Kiwoom Heroes.
Naomi Osaka in action at the Pan Pacific Open in Osaka in September 2019.
TENNIS
Dec 17, 2023

'Superstar' Osaka's return a boost for WTA, top coach says

The four-time Grand Slam champion last played a WTA tournament at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in late September 2022.
A contingency in the event that China invades Taiwan is emerging as a key focus in Japan’s new defense policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2023

Will Japan intervene in a Taiwan contingency? It depends.

If Taiwan puts up a fight against a Chinese invasion, it would likely engender a U.S. intervention that would not be possible without Japan’s assistance.
Ten or more lawmakers of the LDP's largest faction, including former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, may have received over ¥10 million each in kickbacks, according to the sources.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2023

Ten or more Abe faction members may have received over ¥10 million in kickbacks

Among other LDP factions, Shisuikai, led by former party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, is also suspected of failing to report fundraising revenues .
Packages of tofu on the production line at the Yamami factory in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2023

Tofu-maker Yamami sees shares surge after automating ancient craft

At its newest factory at the foot of Mount Fuji, the company, one of the few that’s listed, can produce 15,000 units of the bean curd each hour.
A pair of wolves carved from wood exhibited at Mitsumine Shrine’s museum in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Dec 15, 2023

In praise of wolves

Premodern Japan's reverence of wolves mirrors its close bond with nature, a state eventually disrupted by the ecological impact of industrialization.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

Prosecutors search sites linked to scandal-hit LDP factions

Prosecutors searched the biggest faction, once led by late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and another led by former LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai.
Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee said that Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the Paris 2024 Games can take part as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems.
OLYMPICS
Dec 19, 2023

Russian athletes still banned, but 'things change,' says Coe

"We made a judgement which we believe was in the best interest of our sport," said Coe, president of World Athletics.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2023

U.S. TV commercials to promote Japanese scallops

The move comes after demand from the Chinese market evaporated when China introduced a blanket ban on Japanese fishery products in August this year.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan