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People visit the Osaka Expo on the first day it opened to the public, in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2025

Osaka Expo throws open its doors as mega-event kicks off

A steady rain failed to dampen the spirits of organizers and expo early-birds as 160 countries, regions and organizations showed off their best tech and culture.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday.
WORLD
Apr 26, 2025

Trump and Zelenskyy meet one-on-one in Vatican basilica to seek Ukraine peace

The meeting, their first since an angry encounter in Washington in February, comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.
Bayern defender Kim Min-jae (center) and Frontale forward Yusuke Segawa (right) contend for the ball during an international friendly at the National Stadium on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 29, 2023

Kim Min-jae makes Bayern debut in friendly win over Frontale

A second-half goal by defender Josip Stanisic was enough for the German champion to end its first visit to Japan since 2008 on a high note.
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.
A Dutch F-16 fighter jet. Although the jets will bring new capabilities to Ukraine's war effort, they also increase the complexity of managing a conflict where aviation has yet to take center stage in battles.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2023

F-16s: A victory and new challenge for war-torn Ukraine

Even though the jets bring new capabilities, they also increase the complexity of managing a conflict where aviation has yet to take center stage.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

One month on, Chinese import ban hits Japanese food exports

Food exports to China plunged 41.2% in August from a year before — but the full effect of the ban after the Fukushima water release has yet to be felt.
This year's Tokyo Game Show attendance came up just shy of 2019's draw — an encouraging sign for the event's future.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 7, 2023

A dark fantasy spin on ‘Pinocchio’ may put FromSoftware under pressure

It wasn’t the biggest TGS ever, but it's hard to imagine anyone behind the scenes at TGS headquarters pulling their hair out over 2023’s return to form.
A lithium mine near Itinga, Minas Gerais state, Brazil
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2023

We’re not even close to running out of green minerals

Rising reserves challenge fears of mineral shortages in green transition.
A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip strikes an area near Sderot, southern Israel, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 10, 2023

Middle East crisis exposes limits of China's diplomatic ambitions

After the killings of more than 900 Israelis in coordinated assaults by the Islamic group Hamas, China's response was muted.
A photo taken on Thursday shows details of a contract between the Beijing Yunze Technology Co. Ltd. and a company then part of Yevgeny Prigozhin's commercial empire — for the acquisition of two high resolution observation satellites.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2023

Chinese firm sold satellites for intelligence to Russia's Wagner

The satellite images were used to assist Wagner's operations in Ukraine, but also in Africa — and even its failed mutiny in June — a contract has shown.
Whether you see it as ceremonious or a “way” of living in the moment, the tea ceremony offers a chance to relax and think about the moment you are in.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 13, 2023

The linguistic influence of tea in Japan is more than ceremonial

The way of tea is one of inner peace and enjoying the moment. And it's good for understanding idioms, too.
Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen speaks about the current situation in Israel amid the ongoing conflict with the Hamas militant group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

Israeli and Palestinian envoys to Japan detail a week of violence

Both envoys expressed hope for Japan's diplomatic role in the conflict, but from very different perspectives.
Gala Espel’s “Archeology of the Future” fuses digital technology with handcraftsmanship to create silverware and jewelry of industrial forms and natural motifs.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 17, 2023

Designart’s young creators foreshadow the future

On: Design this month focuses on the work of five creators selected by Designart judges for its 2023 Under 30 program.
Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson takes his oath of office after he was elected to be the new Speaker, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 26, 2023

Untested new U.S. House speaker faces daunting first days

Republican Mike Johnson, a conservative with little leadership experience, was elected as speaker on Wednesday.
Maryna Bodnar, 24, with her children, Matviy and Gennady, at home in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on April 11, 2023. 'I don’t feel strong,' Bodnar said. 'But I am looking for strength to continue.'
WORLD / Society
Nov 1, 2023

Coming of age in Ukraine

The ongoing war has accelerated their transition into adulthood.
From left: Yusuke Nagai, Taiyo Someya and Kaori Sakakibara formed their band Lamp in 2000, developing a cult following over the years with their own blend of 1960s pop harmonies, ’70s folk craft and ’80s bossa nova brightness.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 3, 2023

The slow and steady rise of Lamp, a cult favorite

With new album 'Dusk to Dawn,' the folk rockers bring light to the new Japanese music canon.
Rapid improvements in image generation have spurred artists to push back on generative AI startups, which ingest vast troves of internet data in order to generate content like pictures or text.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 6, 2023

Dall-E 3 is so good it’s stoking a revolt against AI scraping

It hasn’t helped much that OpenAI’s new process for artists who want to exclude their data from the system is time-consuming and complex.
SUMO
Nov 10, 2023

Young ozeki duo may be ready to step into spotlight at Kyushu Basho

Kirishima and Hoshoryu have generated much of the excitement in Japan’s national sport over the past 12 months.
Sam Altman, then the chief executive of OpenAI, in Redmond, Washington, in February
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 19, 2023

The perpetual rise of Sam Altman takes an unexpected turn

The former OpenAI CEO was the face of an AI-fueled future. He was the most Silicon Valley person alive. Then, on Friday, he was fired.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2023

International law, warts and all, is still better than no law

However imperfect, international law makes life for many people less nasty, brutish and short than it would otherwise be
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
Nov 30, 2023

The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era

The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg meet during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2023

NATO's delicate balancing act in the Indo-Pacific

Japan and NATO are already working together on new technologies and on efforts to safeguard the new domains of cyber, outer space and other vectors.
Bottled and canned cocktails are predicted to be worth $21.1 billion (about ¥3 trillion) in the U.S. alone by 2027.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 31, 2023

Are canned cocktails poised for a meteoric U.S. rise?

The bottled and canned cocktail market is predicted to be worth $21.1 billion (about ¥3 trillion) in the U.S. alone by 2027.
Erin Lim, CEO of baby products company Konny, in front of her company's new office in Seoul. Early starts and late finishes to workdays are routine in South Korea, a country notorious for its hard-driving corporate culture, but Erin Lim knew she wanted to do things differently at her business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 28, 2023

South Korean mother's office-free firm sparks hope amid birthrate woes

South Korea has some of the world's lowest birth rates, and despite government incentives many women choose not to become mothers.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Dozens killed as Japan assesses damage from massive quake

The Monday afternoon quake led to the collapse of multiple buildings, caused landslides and sparked a large-scale fire in a popular tourist area.
Aryna Sabalenka will be seeking her second Grand Slam title when she competes in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
TENNIS
Jan 26, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka looking to lean on experience in Australian Open final

The world No. 2 is the favorite to claim her second major crown at Rod Laver Arena.
A soldier stands in front of the grave sites of fallen soldiers in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 23, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, though many analysts see that as an attempt to galvanize his military rather than a timeline for invasion.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2024

How Washington is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

It is looking at a key vulnerability — military logistics — and is setting up hubs in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure supplies are readily available.
Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper, published by Next Digital Ltd., at the company's printing facility in Hong Kong on Nov. 5, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

In Trump-Biden rematch, the only sure loser is China

Trump’s rhetoric may pressure Biden to take harsher measures in the run-up to election day — bad news for China’s economy and slumping stock market.
Pedestrians in Piazza Cordusio in Milan. Europe's fertility rate has been stuck around 1.5 births per woman for the past decade.
WORLD / Society / ANALYSIS
Feb 16, 2024

How Europe can dodge a birth rate hard landing

Europe's fertility rate has been stuck around 1.5 births per woman for the past decade, far short of the 2.1 needed to maintain population levels.
During a time in which Western acts have seen their place of prominence in the Japanese market drop in favor of K-pop, Swift is a notable exception.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 22, 2024

What makes a Taylor Swift show worth flying in for?

Swifties say the pop star's concerts provide camaraderie and a sense of validation.

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