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Held April 19 to 21 and organized by the nonprofit organization Kominka Japan, the Minka Summit bridges architectural tradition with contemporary possibilities.
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 16, 2024

Minka Summit returns for third year of home design, talks and more

The Minka Summit showcases Japan's traditional homes amid modern crises and a steady build in interest.
OpenAI Japan’s president Tadao Nagasaki speaks at a news conference about the opening of its first Asia office in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2024

OpenAI taps ex-Amazon executive to head enterprise push in Japan

The artificial intelligence darling is opening an office in Tokyo as it releases a custom GPT-4 model catering to Japanese language users.
Police stand outside the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church after a knife attack that took place during a service the night before, in Wakely in Sydney on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2024

Sydney bishop stabbed by teen in terror attack, police say

The teenager who allegedly stabbed the Bishop in western Sydney was known to police but not on any terrorist watch lists.
Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State (left), and Nami Kritenbrink arrive to attend a state dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House in Washington on April 10.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

U.S. and China officials discuss Middle East, Taiwan and South China Sea

The meetings come ahead of the May presidential inauguration in democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
Spectators watch the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in April 2019. The event will return to the city this weekend for the first time since the pandemic.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 16, 2024

Pride and hype as F1 roars back to China after COVID-19 absence

Fans will get to see Shanghai native Zhou Guanyu drive at his home track in Formula One for the first time.
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagyō" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 17, 2024

Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day

Held this year on April 20, an ancient Kyoto monster march has overcome obstacles to continue going bump in the night.
Israeli soldiers mount an Israeli flag on a military vehicle near the Israel-Gaza border on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

Israel vows response to Iran attack amid growing calls for restraint

Israel's military chief of staff said Iran's direct attack "will be met with a response" as world leaders call for no further escalation.
A rebel fighter of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) raises Karen's national flag after burning Myanmar's national flag in Myawaddy, a Thailand-Myanmar border town, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2024

Rebels raise flag at seized Myanmar base as commander vows to retain control

The celebrations by the rebel fighters came less than a week after the capture of a key trading town on Thailand's western border.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) visits the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2024

Ex-PM Suga inspects Fukushima nuclear plant

Suga may have partly intended to demonstrate his presence ahead of three by-elections for the House of Representatives later this month, observers said.
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time

The deployment for joint military exercises in the northern Philippines — effectively China's backyard — was widely expected to unnerve Beijing.
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district

The residents of Tokyo's No. 15 district — which corresponds to the city’s southeastern Koto Ward — will head to the polls for the third time in a year.
French President Emmanuel Macron with French fencing champion Sara Balzer and Minister of Culture of France Rachida Dati, as the president attends a demonstration by the French fencing team during his visit to the Grand Palais, 100 days ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

Macron’s push to arm Europe is getting more urgent — and more dangerous

The fundamental problem for Macron is that he hasn’t managed to energize either France’s voters or its economic and military might behind his approach.
Lung cancer causes about 76,000 deaths in Japan each year, and about 1.8 million deaths worldwide.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 16, 2024

Japan study shows link between passive smoking and lung cancer

The study shows how passive smoking causes genetic mutations, providing further evidence of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
Workers clean argeli bark in the Ilam district of eastern Nepal. Thousands of miles away, in Japan, the bark will be used to make yen notes.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 16, 2024

On Himalayan hillsides grows Japan’s cold, hard cash

One of the poorest pockets of Asia supplies a primary ingredient for the economy in one of the richest.
China's yuan is at five-month lows and has lost 1.9% to the dollar this year as foreign investors pull more money out of its struggling markets.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2024

China's cycle of dollar hoarding and weakening yuan gets vicious

Analysts say one of two things needs to happen to end the downward spiral, but both seem distant.
Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the bipartisan select committee, said that China's incentives suggest Beijing wants more fentanyl entering the U.S.
WORLD
Apr 17, 2024

U.S. committee finds China is subsidizing American fentanyl crisis

China denies the allegation, and says the U.S. government must do more to reduce domestic demand.
Solomon Islanders queue up to vote outside a polling station in Honiara on Wednesday. The election could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024

China and Taiwan ties hang in the balance in Solomon Islands vote

While domestic issues will be key to voters’ choices, the result will have repercussions for the islands’ ties with China.
Newly employed workers of government ministries and agencies listen to a video message by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a training session in Tokyo on April 3.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2024

Japanese students losing interest in civil service

Public-private job search timing affects student behavior, especially in new graduate hiring.
Junji Ito
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2024

Ex-Kanebo chief and JAL Chairman Junji Ito dies at 99

Ito, who served as president of Kanebo, currently Kracie, and chairman of Japan Airlines, died in December 2021.
Police discovered two bodies Tuesday as they rushed to a riverbed in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2024

Two charred bodies found near Tochigi riverbed

Police are questioning a man in his 20s on a voluntary basis in relation to the incident.
A member of the aircrew aboard a Jordanian Air Force C-130 during a humanitarian aid drop over the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 17, 2024

Iran’s conflict with Israel puts U.S. ally Jordan on edge

Iran's direct attack on Israel, and a potential retaliation, has put Western and Gulf state ally Jordan in a precarious position.
The Indian national flag at the historic Red Fort in Delhi on Monday ahead of the country's general election, which begins Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 17, 2024

India's opposition battles on against bleak odds in general election

The main opposition alliance hope to confound expectations of an easy win for Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the vote starting Friday.
A woman walks past a banner depicting missiles bearing the emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran being launched, in central Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 17, 2024

Iran strikes showcase disinformation thriving and incentivized on X

Falsehoods amplified by cloud-chasing accounts that feign digital expertise highlight the potential for information chaos during a fast-unfolding crisis.
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2024

Police warn against investment scams on social media

Scammers are posing as prominent businesspeople to increase credibility and to lure victims into "get rich quick” schemes.
A member of Ukraine’s 17th Tank Brigade on patrol near the front line in the Donetsk region of southeastern Ukraine on Jan. 4.
WORLD
Apr 17, 2024

Ukraine’s big vulnerabilities: Ammunition, soldiers and air defense

Even if outside aid comes through, Ukraine's third year pushing Russia back will be extremely tough as they continue to be outgunned.
A new problem was reported over Fujitsu's system that allows My Number card holders to obtain copies of residence and other certificates at convenience stores.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024

Fujitsu given guidance over My Number system problem

The internal affairs ministry demanded that Fujitsu report by May 15 on its investigation into the incident and preventive measures.
Ryoma Shimoseki (90) was playing at Kosei Gakuen High School in Tokyo when he was discovered by NFL Academy coaches.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Apr 17, 2024

Japanese NFL hopeful gets dream chance on football field in U.K.

Ryoma Shimoseki was recently announced as the newest addition to the NFL Academy as he bids to become the first Japanese to make an NFL roster.
“Beyond the Fog” depicts the struggles of a family-run inn through the eyes of the proprietor’s 12-year-old daughter (Shuri Miyake, right, with Asami Mizukawa).
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2024

‘Beyond the Fog’: Evocative mood piece leaves a dreamy impression

Daichi Murase’s understated drama about a dying community in rural Nara Prefecture benefits from Takeshi Dodo’s beautiful cinematography.
Tourists in Kyoto on Saturday. Japan saw a record 3.08 million foreign visitors in March.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2024

Inbound tourism numbers hit record high, with Japan set to achieve 2025 goal

The nation welcomed a record 3.08 million foreign visitors in March, surpassing the previous high of 2.99 million from July 2019.
An abandoned vehicle on a flooded highway after a rainstorm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday. The UAE had its largest rainfall event in 75 years on Tuesday, the government said on social media.
WORLD / Society
Apr 18, 2024

Heavy rain and floods kill 19 in Oman and disrupt Dubai Airport

While some have speculated that cloud seeding could have contributed to the extreme weather, scientists said this was very unlikely.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan