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A large billboard depicting an Iranian missile with a phrase in Persian that reads "prepare your coffins" on the side of a building in Tehran on Tuesday, after overnight missile attacks by Iran on multiple targets in Syria and in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2024

Iran strikes targets in Iraq amid growing fears of regional conflict

The missile strike set off an unusual dispute between the neighboring allies, with Baghdad recalling its ambassador from Tehran in protest.
Collapsed houses in Misaki in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 11 following an earthquake and tsunami on New Year's Day
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2024

Evacuation drills paid off in tsunami-hit Noto area in Japan

As soon as the temblor struck, residents prepared themselves for a tsunami wave. "It wasn't a miracle. The drills paid off," one resident said.
While global sumo took its first steps toward becoming an organized sport under Hidetoshi Tanaka, it would be an exaggeration to say that everything was plain sailing internationally while the former president was in power.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 17, 2024

Scandal-hit giant of sumo Hidetoshi Tanaka leaves a complicated legacy

For Tanaka, a terse International Sumo Federation statement marked an ignominious end to the life of one of sumo’s most influential figures.
In his new memoir, “Rental Person Who Does Nothing,” Shoji Morimoto describes his journey to becoming a professional blank page, citing his own posts on X (formerly Twitter), where he reflects on his transactions to nearly half a million followers.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 18, 2024

‘Rental Person Who Does Nothing’ finds value in just being

In his new memoir, Shoji Morimoto describes his unique business model: Do nothing for his clients.
All Nippon Airways airplanes at Haneda Airport in Tokyo
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2024

U.S.-bound ANA plane turns back after man bites flight attendant

The passenger, reported to be 55-year-old American man, allegedly sunk his teeth into the flight attendant's arm while "heavily drunk," leaving her mildly injured.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2024

Japan’s economy gets boost from 25 million visitors in 2023

A weak yen has helped boost tourists’ spending power, making Japan a much more affordable and attractive destination.
Birthday decorations and a cake with a picture one-year-old hostage Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage to be kidnapped by Hamas militants, together with his mother and brother, in the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, at a nursery in kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jan 17, 2024

Birthday in absence for Gaza's youngest hostage

Kfir Bibas, who was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, would be celebrating his first birthday this week.
Donald Trump and his campaign are keenly aware of the publicity and sympathy his court appearances can generate with his loyal base of supporters.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

A day in Trump's world: Morning in court, evening on the campaign

The former U.S. president's unusual schedule sums up the unprecedented nature of this year's election.
A large billboard depicting an Iranian missile with a phrase in Persian that reads "prepare your coffins" on the side of a building in Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Iran says missile strikes show it will be ‘tough and decisive’

Supporters of Iran’s authoritarian clerical regime have been incensed by recent attacks on Iran that made it appear vulnerable, demanding a powerful response.
Executives at the World Economic Forum say they are grappling with how to turn early demos featuring artificial intelligence into money-makers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 18, 2024

AI buzzes Davos, but CEOs wrestle with how to make it pay

The arrival of OpenAI's viral ChatGPT in late 2022 triggered a frenzy of venture investment and an abrupt change of course inside the world's biggest technology companies.
The Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, the eventual winner, casts his vote during the island's election in Tainan, Taiwan, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2024

Taiwan's election and its potential impact on East Asian politics

China tried to interfere in the Taiwanese elections through the systematic use of "cognitive warfare," but failed.
In August 2019, Toru Takamatsu became the youngest master sommelier in history at just 24 years old.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 21, 2024

Japan’s first master sommelier dreams of Hokkaido wine glory

Why would a master sommelier go from Michelin-starred restaurants to the hands-on life of an apprentice winemaker in Hokkaido?
Singapore's former Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran (center) and his defense counsel Davinder Singh (left) leave the Singapore State Courts on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

Singapore minister quits after biggest graft case since 1986

The scandal has cast a pall on the city-state known for its clean governance. If convicted, the minister faces fines and a possible jail term.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2024

Japan to use ex-believers' help for Unification Church victim aid

Some will participate as instructors in the training of consultation staff, to help them understand the feelings of victims.
Japan's core inflation stayed above the central bank's 2% target in December but slowed for a second straight month, reinforcing expectations it will be in no hurry to phase out its massive monetary stimulus.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2024

Japan’s slowing inflation supports case for BOJ to wait longer

Growth in consumer prices excluding fresh food slowed to 2.3% in December from a year earlier.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 19, 2024

Debate grows over whether expo funding should go to Ishikawa recovery

It has been suggested it would be better to postpone, or even cancel, the troubled 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
The Tsukuba Geo Museum is a hands-on exhibition facility.
ESG CONSORTIUM
Jan 22, 2024

New geopark museum, cycle park showcase Tsukuba’s attractions

The Ibaraki city of Tsukuba in November launched a new facility, Mt. Tsukuba Gate Park, that focuses on promoting the charms of the Mt. Tsukuba Area Geopark and supporting Japan’s cycling culture. City officials stationed there explained what the facility offers and how they aim to nurture the civic...
A clock thrown away at a trash site in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday shows the approximate time that an earthquake hit the area on Jan. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 19, 2024

Nanao mayor says Line group chat was essential to relief efforts

The group chat consisting of 300 municipal leaders nationwide allowed Yoshitaka Chatani to directly communicate with other mayors who were eager to help.
The health of China's economy will always be a factor in how other Asian economies fare, and some of those are doing OK despite their larger neighbor’s woes.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2024

The latest indignity for China’s flawed recovery

Neighbors whose economic fortunes were supposed to be tied to the heft of China’s rebound from the pandemic seem to be doing pretty well without it.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Jan. 4.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 20, 2024

Kishida takes risky gamble by dissolving LDP faction

Members of the factions led by LDP Vice President Taro Aso and Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi have resisted following suit, potentially endangering the PM.
People gather near the site struck by a reported Israeli military strike in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday.
WORLD
Jan 20, 2024

Apparent Israeli strike on Damascus kills four Iranian Revolutionary Guards

Syrian state media said a likely Israeli attack had targeted a building in the Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus, without giving further details.
A replica of the Statue of Liberty in Taipei. There are markers all over Taiwan of its courtship of the United States.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 21, 2024

Taiwan’s doubts about America are growing. That could be dangerous.

Will deepening skepticism about the United States as a trustworthy nation diminish Taiwan’s belief that it could fend off China?
Salmon farming can be a nasty business. Breeding involves removing eggs and sperm from anesthetized fish, and typically euthanizing males after extraction.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jan 21, 2024

Scotland’s salmon farms navigate troubled waters for global industry

Despite pitching the red-fleshed fish as a more environmentally friendly alternative to beef, producers haven’t yet figured out how to scale sustainably.
Past warnings of a housing-market crash in China have never been borne out. But unless the government takes concerted action, this time may well be different.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2024

Fixing China’s real estate sector

Housing dreams to economic nightmares, the perils of China's real estate boom.
Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' prime minister, during an interview on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2024

Rutte’s backers are pushing to lock him in as NATO’s next leader

The Dutch leader is already the strong favorite to succeed current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when his term ends in October.
Apple is entering its first major new product category since the company began selling smartwatches in 2015, and the Vision Pro may take years to catch on.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 22, 2024

Apple Vision Pro deliveries delayed to March in sign of early demand

The device is also sold out for Day 1 in-store pickup at many locations despite preorders having just begun on Friday ahead of its Feb. 2 rollout.
By the end of the decade, nearly 700 cities are likely to have rolled out some version of urban metaverse technologies, including virtual and augmented reality applications, according to ABI Research.
WORLD / Society
Jan 22, 2024

Realities collide as 'augmented cities' emerge around the U.S.

AR can enhance life in cities, particularly for marginalized communities.
Nick Dunlap plays his shot on the ninth hole during the final round of The American Express golf tournament at PGA West Stadium Course, La Quinta, California, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 23, 2024

Amateur Dunlap mulls future after PGA Tour win

Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1991 on Sunday.
Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank Group, during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2024

World Bank chief eyes 'bigger' institution to tackle climate crisis

Ajay Banga said the bank is working to widen the way it looks at problems and increase collaborations with other institutions.
Israeli soldiers fire a mortar toward Gaza on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 24, 2024

Unmoved by Gaza carnage, Israel remains committed to war at any cost

There is an intensifying sense within Israel that the world is more focused on the response to Oct. 7 than on the original act of savagery itself.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan