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The Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant's No. 2 reactor was set to restart Tuesday after more than 13 years of suspension.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2024

Japan restarts nuclear power plant closest to 2011 earthquake

Nuclear power used to account for around a quarter of Japan’s electricity mix prior to the disaster, but it was at just 6% as of March 2023.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun during the U.S.-ROK Security Consultative Meeting at the Pentagon in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 31, 2024

North Korea troops could lengthen and broaden Ukraine war, U.S. warns

The move looks increasingly like a deployment to support Russia's combat operations in the Kursk region, the U.S. defense secretary said.
A local resident watches Ukrainian rescuers clear debris on the site of a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 31, 2024

U.S. sanctions entities in India, China and Turkey over Russia war supplies

The U.S. and its allies have piled thousands of sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, yet Russia’s GDP is projected to grow 3.5% to 4% in 2024.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

‘Call anytime you want’: Trump roils G20 with disdain for rules

World leaders who didn’t experience Donald Trump’s first merry-go-round are quickly learning how he likes to operate.
Activists wearing masks depicting then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau take part in a protest outside the COP25 U.N. climate change conference in Madrid in December 2019.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024

What does Trump’s victory mean for climate change?

Trump already levied a 25% tariff during his first presidency and it did nothing to help U.S. automakers prepare for the electric future.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives at the Government Palace in Lima during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2024

Xi’s olive branch to Trump comes with warning on China red lines

The Chinese leader emphasized that the U.S. and China shouldn’t fight a "new Cold War,” and that conflict isn’t inevitable.
(From left) JR East President Yoichi Kise, Kabuki actor Onoe Kikunosuke, and Shochiku President Toshihiro Takahashi at a joint news conference at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2024

JR East and Shochiku to collaborate on regional revitalization

Under the 10-year agreement, the two companies will bring to life programs rooted in regional traditional culture
Hiromi Yamamoto
ESG CONSORTIUM
Nov 25, 2024

Oji seeks optimal approaches to nurturing and utilizing forests

Oji Holdings, Japan’s leading paper maker, owns and manages 635,000 hectares of forests across the globe. Forest resources — for wood, paper and wood-derived materials or for biomass power generation — are attracting increased attention as sustainable resources. However, their sustainability hinges...
U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2024

Trump team signs transition agreement with Biden White House after delays

Under the agreement, Trump's team avoided signing a government ethics pledge, saying it has its own ethics plan.
Chinese police have signed cooperation agreements with countries across Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa, offering embedded officers, training, joint patrols and exporting security equipment, especially to developing economies.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024

China’s cops are coming to a city near you

When asked about covert overseas police outposts, China either denies their existence or claims they are service centers for overseas citizens.
An image of active and defunct satellites in low Earth Orbit is seen on a Digantara terminal in Bengaluru, India, on Nov. 22.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2024

Global push for cooperation as space traffic crowds Earth's orbit

A United Nations panel on space traffic coordination called for a shared database of orbital objects as well as an international framework to track and manage them.
X owner Elon Musk and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attend a viewing of the launch of a SpaceX test flight on Nov. 19.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 10, 2024

Trump is on collision course with EU over big tech crackdown

In the coming months, several U.S. tech companies could face billions in fines or even mandatory divestment orders from EU investigations.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami reviews military equipment during an IRGC ground forces military drill in the Aras area, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, on Oct. 17, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2024

Iran's Revolutionary Guards extend control of oil exports, sources say

All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards.
Rivers and canals meander through many of the townships in Ningbo, with some homes built close to the water.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

Can China shield the biggest uninsured economy from floods?

Only about 10% of Chinese families have a home insurance policy, compared to nearly 90% in the U.S.
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves following the inauguration of Macao's new leader on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2024

China's Xi urges Macao to pivot from casinos as new leader sworn in

Gaming-related taxes still make up 81% of Macao's government revenue, and experts say the city is years away from weaning itself off casino wealth.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Nov. 15 during their meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 26, 2024

Japan and China to continue delicate diplomatic dance in 2025

While Tokyo and Beijing have touted the importance of thawing ties, experts say a number of issues are likely to mean continued hedging by both sides.
People cover themselves with umbrellas during a hot summer day in Tokyo's Ginza district in August. Temperatures shot up in early July, even before the official end of the rainy season, and the high temperatures persisted well into the fall.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Dec 29, 2024

Japan’s weather in 2024: Record temperatures hurt people’s health and wallets

Average temperatures across the nation and surrounding seas exceeded last year’s record-breaking levels "by a significant margin," affecting everything from well-being to farming.
A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 1, 2025

Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake

The Year of the Snake is characterized by wisdom, calm and steady progress. It urges introspection, calculated moves and a journey of reinvention.
An underground passage in a small town in the Moscow region in November.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2025

Are Russian sanctions working? Debate takes new urgency with Trump.

The president-elect has said he will use sanctions sparingly while vowing to end the war in Ukraine, renewing questions over their efficacy.
DOPS Director Dr. Jim Tucker (back row, from left), David Acunzo, Marina Weiler, Philip Cozzolino (front row, from left) Marieta Pehlivanova and Elliot Gish, pose for a photo on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 15. Is reincarnation real? Is communication from the "beyond” possible? A small set of academics are trying to find out, case by case.
WORLD / Society
Jan 4, 2025

Do you believe in life after death? These scientists study it.

Is reincarnation real? Is communication from the “beyond” possible? A small set of academics are trying to find out, case by case.
A concept model of a next-generation fighter jet under joint development among Japan, Britain and Italy
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 5, 2025

Japan to map out defense export strategy within 2025

The strategy, which will present medium- and long-term targets for defense equipment exports, will be worked out via cooperation among government ministries.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, on Saturday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2025

Ishiba turns to Southeast Asia amid growing international uncertainty

Experts say that Ishiba's decision to prioritize Malaysia and Indonesia was a sign of the importance of the two major regional economies.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, shake hands during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2025

Japan top diplomat visits South Korea amid political turmoil in Seoul

The talks on bilateral and trilateral cooperation also came just a week before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is due to take office.
U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey (center left) shakes hands with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (center right) at the Ministry of Defence in London on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2025

Japan and U.K. defense chiefs talk of deepening ties as fighter program progresses

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart backed the quick formation of a joint venture for developing their new fighter jet with Italy.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo march ahead of the inauguration of then President-elect Joe Biden on Jan 20, 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 17, 2025

Japan has nothing to fear from Trump — except in maybe one area

Japan is far better positioned in the areas most important to Trump than many other countries. If Shinzo Abe were still alive, Japan would be in a great place.
Then-Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican from New York, during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing in Washington last May
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2025

Trump picks one-term congressman to manage U.S. nuclear arsenal

Brandon Williams represented a New York congressional district for one term, but little is known about his experience in the management of atomic weapons.
People line up to use an ATM  in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. Western financial sanctions have weighed on the Russian ruble, which has sunk from 34 to the dollar in 2013 to around 100 today.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2025

Putin’s war is fueling Russian stagflation

For a normal country, a budget deficit of 2% of GDP would be of no concern. But Russia is not a normal country.
Constitutional Democratic Party head Yoshihiko Noda (right) at a plenary session in the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2025

Constitutional Democratic Party head grills Ishiba on diplomacy with Trump

The CDP leader raised concerns about the United States' decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization and the Paris agreement on climate change.
DeepSeek’s latest R1 model was built with just $6 million in raw computing power and inferior AI chips, a fraction of the money and resources spent by firms like OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2025

Deepseek shows Silicon Valley’s huge blindspot on AI

OpenAI and others have coasted along believing money was their moat. It’s not.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 8, 2025

Trump targets U.S. trade deficit in first meeting with Ishiba

The two leaders pledged to pursue a "new golden age" of U.S.-Japan relations — though Ishiba did get an earful about America's trade deficit with its ally.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan