Search - special

 
 
A woman stands under surveillance cameras on a riverside, during the National People's Congress in Shanghai on March 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 3, 2023

China to its people: Spies are everywhere, help us catch them

China’s ruling Communist Party is enlisting ordinary people to guard against perceived threats to the country.
Prime Minster Fumio Kishida talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, as they arrive at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Jakarta on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2023

The ASEAN Summit gives us just more of the same

ASEAN needs to address problems internal divisions and maintain its role in the region.
A Palestinian woman embroiders at the Surif Women’s Cooperative, in the West Bank city of Surif. Several Palestinian organizations are working to revive the culture’s traditional embroidery, which is on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and to preserve old thobes that tell Palestinian history.
WORLD / Society
Sep 11, 2023

The threads of identity in a Palestinian craft

The Palestinian government and cultural organization work to revive traditional embroidery and the clothing that tells Palestinian history.
New Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is seen in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony after a Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

In Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, two changes stand out

It will be the first time in 20 years that a woman has been foreign minister, while the new defense chief arrives amid dramatic shifts in defense posture.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 15, 2023

Hunter Biden indicted on gun charges

Any charges against Biden are almost certain to be weaponized by Donald Trump and conservatives in his bid to regain the White House.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 16, 2023

Appointment fuels speculation of LDP-Komeito-DPP coalition

On Friday, Wakako Yata, a former lawmaker who previously served as vice president of the DPP, was named special adviser to the prime minister.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Family Research Council and FRC Action annual Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington on Friday.
NEWS Web
Sep 16, 2023

Trump should limit his comments on election fraud case, U.S. says

Federal prosecutors are arguing that the former president’s public attacks risk prejudicing the pool of potential jurors and intimidating witnesses.
Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani runs to the dugout after warming up before a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York on Aug. 27.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 17, 2023

Shohei Ohtani goes on injured list, ending season with Angels

The pending free agent could have played his final game in an Angels uniform, although the Angels remain confident they can re-sign him.
Hans Ellegren, permanent secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences, flanked by Eva Olsson and Mats Larsson, members, announces this year's Nobel Prize winners in physics, at the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Tuesday..
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 3, 2023

Trio wins 2023 Nobel in physics for electron experiments

The award was given to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier for work “exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules."
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2023

Japan opposition DPP to launch new supporter system

A new lump-sum fee will allow 'special members' to get involved more deeply in the party's management and activities.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration faces discontent within the ruling coalition, mounting frustration from conservative elements in the LDP and persistently low public approval ratings.
COMMENTARY
Oct 10, 2023

As cracks form, Kishida’s political ship takes on water

The Kishida administration faces discontent within the ruling coalition, frustration from LDP conservatives and and low public approval ratings.
A ball of fire erupts in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

China defends position on Hamas war in talk with Israel’s envoy

China’s special envoy on Middle East issues said the country condemns actions that lead to the death of civilians.
The Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2023

Japan opposition seeks law on Unification Church asset protection

Despite differing views on method, the CDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai want to prevent the organization's money being deliberately moved overseas.
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.
Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on Oct. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 18, 2023

Ukraine uses U.S. long-range missiles against Moscow for first time

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the weapons had "proven themselves" after inflicting heavy damage on airfields under Russian control.
Busan International Film Festival host Song Kang-ho presents the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award to veteran Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat at the 2023 edition of the Asian film festival.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 18, 2023

Film fans flock to Busan festival despite scandal

Busan International Film Festival remains a prestige Asian movie event amid internal strife and budget cuts.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 18, 2023

Defense minister’s miscue is an opening for the opposition

Can a single statement by the defense minister really disrupt the Japanese political landscape? For better or worse, it can.
Former firefighter Yoshifumi Usui now guides tourists in search of active pursuits in and around the Aso caldera.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 21, 2023

In volcanic Aso, the land gives much more than it takes

Locals in Aso have a saying: “The land takes away, but it gives us something, too.”
A Hello Kitty balloon is paraded down 6th Ave during the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in November 2017.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 24, 2023

Soft power and Japan's role in a complex world

While hard power zeroes in on what can be physically controlled such as an empire by force, soft power is an empire by invitation.
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023

The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked

One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
Inagaki, now 90, says a pivotal trip to the United States in 1969 changed not only his fashion sense from preppy to hippie but also his approach to music.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 27, 2023

Saxophonist Jiro Inagaki’s golden age of jazz rock

“WaJazz Legends: Jiro Inagaki” highlights the musician’s eclectic oeuvre, which has transformed a sidetrack artist into a pillar of Japanese jazz.
South Africa players huddle ahead of the second half of the team's semifinal game against England in the Rugby World Cup, in Saint-Denis, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 27, 2023

Springboks expect 'grind' against All Blacks in World Cup final

South Africa has never lost a World Cup final, winning the 1995, 2007 and 2019 editions.
Great Wall Motor's Ora Good Cat electric vehicles are charged at the company's charging station at Siam Square in Bangkok
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 27, 2023

Thailand bets on EVs to draw trillion baht in investment

The country has set up a "special operation” center to catch what its investment board head calls the "big fish” of the EV industry.
Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia celebrates after hitting the game-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 1 of the World Series on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
BASEBALL
Oct 28, 2023

Adolis Garcia's blast lifts Rangers in World Series opener

Garcia's eighth home run of the postseason pushed his RBI total to 22, eclipsing David Freese (2011) for the most in one postseason in MLB history.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

Orix's Gonzalez eager for more jewelry with win in Japan Series

The Buffaloes infielder, who is in his first season in Japan, is fine tuning his approach as he goes along.
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi receives his 8th Ballon d'Or award during the 2023 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony in Paris on Monday.
SOCCER
Oct 31, 2023

Messi wins record eighth Ballon d'Or for best player in the world

Inter Miami's Messi, who last won the award in 2021, played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to its first World Cup title in 36 years last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 1, 2023

Elderly Saitama hostage-taker had 'grudge' against post office

The 86-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of shooting into a hospital in Saitama Prefecture and taking hostages at a post office.
The Chairman's steamed flower crab with aged Shaoxing wine and chicken oil
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 5, 2023

Seeking 'the perfect combination of Chinese and French cuisine'

Chefs Daniel Calvert and Danny Yip are old friends, but for the first time this month, they're collaborators.
In addition to its regular whiskies, Suntory is released a limited-edition 100th Anniversary Hibiki blend retailing at $5,000 per bottle.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 5, 2023

A century of Suntory's whisky mastery costs $5,000 per bottle

Suntory's 100th anniversary blends are already selling for double their original retail prices online.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2023

Bill on sperm and egg donors seeks disclosure of some information

The draft seeks to allow information that is not personally identifiable, such as height, blood type and age, to be disclosed without donor's consent

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