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Outgoing Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii speaks at the party's executive meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2024

Komeito pins hopes on new leader after dismal electoral performance

Transport minister Tetsuo Saito, 72, is set to formally succeed party leader Keiichi Ishii.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia leader Vladimir Putin talk during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki in July 2018.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 9, 2024

The long global trail of resentment behind Trump’s resurrection

Disillusionment with the world that emerged from the Cold War has fueled a long-gathering revolt against the established order.
Security forces members detain a demonstrator as people protest against the management of the emergency response to the deadly floods in eastern Spain, in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday.
WORLD
Nov 10, 2024

Spain's flood disaster was its worst in recent history. Here's what went wrong.

By the time many received the government's flood alert, water was already surrounding cars, submerging streets and pouring into their homes.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a commemorative ceremony at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on July 3, the day new yen notes went into circulation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

Japan needs tighter monetary policy to restore balance

Japan’s economy undoubtedly suffers when the yen is too strong; that is why some advocate for a more expansionary monetary policy.
Princess Yuriko in May 2023. At 101 years old, she is the oldest member of the imperial family.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2024

Imperial family members visit ailing Princess Yuriko at hospital

The health condition of the 101-year-old princess — the sister-in-law of the late former Emperor Hirohito — worsened suddenly on Friday.
Australia's Travis Bazzana will make his senior national team debut at the Premier12.
BASEBALL
Nov 11, 2024

No. 1 MLB draft pick Travis Bazzana eager to hit field for Australia at Premier12

The infielder was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
A man walks past the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 30.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2024

Worsening corporate mood and bankruptcies cloud BOJ's rate hike path

Some BOJ board members have voiced concerns that intensifying labor shortages could constrain growth, rather than lead to higher wages.
Shipping containers are seen at the Port of Nanjing in eastern China's Jiangsu province on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 12, 2024

China approaches record $1 trillion trade surplus to world’s ire

The pace of widening puts China on a collision course with some of the world’s biggest economies by aggravating an imbalance in global commerce.
Global investment firms plan to beef up hiring in Japan, as deals surge on the domestic market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2024

Global investment firms hunt for talent in Japan as deals boom

The hiring spree underscores the intensity of dealmaking in Japan, which has been a rare bright spot amid a slowdown in M&A deals globally over the last couple of years.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who doubles as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a gathering on the party's political reform plans on Tuesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 12, 2024

Ishiba's minority government begins first day of business with focus on reform

With the ruling coalition no longer having a majority, Ishiba will likely be forced to make significant concessions to the opposition camp.
A village school bus drives along an empty street in the village of Tenei, Fukushima Prefecture, in March 2023. In rural areas, more single-member households will emerge from an aging population and the eventual death of spouses in two-person households, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 12, 2024

1 in 5 people in Japan age 65 and older will be living alone in 2050

The trend resulting from rapid depopulation will affect both metropolitan and rural areas, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research says.
Indonesia fans watch a livestream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification soccer match between China and Indonesia on screens outside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 13, 2024

Indonesia goes Dutch in pursuit of World Cup dreams

Indonesia is in the decisive third round of Asian qualifying as it attempts to reach the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO leaders at a plenary session of their summit in Watford, England, in December 2019. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024

Living in Trump’s world

Europe’s response to Trump’s return will require creativity, resilience and an unshakable commitment to defending its own interests.
The U.S. Capitol reflected in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Trump wins Republican trifecta as GOP retains house majority

The GOP sweep sharply diminishes any hope for Democrats to curtail Trump’s sway over trillions of dollars in expiring tax provisions.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a meeting on political reform at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 14, 2024

Ishiba faces tightrope walk with minority government

As the opposition is seen ramping up pressure on the government, a single mistake could put the administration into jeopardy.
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.
Workers repair a damaged road on Jan. 7 in the aftermath of an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024

New minister promises ample budget for disaster resilience

"Improving the country's resilience is an extremely important task," Hiromasa Nakano said in an interview.
U.S. President Joe Biden waves as he walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Biden and Xi to have face-to-face at Asia-Pacific summit in Peru

It will likely be the last meeting between the sitting leaders of the world's largest economies before Joe Biden hands the reins back to Donald Trump.
Takeshi Shina, an opposition lawmaker and a member of the Lower House's financial committee, has frequently summoned Bank of Japan governors, including incumbent Kazuo Ueda, to parliament for grilling on monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2024

BOJ should raise rates to 1% to reverse weak yen, says CDP lawmaker

His remarks highlight how concern over the demerits of a weak yen will remain a key topic of debate among politicians.
The Japanese government and the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party are discussing a plan to set the date for convening an extraordinary session of parliament on Nov. 28.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Japan eyes extraordinary session of parliament from Nov. 28

The session will be convened to discuss a fiscal 2024 supplementary budget that will finance a planned economic package.
The Tokyo District Court has found Nagumi Osada, 27, guilty of sexually abusing seven girls between the ages of 3 and 6.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024

Former day care center worker given 14-year term for child sex abuse

The man was found guilty of abusing seven girls between the ages of 3 and 6 at day care centers where he worked and of filming the acts over a period of two years.
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, is widely disliked by his former colleagues in Congress.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 15, 2024

Pressure mounts for release of Matt Gaetz congressional ethics report

Trump has raised the possibility of circumventing the Senate to install his personnel picks.
A University of Lisbon banner reads "From Lisbon to the World." Talent flight to wealthier countries of the north is a problem Portugal shares with several others in southern and central Europe.
WORLD / Society
Nov 15, 2024

Borderless Europe fights brain drain as talent heads north

Workers moving to other nations within the bloc exacerbates regional labor shortages and deprives poorer countries of tax revenues.
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Nov 18, 2024

In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation

The latest edition of the Japan Writers Conference was a friendly forum for anglophone writers to connect and converse.
Marco Rubio debates Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary race. The president-elect has named the senator from Florida as his prospective secretary of state.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2024

Trump’s Cabinet picks make clear his priorities. Allies get ready.

Trump claims a mandate — winning the popular vote and both Houses of Congress — but his margin of victory is smaller than he will admit.
Seiji Osaka, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's Hokkaido chapter, has expressed concern over the finances of Rapidus, which is supposed to be in full production of cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 25, 2024

CDP’s gains in Hokkaido raise political questions about Rapidus

The head of the party's Hokkaido chapter has expressed concern over the finances for the project, which aims to produce 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has questioned on X whether the remilitarization of Japan is truly a good idea.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2024

U.S. intelligence head nominee made possibly hostile remarks on Japan

In a Dec. 7, 2023 post on X, Tulsi Gabbard questioned the idea of Japan's remilitarization.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2024

Ishiba meets Biden and Yoon, as Trump's White House return looms

The three sought to further cement ties by announcing the creation of a “trilateral secretariat” to better coordinate and implement their goals.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during a rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27.
WORLD
Nov 16, 2024

Senators ask Pentagon and U.S. attorney general to probe Musk's alleged Russia calls

Musk, who has been appointed to a senior government role by Trump, oversees billions of dollars in Pentagon and intelligence-community contracts.
Residents from coastal areas take shelter at an evacuation center in Legaspi City, south of Manila, on Saturday, ahead of Super Typhoon Man-yi's landfall.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 16, 2024

Tens of thousands flee as Super Typhoon Man-yi nears Philippines

Around 255,000 people have fled their homes ahead of Super Typhoon Man-yi, which is expected to make landfall later Saturday or early Sunday.

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