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Haji Karam Jat (right), a fisherman, and his family members walk along an embankment in Keti Bandar town of Thatta district near the Indus delta, in the south of Pakistan on June 25.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 7, 2025

Death of a delta: Pakistan's Indus sinks and shrinks

More than 1.2 million people have been displaced from the region in the last two decades as the downstream flow of water into the delta has fallen 80% since the 1950s.
“ChaO” is a romantic comedy centered on a mild-mannered human and a mermaid princess. A spin on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” the animated film takes place in a near-future Shanghai.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2025

Futuristic mermaid tale ‘ChaO’ makes a splash

Yasuhiro Aoki’s feature film debut reimagines “The Little Mermaid” in vibrant detail.
Ben Shelton celebrates with his father, former ATP player Bryan Shelton, after his win in the ATP Candian Open final in Toronto on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 8, 2025

Ben Shelton captures first ATP Masters title in Toronto

Toronto marks the third career title for Shelton after victories in Tokyo in 2023 and Houston in 2024.
"My heart and soul are in Deir el-Zor. No money, no homes or luxury in the world can compensate for what I’ve lost there," said Ehab Mzeal, a 41-year-old Syrian. However, he is grateful for his life in Europe, "I like Germany for one reason: it stood by us."
WORLD / Society / FOCUS
Aug 8, 2025

A journey to belong: Migrants describe 10 years in Europe

Migrants from around the world discuss the rewards and challenges of their new lives in Europe.
Kauli Vaast of France rides a wave during the 2024 Paris Olympics in Teahupo'o,Tahiti, on Aug. 5, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Surfing
Aug 8, 2025

Kauli Vaast shines in Teahupo'o's huge tubes at WSL's Tahiti Pro

Kanoa Igarashi, ranked fourth in the world going into Tahiti, went down to local wild card Mihimana Braye in the elimination round.
From left to right: Green Legacy Hiroshima volunteer staff Mariko Kikuchi, Tomoko Watanabe, Nassrine Azimi and Sophie Qano stand before one of the trees that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Aug 9, 2025

A campaign to preserve Hiroshima’s historic trees for another 1,000 years

A total of 170 trees survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Since 2011, a nonprofit organization has been dedicated to sharing their seeds and saplings with the world.
An Afghan woman walks next to a pile of trash full of plastic bags in Kabul.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Aug 10, 2025

Momentum sagging at U.N. plastic pollution treaty talks

The negotiations have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment.
The U.S. State Department's 2024 Human Rights Report was delayed for months as appointees of President Donald Trump altered an earlier draft dramatically to bring it in line with "America First" values, according to government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2025

U.S. State Department softens criticism of some countries in human rights report

The 2024 Human Rights Report's section on Israel was much shorter than last year's edition and made no mention of the severe humanitarian crisis or death toll in the Gaza Strip.
Modeled on a real-life World World II figure, Yutaka Takenouchi plays the captain of a “lucky” Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer in “Yukikaze.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 14, 2025

‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest

The story of a “lucky” Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer that survived World War II is given a lightly fictionalized treatment in Toshihisa Yamada's first feature.
Kinga Skiers (left) co-founded the Tokyo chapter of Food Not Bombs in 2023. The organization aims to provide the capital’s homeless population with food and other essentials.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Aug 18, 2025

Solidarity with Tokyo’s homeless residents, one day at a time

Since 2023, the Tokyo chapter of Food Not Bombs has been supplying vegetarian meals and everyday goods to homeless people across the city.
Mitsuko Arakaki talks about life on Tinian Island and the situation after the U.S. military landing, on July 12 in the village of Nakagusuku, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 15, 2025

'Why do humans wage war?': Woman recalls escaping death on Tinian island in WWII

When U.S. air raids began in 1944, life changed overnight for the around 13,000 Japanese civilians living on Tinian.
Sho Miyake receives the Pardo d'Oro, or Golden Leopard, prize at the award ceremony of the 78th Locarno Film Festival held in Locarno, southern Switzerland, on Saturday.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 17, 2025

Sho Miyake's 'Tabi to Hibi' wins top prize at Locarno Film Festival

This is the first Japanese movie to receive the award since 2007, when "Ai no Yokan" ("The Rebirth"), directed by Masahito Kobayashi, was given the prize.
Rintaro Sasaki hits a home run during a game against Duke at Stanford's Sunken Diamond on March 16.
BASEBALL
Aug 17, 2025

Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'

The Stanford slugger could have taken an easier path with a quicker payday. Instead he's determined to blaze his own unique trail to the top of the sport.
Chen Yani (right), nicknamed "Keke," eats lunch with friends and guests in a female co-living space she founded called "Keke's Imaginative Space" in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on July 14.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 18, 2025

Women-only communities flourish in China

A growing number of co-living spaces in the country are providing their exclusive clientele with a haven from social pressures and male judgment.
A photograph of Akiko Kirkham and her husband, Glenn Kirkham, in their younger days
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2025

Japanese woman faced hardships in Australia after World War II

Memories of the war, such as the Imperial Japanese Army's bombing of Darwin, remained vivid for many Australians, and marriages between Australians and Japanese often faced unease.
A girl uses her smartphone as she walks her dog in Moscow on July 30.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2025

Online behavior under scrutiny as Russia hunts 'extremists'

Internet users who search for web pages, books, artwork or music albums that the authorities deem extremist will be fined under new legislation.
At the memorial ceremony for the sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, attendees observe a moment of silence in honor of the victims, in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2025

Victims of 1944 U.S. torpedo attack remembered in Japan

At least 1,484 of some 1,800 people aboard the Tsushima Maru, including 784 schoolchildren, lost their lives.
An Instagram post reading "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," along with a photo showing National Football League player Travis Kelce proposing to singer Taylor Swift, in this screenshot taken from a social media post on Aug. 26.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 27, 2025

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement after two-year romance

The singer and football player posted their news on social media, there's no wedding date set as of yet.
Some 93.1% of Japanese teenagers who struggle with school life said they felt like they “wanted to disappear from the world" at the end of summer vacation ahead of the start of a new term, according to a recent survey released by Yokohama-based nonprofit Daisan Kazoku.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2025

Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’

In a recent survey, 93.1% of respondents said they felt they “wanted to disappear from the world.”
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025

Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along

The 33-member idol group takes its spectacle-heavy performances on the road — and abroad.
Taylor Townsend hits a shot against Jelena Ostapenko during their match at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Aug 29, 2025

Naomi Osaka criticizes Jelena Ostapenko for comments to Taylor Townsend

Townsend and Ostapenko were involved in a confrontation after their second-round match at the U.S. Open.
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2025

Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals

The government is set to create a task force to review its immigration plans and prevent social division between foreign nationals and citizens.
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Sep 1, 2025

Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido

The residents of Betsukai, Hokkaido — where cows outnumber people 7-to-1 — have extended a warm welcome to five players from overseas who joined the Pilot Spirits.
Network School’s co-working space in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 1, 2025

Techno-utopia rises in Malaysia's $100 billion Forest City flop

Entrepreneurs experiment with "startup societies” defined less by historical territory than shared beliefs in technology, cryptocurrency and light regulation.
Iraqi refugee Humam al-Gburi, 34, and retired nurse Ursula Panke, 85, in Altena, Germany, on July 15. Since Humam's arrival in 2015, he has been supported by Ursula, who volunteers as his mentor.
WORLD / Society
Sep 2, 2025

German town that welcomed migrants finds adding people won't fix fundamentals

Political failure to tackle rising inflation, job losses in the auto industry and a sense of economic decline now makes migrants a target for the anti-immigrant AfD.
Protesters wave a pirate flag from the Japanese anime "One Piece," an internet trend used to criticize government policies, during a demonstration in front of the Bali police station in Denpasar, Indonesia, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2025

Indonesia’s protests may fade. The fury won’t.

Politicians and business tycoons from the previous era still have clout, through dynastic parties, family owned businesses and patronage networks.
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 3, 2025

London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer

Ahead of professional sumo's highly anticipated return to Europe, the release of the September rankings confirms who will be on the plane to England.
Naomi Osaka celebrates after defeating Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Wednesday in New York.
TENNIS
Sep 4, 2025

Osaka surges into U.S. Open semifinals in straight sets

The Japanese 23rd seed, enjoying her deepest run in a Grand Slam since a 2021 victory at the Australian Open, advanced to the last four in just under two hours.
Musician Haruna Kimishima, better known as Haru Nemuri, confronts Japan’s politics, nationalism and censorship on her recent output.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 5, 2025

Haru Nemuri’s radical new album refuses easy listening

Haru Nemuri’s “ekkolaptomenos” fuses philosophy, pop and protest, confronting Japan’s politics while navigating visa fears and DIY touring.
A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Jon Heese naturalized as a Japanese citizen in 2007 and embarked upon a career in local politics the following year.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Sep 8, 2025

Canadian-born politician tackles Ibaraki’s issues big and small

After being elected to four terms in the Tsukuba Municipal Assembly, Jon Heese now serves as a prefectural assemblyman — and one of Ibaraki Prefecture’s biggest cheerleaders.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years