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The members of Mareo! (Francisca Silva, Ernesto Duboy and Camila Sanchez) are on their second tour of Japan. And among the performances this time around was a gig at an Osaka high school.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 21, 2024

Chilean trio Mareo! is on a lengthy tour to help grow its Latin-inspired sound in Japan

Latin sounds are taking off in the world's biggest music markets, but this indie group thinks you need to be a bit more present in order to grab opportunities.
Waight Keller, who designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress, finds a different kind of luxury at a mass market brand.
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 22, 2024

A designer moves easily from royal gowns to Uniqlo

Clare Waight Keller, who designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress, finds a different kind of luxury at a mass market brand.
Debt-laden companies in Japan are rapidly growing in number, in some measures even faster than in 1992 after the collapse of its asset price bubble.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Zombie companies may finally succumb to bankruptcy on BOJ hikes

Bankruptcies topped 5,000 cases for the first time in a decade between April and September, a report by Tokyo Shoko Research showed earlier this month.
An attendee walks past a picture of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump holding a gun and the words "Merry MAGA you filthy animal!" at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival, which the organizers call "the largest open carry rally in America," in Greeley, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 12.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

New cases of political violence roil U.S. before contentious election

There have been at least 300 cases of political violence since Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The addition of an area in Pacific waters east of Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands saw Japan's continental shelf expanded by 120,000 square kilometers in July.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2024

Japan expands its continental shelf by 120,000 square kilometers

The expansion has sparked optimism for potential resource development.
Antony Blinken boards a plane at Joint Base Andrews on Mondat as he departs for the Middle East.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Blinken takes off in 11th attempt to reach a Middle East cease-fire

Blinken is pursuing a cease-fire in Gaza and, even more ambitiously, a "day-after” plan for future governance of the strip.
An F-35B stealth fighter jet lands on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga helicopter carrier during a test on Sunday of the southern coast of California.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024

F-35B fighter makes first landing on de facto aircraft carrier Kaga

The Maritime Self-Defense Force is conducting tests to determine if there are issues with such aircraft taking off from the vessel while verifying other procedures.
Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump are seen in a combination of file photographs taken in Chandler, Arizona, on Oct. 10 and in Evans, Georgia, on Oct. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Harris and Trump pick up the pace two weeks before Election Day

The frenzied campaign schedules of both candidates underlining the importance of small pockets of voters in the U.S. who could put either over the top.
New Zealand's Cam Roigard in action with Namibia's Damian Stevens during the Rugby World Cup 2023 in Toulouse, France, in September 2023
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 22, 2024

Roigard returns as Lakai and Love set for All Blacks debuts against Japan

"The energy in the group as we kick off this tour is exciting to see," coach Scott Robertson said in a news release.
Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki helped mark the first seven decades of the America-Japan Society of Hokkaido on Sept. 19.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Oct 28, 2024

America-Japan Society of Hokkaido celebrates 70th anniversary

The society is poised for further growth, with more firms from the U.S. and elsewhere looking to set up shop in Hokkaido.
Japan's first 'Zombie Shinkansen' terrified and delighted passengers on the way from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 22, 2024

‘Zombie Shinkansen’ delivers high-speed thrills and chills

Some laughed, some gasped, but aboard the first train ferrying the undead from Tokyo to Kansai, a good time was had by all.
Russian army deserter and dissident Alexander on July 22
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

In a first, France welcomes Russian army deserters

The Russian deserters said they hoped their actions would encourage other Russian men to defy Moscow authorities and flee the war.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, former prime minister and founder of the Georgian Dream party, waves during a pro-government rally in support of a bill regarding "foreign agents" in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 29.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Georgia's shark-owning billionaire tells voters: Don't risk war with Russia

Memories are fresh of a 2008 war with Russia over the Moscow-backed breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which lasted five days and ended in Georgia's defeat.
Tournament Director Stephen Farrow (far left) and others pose with United Cup trophy at the draw for the competition in Sydney on Oct. 21.
TENNIS
Oct 22, 2024

United Cup is here to stay, says tournament director

The tournament kicks off its third edition in Perth on Dec. 27, just 33 days after the Davis Cup finals conclude in Spain.
Displaced Palestinians ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate their neighborhoods in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Oct 22, 2024

War has knocked Gaza back to the 1950s, UNDP says

The war has devastated the Palestinian economy and left nearly all of Gaza's population in poverty, with health and education knocked back 70 years.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine (center) on Aug. 1. Widely touted as potentially the group's next leader, Safieddine was killed in an Israeli attack.
WORLD
Oct 23, 2024

Israel confirms death of heir apparent to slain Hezbollah leader

The Israeli military said Hashem Safieddine was killed in a strike three weeks ago in Beirut's southern suburbs, following earlier reports of his probable death.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Michigan, on Oct. 10.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2024

U.S. Republicans press ahead in bid to block some overseas ballots

As many as 1.6 million Americans living overseas, including U.S. military members and their families, are eligible to cast ballots in the seven swing states.
Abercrombie & Fitch chairman and CEO Mike Jeffries addresses stockholders during the company's annual meeting at the company's headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, on May 22, 2003.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 23, 2024

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries charged with sex trafficking

If convicted, Jeffries faces a possible life sentence and mandatory minimum 15-year prison terms for the sex trafficking charges.
A monitor shows Tokyo Metro's opening price on Wednesday morning in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 23, 2024

Tokyo Metro shares surge in trading debut after strong IPO

Proceeds from the IPO will redeem reconstruction bonds issued after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan that killed 18,000 people.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum drives to the hoop during Boston's season-opening win over the Knicks on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 23, 2024

Celtics dominate Knicks to launch NBA title defense

After a pregame ceremony that saw Boston celebrate raising its championship, the Celtics delivered a performance that suggested they could be the team to beat once more.
Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the U.N., looks on after U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood voted against members of the Security Council allowing Palestinian U.N. membership during a Security Council at U.N. headquarters in New York on April 18.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2024

West blasts China on rights, China responds: What about Gaza?

Clashes over China's treatment of Uyghurs have become a common occurrence at both the United Nations in New York and the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The South Korean Coast Guard vessel Taepyongyang, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Waesche and the Japan Coast Guard vessel Wakasa patrol in formation during a trilateral exercise in the Sea of Japan in June.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 23, 2024

With ramped-up activities, U.S. Coast Guard plots greater Indo-Pacific role

The move comes at a time when a growing number of coast guards in the region are becoming deeply involved in patrolling disputed waters.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a 56-year-old dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, speaks during an interview in New York on Oct. 18.  The U.S. Justice Department alleges that an Indian intelligence official had directed plans to assassinate Pannun, a Sikh separatist, last year.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2024

U.S. pressures India for accountability over Sikh separatist murder plot

Washington wants a speedy resolution of the matter, which has led to a U.S. indictment of a former Indian intelligence official over the foiled plot.
Trump has threatened blanket 60% tariffs on China, forcing some companies to consider shifting their supply chains to Southeast Asia.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2024

China's exporters run for cover as U.S. election nears

A Trump trade war 2.0 would be a moment of reckoning for many Chinese exporters, whose profits are dwindling under heavy deflationary pressure.
Stablemaster Oshima (left) congratulates Kyokushuzan on his promotion to the the jūryō division in 1995.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 23, 2024

Former ozeki Asahikuni, also a trailblazing stablemaster, dies at age 77

In 1992, the stablemaster recruited six young Mongolian men into his stable, creating a lasting connection between sumo and the central Asian nation.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party looks set for a bruising election night. The question for its leader, Shigeru Ishiba, is how bad the damage will be.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 23, 2024

Ishiba and the LDP race to stem the electoral bleeding

Weeks into Shigeru Ishiba's premiership and mere days out from a general election, red alert signals are sounding in Tokyo’s corridors of power.
The concept of "Buy American" has gained political traction among both leading U.S. parties, appealing to nationalist sentiments and the idea of supporting domestic jobs. But such a policy comes with real costs, monetary and otherwise.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2024

‘Buy American’ policies don’t help Americans

Overall, the study's researchers estimate that "Buy American" provisions cost about $125,000 per job created, a relatively expensive investment.
Then-astronaut candidates Ayu Yoneda (bottom, sixth from left) and Makoto Suwa (bottom center) take part in parabolic flight training.
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2024

Japan’s lunar ambitions advance with two new astronauts

The pair are preparing to become the first non-U.S. astronauts to set foot on the moon.
Leylah Fernandez competes at the Wuhan Open earlier this month. The Canadian is into the quarterfinals at the Pan Pacific Open after a three-set win over Varvara Gracheva on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Oct 23, 2024

Leylah Fernandez into quarters in Tokyo as teen Sayaka Ishii continues impressive run

Ishii earned her spot in the tournament through qualifying and recorded her first WTA Tour win on Tuesday.
People from Thailand look at used smartphones in Tokyo's Akihabara district in October 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 23, 2024

Japan's secondhand smartphone market booms as households struggle

Sales of used goods in Japan have grown rapidly as households struggle to make ends meet.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan