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Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
May 5, 2025

A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan

How one artist is using history, culture and community spirit to revive a fading samurai legacy — and possibly reshape rural Japan’s future.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new plan to restrict updated COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups has sparked confusion and criticism, with experts warning it could limit public access and bypass established advisory channels.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2025

The FDA’s new COVID-19 vaccine policy is clear as mud

The U.S. health agency's promises of transparency and choice for COVID-19 vaccines fall short in its first big test. 
Elon Musk boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in March. As Musk became one of Donald Trump's closest allies last year, he was also using drugs far more intensely than previously known, according to people familiar with his activities.
WORLD / Politics
May 31, 2025

On the Trump campaign trail, Elon Musk juggled drugs and family drama

Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use and also came as he dealt with personal drama related to his growing number of children.
An extreme heat warning in Death Valley, California, on July 15
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

Our civilization was built for a climate that’s vanishing

Weather disasters linked to climate change like those unfolding across the northern hemisphere will affect more and more of us.
The No. 1 Poultry building, left, in the City of London
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

South Korean investors stung as bet on offices in financial centers turns sour

With a growing need for environmental credentials for corporate renters and downsizing due to the pandemic, office real-estate markets are seeing a "flight to quality" — leaving some exposed
The financial district of San Francisco in May 2022
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

Not all firms are ready for a four-day week — yet, says expert

The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most U.K. businesses participating don’t want to return to the five-day standard.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12. The leader's efforts to conduct diplomacy in the face of conflict have drawn comparisons with British wartime leader Winston Churchill.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 20, 2023

Why Zelenskyy's diplomacy is a key factor in Ukraine's efforts to win war

The leader's counteroffensive came at a critical time, sandwiched between two summits — the Group of Seven summit in May and a NATO summit earlier this month.
Unlike other social media platforms, including Threads, Twitter has a way of pushing you out of your comfort zone.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Can Threads dethrone Twitter in Japan?

Netizens in Japan jumped onto the Threads bandwagon soon after its launch, but the honeymoon phase is beginning to end, experts say, with many Japanese users remaining on Twitter.
Icons of Google's Artificial Intelligence app BardAI (or ChatBot), OpenAI's app ChatGPT and other AI apps are displayed on a smartphone screen.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Google tests AI tool that is able to write news articles

Some executives who saw Google’s pitch described it as unsettling, and two people said it seemed to take for granted the effort that went into producing accurate and artful news stories.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2023

CDP's Ichiro Ozawa bracing for 'final battle' in next election

The veteran politician still hopes the country will achieve a genuine two-party parliamentary democracy.
Support for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet dropped to 30.8% in July, a survey shows.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2023

Poll shows Kishida Cabinet approval down to 30.8%

The slide in support may have reflected the string of problems related to My Number personal identification cards.
The mushroom cloud caused by the Trinity nuclear test is seen on July 16, 1945. A new study, released on Thursday ahead of submission to a scientific journal for peer review, shows that the cloud and its fallout went farther than anyone in the Manhattan Project had imagined in 1945.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 22, 2023

Trinity nuclear test’s fallout reached 46 states, Canada and Mexico, study finds

The research shows that the first atomic bomb explosion’s effects had been underestimated, and could help more “downwinders” press for federal compensation.
An accommodation center for refugees from Ukraine in Berlin in May
WORLD / Society
Jul 21, 2023

Europe struggles to convert Ukraine migration into labor boon

Obstacles ranging from lack of child care facilities to reluctance to recognize non-European academic and vocational qualifications has left vacancies unfilled.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during an event in Paris on July 14.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2023

Modi condemns Manipur sexual assault as 'shameful' after footage goes viral

The incident prompted India's prime minister to make his first comments on clashes in India's remote northeast that have killed at least 125 people.
On July 17, Jiyugaoka in western Tokyo held its summer Bon Odori Festival for the first time in four years. While the pandemic spelled the end of the road for some longstanding local events, others weathered the storm.
CULTURE / Longform
Jul 24, 2023

Fate of the fete: Japan’s matsuri fight to survive

While COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many of the country's smaller festivals, others have clung on and are making a determined comeback this year.
A satellite image showing an overview of Rhodes wildfires, Greece, on Sunday.
WORLD
Jul 24, 2023

Tourists flee wildfires on Greek island of Rhodes

Thousands spent the night on beaches and streets during what Greece said was its biggest safe transport of residents and tourists in emergency conditions.
Sudanese refugees line up to receive food rations from World Food Programme, in Adre, Chad, on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 24, 2023

Sudan war enters 100th day as mediation attempts fail

Some 1,136 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the health ministry, though officials believe the number is higher.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2023

Safety in focus as summer events see return of crowds and foreign tourists

Nearly 11 million people visited Japan in the first half of the year, about 64% of the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
A "No Kids Zone" sign written in Korean hangs on the glass door of a cafe in Gimpo, South Korea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 24, 2023

Lawmaker on crusade against South Korea's 'no-kid zones'

Seoul spends billions to encourage citizens to have more babies, offering subsidies, babysitting services and infertility treatment, but fertility rates continue to drop.
An intensive care unit of the city children's hospital, damaged by a Russian military strike, in Kherson, Ukraine, on Jan. 1
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2023

Ukrainians take home medical skills acquired in Japan

In response to Russia's prolonged invasion of Ukraine, Juntendo University in Tokyo set up a system to continue providing support in line with the requests of Ukrainians in Japan.
Women and children fleeing Ukraine gather in Przemysl train station on March 2, 2022.
WORLD
Jul 24, 2023

Ukraine needs its women back for a shot at economic recovery

Failure to persuade any of the 2.8 million working-age women who have fled the country to return would cost Ukraine 10% of its annual prewar gross domestic product.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) speaks with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger during a meeting in Beijing last week.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 24, 2023

China enlists old friends to translate as U.S. talks hit brick wall

Beijing is struggling to find a common diplomatic language to talk productively with Washington.
A man sits on his own at a taco stand on Kokusai Street in Naha.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 2, 2023

Peacemaking of a different sort in Okinawa

Through therapy and community outreach, counseling service TELL draws on the personal experiences of its clinicians and support workers to help various communities in Okinawa.
The natural beauty of Minakami has attracted hundreds adventure tourism companies, but there's still no overarching network of safety protocols in place.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 15, 2023

In Japan’s adventure tourism mecca, the rush comes with risk

Minakami has come a long way since the early days of its adventure tourism beginnings, but if it wants to last well into the future, regulation may be key.
A general view inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. Tourists wishing to see the area should expect far stricter supervision if visits to the border resume.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 26, 2023

Travis King crossing puts North Korea border tours under scrutiny

Some predict changes could include making the tours smaller, keeping groups behind glass or back away from the border where troops from both sides stand almost face to face.
A helicopter sprays water over a fire on the southern part of the Greek island of Rhodes on Tuesday. Wildfires have been raging in Greece amid scorching temperatures, forcing mass evacuations in several tourist spots including on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
WORLD
Jul 26, 2023

Wildfires bring death and destruction to Mediterranean

Greece has been particularly hard hit, with authorities evacuating more than 20,000 people in recent days from homes and resorts in the south of the holiday island of Rhodes.
Russian and North Korean flags fly above a street in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2019. As Pyongyang prepares to mark the Korean War's 70th anniversary, Kim Jong Un's regime has Russia to thank.
WORLD
Jul 26, 2023

North Korea’s depleted coffers are filling up again thanks to Russia

New funds are enabling Kim Jong Un to ignore financial incentives designed to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Tonga's Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 26, 2023

Antony Blinken in Tonga warns of 'predatory' Chinese aid

As part of a drive to build Washington's influence across the region and to counter Beijing's growing clout, Blinken touched down in Tonga on a diplomatic charm offensive.
The population of Japanese nationals fell 801,000 in 2022 from a year earlier to 122,423,038, marking the largest drop since the survey began in 1968, government data showed Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2023

Number of Japanese drops in all 47 prefectures for first time as foreign population surges

As of Jan. 1, Japan's population, including foreign residents, stood at 125,416,877, down around 511,000 from a year earlier.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2023

Can Japan prevent crimes from happening on trains?

Trains are often targeted for attacks because they offer the most familiar, everyday setting. Railway companies are now exploring ways to bolster security.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji