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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Aug. 4.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2023

Kishida Cabinet approval drops to 26.6%: Jiji poll

The rate of disapproval grew 8.1 points to 47.4%, the highest since Kishida became prime minister in October 2021.
General Abdourahmane Tiani, who was declared as the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger, on July 28.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 11, 2023

U.S. military mission in Niger in focus after coup

U.S. troops have trained Nigerien forces in counterterrorism and operated two military bases, including one that conducts drone missions.
A bulk carrier transits through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama, on April 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 11, 2023

Drought-hit Panama Canal lets more unbooked ships pass

Around 70% of canal traffic comes from or goes to the U.S., where retailers like Walmart, Amazon and Target prep for winter holiday sales.
Colin Morikawa's family emigrated from Japan to Maui, where his paternal grandparents were born.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Aug 11, 2023

Colin Morikawa to donate $1,000 per birdie to Hawaii fire relief

The two-time major winner, who has strong family ties to the island of Maui, made the announcement on Instagram on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2023

Nuclear threats grow stronger and more immediate

In this world, unilateral disarmament and the hope that setting an example will inspire other nations to follow suit is fantasy.
Seattle Kraken center Alex Wennberg recently spoke out about "vile comments" he and his wife were receiving from fans on social media.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 11, 2023

Tensions build after collision of hockey, TikTok and romance novels

BookTok has brought new fans to hockey, but some wonder if fans are crossing the line with explicit comments.
Technical trainees from Vietnam work at a knitwear factory in the city of Mitsuke, Niigata Prefecture, in February 2019.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 6, 2023

Japan is bringing in more foreign nationals than you think

Japan isn’t an outlier when it comes to low fertility rates, merely a front-runner.
As long as coal plants are still operating, it is a good idea to make them capture their carbon dioxide emissions. But the sooner that coal is replaced by renewables, the better it will be for the planet.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2023

Carbon capture and the changing economics of power generation

Carbon capture policies could unwittingly extend the life of dirtier energy sources.
A Taiwan Air Force Mirage 2000 jet fighter landing at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in April.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2023

China’s military, ‘chasing the dream,’ probes Taiwan’s defenses

Day by day, the People’s Liberation Army is turning up the pressure, deploying an ever-wider array of planes and ships.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 13, 2023

Japan Wind Development chief likely to admit bribing lawmaker Akimoto

It was newly found that Akimoto received ¥30 million, separately from the suspected bribe, from around 2019 for applying to the Japan Racing Association.
Leaders at Sweden's Psychological Defense Agency, a state agency, in Stockholm
WORLD / Society
Aug 14, 2023

Sweden is not staying neutral in Russia’s information war

Officials say the Kremlin has targeted Sweden with a concerted psychological campaign to discredit the country and undermine its bid to join NATO.
The Angels' Shohei Ohtani will skip his next start in the rotation due to arm fatigue.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 14, 2023

Angels ace Ohtani to miss next pitching start with arm fatigue

Shohei Ohtani asked to skip a turn in the rotation in order to rest his arm.
Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te speaks during a luncheon in New York City in this handout picture released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 14, 2023

Taiwan VP vows to ‘never back down’ amid totalitarian threats

Lai Ching-te is not known to have met any top U.S. officials during his stopover in New York City.
Jimmy Lai arrives for a court appearance in Hong Kong in February 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 14, 2023

H.K. democracy activists win narrow legal victory in protest case

The Court of Appeal said there was no evidence the defendants played any role in planning or organizing the unauthorized march in 2019.
If you have a specific birth plan in mind, like giving birth at home, it's important to make sure the clinic you use offers that option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2023

Giving birth in Japan? Here’s what you need to know.

Giving birth can be overwhelming — even more so if you don’t understand the local language or know the steps you need to take.
M-Sys President Masao Takikawa stands in front of a Yakiton Daikoku izakaya pub that opened in Sendai's Kokubuncho entertainment district.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 15, 2023

Sendai pub chain boosts performance with better work conditions

Sendai-based M-Sys has implemented a policy of offering monthly pay of ¥300,000 to new hires.
Junior high school students participate in a community-based club activity without any instructors in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Aug 15, 2023

Facing long hours, teacher pushes for data-driven reforms

Given the long working hours for Japan's schoolteachers, one educator from Gifu Prefecture is leading initiatives for teachers’ work-style reforms.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks to the media after a Grand Jury brought back indictments against former president Donald Trump and his allies in their attempt to overturn the state's 2020 election results, in Atlanta on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 15, 2023

Trump and advisers charged in Georgia for 2020 election scheme

The indictment cites a number of crimes that Trump or his associates allegedly committed from before the Nov. 3, 2020, election until September 2022.
Nadeshiko Japan reached the knockout stage at a fourth consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup before being eliminated in the quarterfinals on Friday by Sweden.
SOCCER / Women's World cup / From the Spot
Aug 15, 2023

Bold steps needed from JFA, WE League to maintain momentum after WWC

After Nadeshiko Japan's inspiring quarterfinal run in New Zealand, the country's soccer bodies must avoid the missteps of the post-2011 boom and bust.
Spain's players celebrate defender Olga Carmona's game-winning goal against Sweden during their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal in Auckland on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 16, 2023

'Work of art' sends Spain into first Women's World Cup final

Spain's place in Sunday's final in Sydney is a remarkable journey for a nation that had never previously gone beyond the last 16 at a Women's World Cup.
Charles McGonigal, formerly the FBI's top counterintelligence official in New York, arrives with his attorney, Seth DuCharme (left), at the Federal District Court in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 16, 2023

Ex-FBI official pleads guilty to violations for Russian oligarch

Charles McGonigal had overseen the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division in New York, where he led efforts to root out foreign spies.
Workers at a garment factory in the Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2010. Fast fashion retailer H&M says it is following up on 20 alleged instances of labor abuse at Myanmar garment factories.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 16, 2023

H&M probes Myanmar factory abuses as pressure intensifies

The move comes after top rival Zara owner Inditex said it is phasing out purchases from the Southeast Asian country.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with the Chinese Communist Party's foreign policy chief, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta on July 13.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 16, 2023

Southeast Asia uses great power competition to dodge failures

The U.S. needs to rethink its approach toward Southeast Asia, counter China's narrative, and engage in effective public diplomacy.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been charged with conspiring to obstruct the results of the 2020 election.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 17, 2023

Musk accused of favoring Trump in battle with DOJ over tweets

The special counsel’s office argued that Twitter was asking for "special" treatment for Trump that wouldn’t be available to other users.
Containers in a shipping terminal at the Honmoku pier in Yokohama in June
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 17, 2023

Japan logs first export decline in over two years

The value of exports fell in July from a year earlier, retreating for the first time since February 2021.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 17, 2023

Superbike rider Haruki Noguchi dies after crash in Indonesia

Noguchi broke into the motorcycling scene with his 2021 win in the Superstock 600 category at the All Japan Road Racing Championships.
Fake oranges filled with captagon pills, intercepted by the customs and the anti-drug brigade at Beirut port, Lebanon, in 2021.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 18, 2023

‘Poor man’s cocaine’ costing $3 a pill threatens to proliferate

Selling for around $3 to $25 per tablet, experts say captagon is primarily produced and trafficked by groups tied to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 18, 2023

Japanese political parties boosting support for female candidates

The parties hope to win the support of independent voters by demonstrating their commitment to increasing the number of female lawmakers.
Members of the Ecuadorean Armed Forces stand guard outside a penitentiary in Guayaquil, Ecuador, during a joint operation between the police and the military last Saturday. A state of emergency was declared in the country on Aug. 10, following the assassination of popular presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 18, 2023

Ecuador to vote in election dominated by 'horror' of violence

The country's murder rate has soared above that of Mexico or Colombia, and several politicians have been assassinated in the run-up to the vote
Vehicles leave Yellowknife on the only highway in or out of the city after a state of emergency was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Aug 18, 2023

Canada crews battle wildfires as all Yellowknife residents evacuate

Officials say the fire is now 15 kilometers northwest of the city and could reach the outskirts over the weekend if there is no rain.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami