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A sculpture representing Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, located on the grounds of a park in Budapest
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2024

Who was Bitcoin’s Satoshi? I need to know and so do you.

It’s only natural, and even healthy, to be curious about who could have created more than $1 trillion in market capitalization.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gestures toward Liverpool fans at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Dec 2, 2024

Man City boss Pep Guardiola laughs off taunts from Liverpool fans

Guardiola, the Spaniard who has ripped up the record books since arriving at City, is now reaching unwanted milestones.
Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki wanted to show situations that everyone, non-Japanese included, could relate to in “The Making of a Japanese,” her documentary about Japan’s schoolchildren. 
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2024

Documentarian praises the positives of stricter schooling

"The Making of a Japanese" director Ema Ryan Yamazaki reflects on the role of the Japanese educational system in creating empathetic children.
Elon Musk has waded into German politics twice in recent days on X.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 23, 2024

Germany’s SPD calls for antitrust act to clip Elon Musk’s power

While Wiese's comments will likely intensify the war of words with the world’s richest person, it’s unclear whether regulators in the U.S. will agree with his proposal.
Madison Keys celebrates with the trophy after winning the Australian Open on Saturday in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 26, 2025

Madison Keys fulfills Grand Slam ambition after banishing doubts with therapy

Good things come to those who wait as the saying goes — but Keys' wait may have seemed interminable.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference in New Orleans on Monday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 4, 2025

NFL boss Roger Goodell backs league's diversity programs, bucking Trump stance

Facing reporters ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, Goodell said the NFL had no interest in ending its diversity programs.
Travis Kelce (87) leaves the field after the first half of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 13, 2025

Chiefs star Travis Kelce to take time before making decision on future

The 35-year-old Kelce, who is dating Taylor Swift, has made five Super Bowl appearances with the Chiefs in six seasons
Shohei Ohtani launches a home run in the third inning of the Dodgers' exhibition win over the Giants at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
BASEBALL
Mar 15, 2025

Ohtani puts on a show as Dodgers power past Giants in Tokyo

Ohtani's third-inning homer sent the 42,064 fans at Tokyo Dome into a frenzy as Los Angeles took a 5-1 decision over the Kyojin.
Shoko Kanazawa, a renowned Japanese calligrapher with Down syndrome, serving a customer at Atelier Shoko Cafe in Tokyo's Ota Ward on Feb. 28. The artist aims to “bring energy and happiness to the community” in her new role as a waitress at the cafe.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 24, 2025

From brush to barista: Artist with Down syndrome shares warmth through cafe

Renowned calligrapher Shoko Kanazawa hopes to "bring energy and happiness to the community" through her new cafe in Tokyo.
A man stands near the remains of a building destroyed in a strong earthquake, in Amarapura, Myanmar, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2025

U.S. aid response in Myanmar faces hurdles after staff cuts

Response hobbled by the huge fund cuts, contractor terminations and plans to fire nearly all USAID staff, source says.
Goro Miyazaki joined Studio Ghibli in 1998 and directed films including 2006's "Tales from Earthsea" and 2011's "From Up on Poppy Hill."
CULTURE / Film
Apr 2, 2025

AI may be coming for anime, but Hayao Miyazaki is irreplaceable, son says

Goro Miyazaki says that though nothing can replicate the depth of his father's work, new technology brings "great potential for unexpected talent to emerge."
Anti-Yoon protesters hold up placards reading "Let's build a democratic government!" during a rally in Seoul on Friday after South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2025

Yoon's ouster prompts Japanese concerns about ties with South Korea

Japan is worried that Yoon's removal from power will undo the improvements in bilateral relations made under his administration.
Marriage proposals in Japan look a lot like those in other countries, but there are traditions that are specific to the country that some people still adhere to.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 18, 2025

Voicing intentions and a peek into a traditional Japanese engagement ceremony

While the basics of a marriage proposal are similar to what happens in most countries, an extra ceremony requires specific gifts.
Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (left) congratulates Alex Ovechkin after his goal against the Penguins on in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice hockey
Apr 18, 2025

Capitals great Alex Ovechkin seeks ultimate prize to cap historic season

The race for the history books captivated fans and propelled the Capitals to the top of their division for the first time in five years.
Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's newly appointed agriculture minister, arrives at the ministry building in Tokyo on Wednesday. He replaced Taku Eto, who quit after saying he’s never needed to buy rice, a comment that angered many people.
EDITORIALS
May 23, 2025

Rice price uproar intensifies ruling party's election fears

When the remarks triggered a predictable and understandable backlash, Eto explained that he was trying to make a joke.
Mateusz Urbanowicz’s recent book “Imaginary Storefronts” collects his illustrations of the mundane Japanese street scenes that have given him immense inspiration.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 31, 2025

Mateusz Urbanowicz: ‘Miyazaki inspired me to put the audience first’

The Polish artist and animator talks about how he came to Japan and the inspiration he draws from ordinary streets and storefronts.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025

Trump doubles down on Japan again by threatening 35% tariff

Japan is currently subject to 25% auto tariffs and a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, as well as a 10% reciprocal tariff that could return to 24% if no deal is struck by July 9.
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2025

Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity

The discovery raises serious concerns about the integrity of the research in the papers and highlights flaws in academic publishing.
Campaign posters in Tokyo. Voters in Japan put immediate economic issues ahead of longer-term concerns about the effects of tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2025

Trump tariffs fail to register with Japanese voters ahead of key election

Only 8% of voters surveyed by NHK rated tariffs as their top priority.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 29, 2023

Iori Yamasaki wins fourth straight start as Giants top Dragons

The Giants held off the Dragons at Tokyo Dome to earn their third straight win.
As zombies take over the world, a salaryman (Eiji Akaso) decides to live his best life before his inevitable demise in “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 3, 2023

‘Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’: Zombie comedy has no bite

Netflix’s adaptation of the manga series about a salaryman making the most out of a zombie apocalypse is like scrolling through a mediocre Instagram feed.
A deceased schoolgirl lures members of pop group Generations into her world with a killer earworm in “Sana.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 10, 2023

‘Sana’: Boy band horror flick is largely fan service

Takashi Shimizu’s film about a deadly ditty infecting members of J-pop group Generations offers generic scares with real-life concert footage.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel arrives for a photo opp on the day of a trilateral engagement at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima on May 21.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2023

As U.S. envoy to Japan, Rahm Emanuel puts China in cross-hairs

The U.S. ambassador also heaped praise on Tokyo’s new muscular approach to defense.
Residential buildings under construction at Tahoe Group's Cathay Courtyard development in Shanghai
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 17, 2023

China’s housing slump is much worse than official data shows

Industry insiders and economists say China’s official home-price indexes are likely understating the depth of the downturn.
NASA and the Department of Defense are collaborating with Lockheed Martin to build and test a nuclear rocket engine by 2027.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2023

NASA’s $500 million rocket gamble is worth it

Nuclear rockets are worth pursuing, but only with careful safeguards and international cooperation.
Sen. Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up for more than 30 seconds during a public appearance before he was escorted away, the second such incident in a little more than a month, after an event with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

Mitch McConnell may be experiencing small seizures, doctors say

Two episodes, where the Republican senator froze and did not respond to some questions, may be symptoms of a serious illness.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen drives during the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 18, 2023

Max Verstappen looks ahead to Japan after end of record win streak

"I think we will be quick in Suzuka," Verstappen told reporters after a race that also ended his team's run of 15 successive wins.
Ireland's Garry Ringrose scores a try during his team's Pool B match against Scotland at the Rugby World Cup in Saint-Denis, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 12, 2023

Ireland not weighed down by No. 1 ranking ahead of All Blacks clash

Ireland can match the top-tier record for winning streaks with its 18th straight victory on Saturday.
Director Hideo Jojo made the switch from soft-core adult films to more mainstream entertainment with “On the Edge of Their Seats,” a drama about four teenagers watching their high school baseball team lose an important tournament game.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 10, 2023

'Pink film' director Hideo Jojo gets the red carpet treatment

Tokyo's annual film festival named Jojo — who has made over 100 titles, from soft-core adult films to theatrical features — this year's Director in Focus.
Communicating over the phone, a necessity for businesspeople, is a headache for many young people.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Nov 27, 2023

Many young people in Japan scared of telephone calls

For some, their heart skips a beat when they hear phones ringing and they hesitate to make calls, fearing they might be considered a nuisance.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight