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Nadeshiko Japan's Yui Hasegawa vies for the ball against the U.S. during the women's soccer quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.
OLYMPICS
Apr 10, 2025

IOC adds more women's teams to Olympic soccer tournament; men's teams cut

The IOC discussed the issue with both LA Games organizers and world soccer's governing body FIFA before going through with the changes.
Signs advertising the upcoming World Expo in Osaka have proliferated in the city's different neighborhood for the past few years.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 11, 2025

I’ve only just come back from Osaka, but I’m ready to hit the Expo

The term “bakari” can be used in several different ways to emphasize and define the limit of a range.
Japanese authorities will deploy up to 10,000 personnel for Saturday's Osaka Expo opening ceremony, including special units from police departments across the country.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2025

Police say they are ready to ensure security for six-month Osaka Expo

Led by the Osaka Prefectural Police, authorities say they have thoroughly prepared for the World Expo, an event which poses significant security challenges.
Paris Basketball's Nadir Hifi during a game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Paris on Jan. 16.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 12, 2025

NBA keen to tap into deep European talent pool

With the global pool of talent growing in the North American sport, the NBA is following a similar playbook to the other major men's North American sports leagues.
Overcrowded trains and a lack of legal consequences for groping in Japan have led to a rise in "chikan," or groping, which has been linked to a mental condition and compounded by cultural stigmas.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 13, 2025

'Chikan' incidents rise as Japan grapples with mental health and cultural challenges

The governments of the U.K. and Canada have warned their citizens traveling to Japan that they could experience inappropriate physical contact — or "chikan" — on crowded trains
Turkmenistan held its "national day" event to show its traditional dance performance at the Osaka Expo on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2025

Turkmenistan first to mark Osaka Expo with national day

Turkmenistan held an event to show its traditional dance performance.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a Lower House Budget Committee session on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 14, 2025

Japan avoids tariff confrontation ahead of crucial U.S. trade talks

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba again ruled out imposing retaliatory measures, arguing that escalation would not serve the country’s national interest.
Mori Calliope fan Taylor Jones holds a penstick as fans await entry to the historic venue Hollywood Palladium for a sold-out concert by Virtual YouTuber Mori Calliope.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 14, 2025

Digital divas: Can Japan's virtual YouTuber craze crack America?

VTuber agency Cover Corp. recently opened a U.S. office to accelerate business in North America.
An actor portrays a "pocong," a ghost widely known in Indonesia, at a horror entertainment venue at a mall in Jakarta. The pocong is just one of the monsters that features in massively popular Indonesian horror movies.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 15, 2025

Indonesia's horror movie industry rises from the grave

Five of the top 10 films from 2024 were categorized as horror movies, a statistic that underscores just how popular the genre is.
Toyota and Lexus cars and sport utility vehicles unloaded from car carrier ships to the Toyota Logistics Services automotive processing terminal at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2025

Trump floats temporary reprieve for autos as parts tariffs loom

The president said he is exploring exemptions to his tariffs on imported vehicles and parts to give auto companies more time to set up manufacturing in the U.S.
The U.S. Commerce Department has begun investigating how semiconductors and pharmaceuticals impact national security.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2025

Trump initiates chips and drug probes, ahead of more tariffs

The moves, announced Monday in the Federal Register, are a precursor to imposing tariffs and threaten to broaden the president’s sweeping U.S. trade war.
Kimitaka Sakurai displays a sharpening stone for working on skate blades, in Yokohama on March 28. Regular sharpening is crucial for maintaining optimal performance and reducing skaters’ risk of injury on the ice.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 15, 2025

The man who helps Japanese figure skaters stay sharp

Skate sharpening is not a lucrative endeavor, but Kimitaka Sakurai has been doing it full time for 14 years, and he is a master at his craft.
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen races during the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix in Sakhir, Bahrain, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 15, 2025

Marko concerned over Verstappen's Red Bull future

Verstappen struggled to sixth place in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix and at one point was last on track.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, well regarded in Tokyo as a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan ties, has died at the age of 79.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 15, 2025

Richard Armitage, ex-U.S. diplomat known for boosting Japan ties, dies at 79

He was a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan relations even after leaving government service.
A computer-generated image of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's next-generation offshore patrol vessel
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2025

Japan begins work on naval patrol vessels to boost surveillance

The ships will require fewer personnel and feature autonomous navigation and other state-of-the-art systems, allowing them to perform a range of operations.
Dodger Stadium will host the baseball competition during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, organizers announced Tuesday.
OLYMPICS
Apr 16, 2025

LA Games announce venues, including baseball at Dodger Stadium

The competition will be sprawled out around the greater Los Angeles region and will make use of some of the city's most famous venues.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs after attending a Federal Trade Commission trial at a U.S. District Court in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 16, 2025

Zuckerberg defends strategy behind Instagram, WhatsApp deals

The Federal Trade Commission alleges the acquisitions of the two apps give Meta Platforms a social media monopoly, and is fighting to break up the company.
Under the Economic Security Promotion Act, the government implements a range of measures to secure vital supply chains, from providing subsidies and low-interest loans to coordinating regulations, stockpiling essential goods and protecting advanced technologies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2025

METI may list undersea cables and satellites as critical for economic security

The move comes amid an increasingly uncertain geo-economic climate, with global powers becoming more protectionist.
A reincarnated Chinese strategist (Osamu Mukai) finds himself in modern-day Japan and helps an up-and-coming pop singer win a music competition in “Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2025

‘Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie’: J-pop spectacle goes heavy on performances

Shuhei Shibue's film about the improbable musical career of a Chinese strategist reincarnated in modern-day Japan delivers J-pop high notes and history deep cuts.
Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs have dealt a blow to U.S. credibility and the greenback. It’s a bigger leap to project the currency's demise.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2025

King dollar’s reign looks secure — for now

The greenback survived Trump's first term at the pinnacle and will likely endure his second.
Japan coach Eddie Jones (right) shakes hands with France coach Fabien Galthie before a match in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 9, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Apr 17, 2025

Japan coach Eddie Jones at peace after messy exit from Australia

Jones oversaw Australia's worst Rugby World Cup performance at the 2023 tournament in France.
While taking refuge on Mount Kasagi from the shogunate’s forces, Emperor Go-Daigo had a prophetic dream that eventually led him to secure the support of military strategist Kusunoki Masashige.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Apr 19, 2025

‘I scud before the autumn wind’: Emperor Go-Daigo’s fall from grace

The “Masukagami,” a 14th-century historical chronicle, offers a wrenching account of the emperor’s struggle for power — and eventual downfall.
On the 28th floor of the Waldorf Astoria Osaka, the Peacock Lounge exemplifies the art deco decadence the brand has become synonymous with.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 19, 2025

Japan’s first Waldorf Astoria brings art deco luxury to Osaka

Stays at the Waldorf Astoria Osaka start at ¥150,000 per night, but this is no hotel to be pinching pennies.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Thursday
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2025

Trump’s tariff policies are hurting the businesses he’s trying to help

Some firms are putting hiring and expansion plans on hold while they come up with short-term plans to cope with the tariffs.
People walk past an advertisement featuring Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani outside Tokyo Dome on March 18.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 18, 2025

Nothing sells like Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s marketing megastar

The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player is at the peak of his stardom, and brands are rushing to cash in with huge sponsorship deals.
An autonomous aerial vehicle designed to carry one passenger conducts a test flight in Guangzhou, China. Flying taxis and even drone-powered food delivery services are rapidly becoming realities in the country's government-backed "low-altitude economy."
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 18, 2025

Will a 'low-altitude economy' make Chinese growth soar again?

Beijing wants to repeat the economic success story of its battery and EV players by propelling companies operating in low-altitude airspace to global market dominance.
Tennis' anti-doping authorities have had to fend off a fresh round of criticism after it reminded players that if they choose to shower before giving a urine sample, they must be supervised by a chaperone.
TENNIS
Apr 19, 2025

Tennis doping watchdog defends supervised shower rule amid fan backlash

The agency said players chosen to give samples must remain in full view of chaperones if they choose to take a shower first.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister and top tariff negotiator with the U.S., speaks to the press upon his arrival at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 20, 2025

Japan mulls reviewing car safety rules to strike deal with Trump

The report comes after Japan’s chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa kicked off tariff discussions with U.S. counterparts in Washington last week.
Visitors walk atop the Grand Ring at Expo 2025 in Osaka on April 13.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 20, 2025

Digitalized Osaka Expo troubling elderly visitors

Under the Expo's digital and paperless policies, visitors are asked to use devices such as smartphones to make reservations and navigate the massive venue.
A visitor looks on from the Grand Ring venue of the 2025 Osaka Expo on April 14.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2025

Osaka Expo struggles with drawing visitors and managing crowds

Long lines formed in front of entrance gates as a communications failure left many unable to access their electronic admission tickets on their smartphones.

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