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Koki Nagata (right) offers a Buddhist altar to a Noto Peninsula earthquake evacuee in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 29.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 10, 2024

Kumamoto shop owner gives away free Buddhist altars to Noto quake victims

“I hope it will be a source of comfort for those who lost their loved ones and homes," said shop owner Koki Nagata.
Indian folk singer Maithili Thakur speaks during an interview at her residence in New Delhi on April 2. Thakur thought she was successfull with millions following her Hindu devotional tunes on social media — but then Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent her popularity stratospheric.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 10, 2024

Modi taps India's influencers to rally millions ahead of key elections

Many social media stars given government-organized awards have a striking similarity in their promotion of India's Hindu-majority culture.
Anne Mahrer and Rosmarie Wydler-Walti talk to journalists at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 10, 2024

In landmark climate ruling, European court faults Switzerland

Experts said it was time an international court determined that governments were legally obligated to meet their climate targets under human rights law.
Despite Japan’s strict anti-scalping laws, tickets for premium seats to sumo tournaments are being offered at massive markups on resale sites.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 10, 2024

Scarcity of tickets leaves foreign sumo fans out in the cold

Almost as soon as general ticket sales began on Saturday for the upcoming May Grand Sumo Tournament, the entire meet was sold-out.
People vote at a polling station during the 22nd parliamentary election in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 10, 2024

Four key figures to watch ahead of South Korea's general election

Political fates will be shaped Wednesday as the South Korean electorate votes to pick 300 members of parliament.
Afghan children in the earthquake-hit district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan, in October 2023.
WORLD / Society
Apr 10, 2024

Afghan kids study without school buildings six months after major quake

The October earthquake killed more than 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes, according to an assessment.
Given Pakistan's internal security challenges and changing geopolitical dynamics, India may opt for a policy of minimal engagement with its neighbor.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2024

Does Pakistan still matter to India?

New Delhi's approach toward Islamabad is likely to remain unchanged in the foreseeable future.
Although intelligence agencies are engaging more with the public than they used to, spy-themed entertainment is still the primary source of education about espionage.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2024

James Bond and Jason Bourne ruined spies for all of us

The average person knows deep down that what they see in the movies and on TV isn’t the same as reality, but they don’t know how or how much.
A demonstration in front of a Nagoya court in 2020 before the appeal trial for a father accused of sexually assaulting his 19-year-old daughter. Sexual violence remains a widespread problem in Japan and one affecting many young victims.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 10, 2024

Landmark sexual violence survey reveals shocking data

Sexual violence remains a huge problem in Japan. Despite recent legal reforms, much more needs to be done to prevent crimes and protect victims.
Thai military personnel stand guard overlooking the Moei river near the Tak border checkpoint with Myanmar, in Thailand's Mae Sot district on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 11, 2024

Thai soldiers patrol border town in second day of clashes nearby in Myanmar

Hundreds queued to enter Thailand at the immigration checkpoint in Mae Sot, many fleeing the newest round of fighting.
Yayoi Kusama during a media preview of her exhibition at the David Zwirner gallery in New York in November 2013.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 11, 2024

Yayoi Kusama was the world’s top-selling artist last year

Sales from Kusama’s auctioned works totaled $80.9 million in 2023, moving her up from the second-highest selling artist in 2022.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets supporters during his roadshow ahead of the general elections, in Ghaziabad, India, on April 6.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 11, 2024

He once sold tea, but now India's Modi seeks his own 'tryst with destiny'

Modi has lofty ambitions for what could be his third and final term in office.
South Korea's ruling People Power Party's leader Han Dong-hoon (R) speaks during a press conference on the parliamentary election at the party's headquarters in Seoul on Thursday. Han resigned after his party was trounced by the opposition in parliamentary elections, leaving President Yoon Suk Yeol a lame duck for the remainder of his term.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 11, 2024

Election rout makes Yoon's 'lame duck' fears reality

"I apologize to the people for failing to be chosen"
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 11, 2024

How the U.S. Steel takeover became about Biden and swing states

The turmoil threatens to strain U.S. relations with Japan while underscoring how the politics of winning swing-state voters influences business.
A Wisconsin resident prepares to vote in the presidential primary election in Superior, Wisconsin, on April 2.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 16, 2024

Can we trust the polls? How emerging technologies affect democracy

In a global election year, all eyes are on the ties between emerging technologies and democracy.
A portrait of the 13th Ryukyu King Sho Kei, which was returned to the Okinawa Prefectural Government from the United States
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 22, 2024

Artifacts missing after Battle of Okinawa returned from U.S.

Items that include portraits of kings from the Ryukyu Kingdom have returned after going missing in 1945.
The international departure lobby at Haneda Aiport in Tokyo on April 29, 2023, at the start of the Golden Week holidays.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2024

Golden Week travel plans near pre-pandemic levels as overseas bookings surge

This year's Golden Week marks the first since the government downgraded COVID-19’s classification to the same level as the seasonal flu.
Tokyo-based artist valknee has stood out as part of a wave of underground acts eager to tear down genre walls.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 12, 2024

Four up-and-coming music acts to start spring off right

Give your algorithms a nudge to put you in the mood for warmer weather with acts such as valknee, Uilou, Cho Co Pa Co Cho Co Quin Quin and kinoue64.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's headquarters in Osaka
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 11, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma troubles reverberate in Taiwan as firm assists with recall

Taiwan is the only place outside of Japan to have seen reports of people falling ill after consuming the company's beni kōji.
Yuko Kishida, wife of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and U.S. first lady Jill Biden listen to students read poetry during an event with local high school students at a White House library in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2024

Kishida's wife meets with U.S. high school students

The Japanese first lady also participated in a tea ceremony with people promoting Japan-U.S. exchanges and a national cherry blossom festival event.
Approval rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet hit a new low of 16.6% in April since its launch in October 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 11, 2024

Support for Kishida Cabinet sinks to fresh low of 16.6%, poll shows

The approval rate fell 1.4 percentage points from the previous month, while the disapproval rate climbed 2.0 points to 59.4%.
Ukrainian armed forces volunteers take part in basic training in Kyiv last month. Military analysts say Ukraine needs to address acute problems with manpower and a shortage of artillery shells.
WORLD
Apr 12, 2024

Ukraine parliament passes bill to overhaul army draft rules

Military analysts say Ukraine's armed forces need to address acute problems with manpower.
Israeli tanks move toward Gaza on Wednesday. Analysts say Israel would benefit from a truce with Hamas, even if it was just a tactical move, after losing 260 soldiers in Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 12, 2024

Why Gaza truce talks are at an 'impasse'

Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which is unacceptable to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A soldier resting after returning from a front-line position in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in November 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 12, 2024

Russian attacks on Ukraine stoke fears army near breaking point

Low on ammunition and manpower, Ukraine may soon run out of options in Russia's invasion.
Yagana Yamani, 25, one of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitory by Boko Haram Islamist militants in 2014, in her home in Chibok, Nigeria
WORLD / Society
Apr 12, 2024

A decade on, tragedy of Nigeria’s Chibok Girls endures outside the spotlight

Roughly 90 Chibok girls are still missing, and a third are believed to have died in captivity.
Dolls of Myaku-Myaku, the 2025 Expo's official mascot, at an official store for the event in Osaka on April 2
JAPAN / Society
Apr 12, 2024

Transport becomes most pressing issue one year out from Osaka Expo

As organizers look ahead to recruiting volunteers and planning events for the six-month expo, another concern has emerged: transportation logistics.
Health experts say the beni kōji supplement scandal should not be treated as a one-off incident. Instead, it should be seen as a cautionary tale about how such health food items could pose more risks than benefits.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma’s slow response to scandal spotlights deeper issues

Health experts say the scandal should be seen as a cautionary tale, and not a one-off incident.
The departure hall at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Now with inflation at its strongest in decades, Japanese are starting to realize that years of static wages leave many of them budgeting each month before their next pay check.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024

Japan’s young workers head abroad as huge wage gap persists

The outflow is also a sign that many Japanese aren’t buying into the nation’s economic optimism as it exits from decades of deflation.
A street vendor flees from gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2024

Haiti decrees long-awaited transition council, but questions remain

The long-delayed move is intended as a first step in restoring security to the gang-ravaged Caribbean country.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tours a new Toyota battery factory in Liberty, North Carolina, with state Gov. Roy Cooper (second from right) on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2024

Kishida touts Japan’s investments in U.S. with visit to swing-state Toyota plant

The prime minister visited the North Carolina plant where Toyota last year injected an additional $8 billion to make batteries for electric vehicles.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years