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A replica of a suicide note left behind by a surgeon involved in the 1945 vivisection of U.S. prisoners of war is seen on display at Kyushu University in the city of Fukuoka on May 17.
JAPAN / History
Jun 11, 2025

Documents of 1945 vivisection of U.S. POWs on exhibit at Fukuoka museum

The documents relate to the experimental surgeries performed on eight captured U.S. soldiers at Kyushu Imperial University in the late stages of World War II.
Thai fisherman Chaweng Yothaud (right) collects water samples to test for alleged arsenic poisoning along the Kok River in the Golden Triangle region in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai province.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2025

Toxic Thailand rivers pinned on Myanmar mines

Around a dozen extraction operations have sprung up in Myanmar's Shan state since around 2022, in territory controlled by the United Wa State Army.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning against the Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 11, 2025

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani moves closer to pitching return

Asked whether Ohtani could pitch for the team before the All-Star break, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the chances are "north of zero."
June is Pride Month, which means it’s the perfect time to get acquainted with how sexual minorities have been represented in Japanese fiction if you’re not familiar with these narratives already.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2025

Pride and prose: Novels that illuminate queer lives in Japan

From Yukio Mishima and Haruki Murakami to Li Kotomi and Akira Otani, dive into Japanese fiction’s LGBTQ+ narratives in honor of Pride Month.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor undergoes testing at an undisclosed location. The Trump administration’s ambitious “Golden Dome” missile defense plan revives Reagan-era dreams of a high-tech shield but faces immense technical, financial and geopolitical hurdles. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2025

Golden Dome is a glittering gamble — and a likely mistake

Trump’s EO outlined an MD system that would use a network of hundreds of satellites to detect, track and intercept incoming missiles “to protect our homeland.”
Ohkawara Kakohki President Masaaki Okawara (center, left) and the eldest son (center, right) of Shizuo Aishima, a late former adviser to Ohkawara Kakohki, head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on Monday in the capital's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2025

Central and Tokyo governments won't appeal ruling in Ohkawara case

The ruling, which also ordered the governments to pay a total of ¥166 million in damages, is set to become final Thursday.
Former Lower House lawmaker Shiori Yamao at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2025

DPP withdraws election candidacy of scandal-hit Shiori Yamao

The move came in the wake of backlash aimed at the party for fielding Yamao, who has been mired in a series of scandals.
A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies just to the side of a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C surveillance plane over the high seas in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2025

Chinese fighter jets in close encounters with MSDF patrol planes over Pacific

Chinese fighters made “abnormal approaches” to MSDF patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in recent days that risked collisions, the Defense Ministry said.
Printed copies of the newly disclosed documents related to the dubious sale of state-owned land to Moritomo Gakuen, on Wednesday in the city of Osaka
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

More Moritomo Gakuen papers disclosed to widow of Finance Ministry official

The ministry intends to gradually disclose all the documents, which total more than 170,000 pages.
“Junk World” is Takahide Hori’s second entry in his stop-motion “Junk” series, which is populated by cyborgs, monsters and artificial lifeforms called “Mulligans.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 13, 2025

Stop-motion sci-fi saga ‘Junk World’ expands its bizarre universe

The monsters are cute, the war is weird and interior designer turned director Takahide Hori’s creativity stretches far beyond his budget.
Scottie Scheffler hits off the first tee during a practice round ahead of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on April 6.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 12, 2025

Scottie Scheffler leads field into ultimate U.S. Open test at Oakmont

Scheffler enters the U.S. Open in stellar form having secured three wins in his last four starts.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington in February.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

U.S. to review AUKUS as part of Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda

The decision to review the partnership is likely to raise eyebrows among U.S. allies and partners, but was downplayed by Canberra.
Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff for policy, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

Stephen Miller: 'Trump's brain' who is behind migration crackdown

Stephen Miller's fingerprints have been all over the White House's unprecedented assertion of its right to use presidential power to pursue its agenda.
Held from June 7-8, the Japan Rapid Chess Championships is the latest major event put on by the country's chess supporters who hope to capitalize on the game's global momentum.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 14, 2025

Under shogi’s shadow, Tokyo’s chess lovers make their move

Japan has long resisted the lure of chess, but the stage is being set for the country’s first-ever grandmaster, one expert says.
People gather for a campaign speech in Tokyo's Suginami Ward on June 1.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025

Parties to test political waters in Tokyo election ahead of Upper House vote

The election is seen as an early indicator of how voters nationwide might cast their ballots in next month’s Upper House poll.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton speaks during a news conference ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 13, 2025

Lewis Hamilton defends Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur ahead of Canadian GP

Ferrari is second overall but has yet to win in nine races so far this season and there has been media speculation in Italy that Vasseur could be replaced.
A man holding a baby wades through a flooded road following heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou, China, in July 2021.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 13, 2025

Natural disasters may be shaping babies’ brains

The findings signal how new generations of children may be marked by climate crises that occur before they were born.
A vehicle believed to belong the suspected gunman, who was impersonating law enforcement, is towed away from the home of the late State Rep. Melissa Hortman in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Saturday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 15, 2025

Authorities hunt suspect in deadly shooting of Minnesota Democratic lawmakers

The shootings by a gunman posing as a police officer killed a senior Democratic state assemblywoman and her husband and wounded a second lawmaker and his spouse.
Anthony Albanese
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 15, 2025

Australia PM Albanese to meet with Trump on G7 sidelines in Canada

Australian leader Anthony Albanese will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Canada for talks on the AUKUS defense pact and tariffs.
Sam Burns prepares to putt on the 16th green during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 15, 2025

U.S. Open leader Burns eyes first major title at historic Oakmont

The 28-year-old American will carry a one-stroke lead into Sunday's final round after firing a 1-under-par 69 on Saturday.
The oceans have absorbed most anthropogenic heat and carbon dioxide emissions since the start of industrialization. But their capacity to do so is not unlimited.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2025

The ocean is not just a carbon sink

Reducing the value of three-quarters of our planet to the singular role of carbon sink overlooks the ocean’s vast contributions to food security, cultural identity and economics.
Eating locally grown food could be part of a decokatsu lifestyle that's both good for the planet and your wallet.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Jun 15, 2025

Decokatsu could save you money and help the planet. But you probably haven't heard of it.

The ambitious government program aims to get people to live in ways that are healthier for the planet without being restrictive about it.
A defiant U.S. President Donald Trump attend the 44th Group of Seven gathering in Charlevoix, Canada, in 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2025

Trump returns to G7 he once loathed as Iran crisis intensifies

President Donald Trump arrives in Canada as the center of attention for a Group of Seven summit of world leaders whose main purpose will be to mollify him.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says that the world's nuclear powers are "upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions."
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2025

World faces new nuclear arms race, researchers warn

Researchers warned that the trend since the Cold War of there being a decrease in the overall number of warheads was likely to be reversed in the coming years.
A screenshot of a submarine cable map on TeleGeography’s website shows a network of cables connecting with Japan.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 16, 2025

The underlying risks to Japan’s undersea cables

What exactly are undersea cables, and how real is the threat of disruption in Japan?
The skyline of Astana, Kazakhstan. Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Kazakhstan for the third time since 2020, making the country of 20 million people one of his favorite destinations in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed his global travels.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 16, 2025

Xi visits Kazakhstan for talks with Central Asian leaders

The summit in the Kazakh capital Astana is taking place in parallel to the Group of Seven's event in Canada.
The primary causes for long-term sick leave among women in their 20s included mental illness, such as depression and anxiety disorders, a survey has found.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2025

Women in their 20s have higher rate of long-term sick leave, survey finds

The primary causes included mental illness, such as depression and anxiety disorders, as well as pregnancy-related problems.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (left) looks to pass the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall defends during the third quarter at FedExForum on April 18.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 16, 2025

Magic acquire Desmond Bane in blockbuster trade with Grizzlies

Memphis will receive guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap.
Local authorities in Tokyo are resorting to unconventional measures to raise voter turnout, including partnering with public bathhouses amid Japan’s ongoing sauna boom and collaborating with high school students to create promotional materials.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 16, 2025

Tokyo teams up with bathhouses to boost voter turnout for assembly election

The previous election in 2021 showed a much lower turnout rate among younger demographics.
After decades of dominance by foreign wrestlers, last month Onosato became just the second Japanese this century to be named to sumo's highest rank of <i>yokozuna</i>.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2025

The national sport of Japan wrestles with a generational change

As one legend departs, another star is rising. In a new era, sumo is grappling with its future.

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