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Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in April 2023, after the firm's first attempt to land on the moon failed.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 12, 2024

Ispace aims for December launch of second moon landing mission

The Hakuto-R Mission 2 spacecraft will be delivered by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida and attempt a lunar touchdown after four to five months of spaceflight.
A court sketch shows Saki Sudo in her first hearing for her murder case at the Wakayama District Court on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 12, 2024

Former wife pleads not guilty to murder of 'Don Juan of Kishu'

The outcome of the trial may affect the treatment of inheritance money left by Nozaki, which is said to total more than ¥1.3 billion.
China Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons toward a Philippine resupply vessel on May 4 near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Beijing claims the waterway almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 12, 2024

China to 'crush' foreign encroachment in South China Sea, PLA official says

Lt. Gen. He Lei said the Chinese military will "resolutely crush any foreign hostile encroachment on China's territorial, sovereign and maritime rights and interests."
Labor market reform will likely be a hot economic debate topic in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, the campaign of which kicked off on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2024

Labor market reform becoming hot topic in LDP leadership race

Candidates differ in how they intend to tackle labor market issues, especially on whether to give firms more flexibility in the dismissing of workers.
Nine candidates, including Toshimitsu Motegi at the podium, attend a kick off event on Thursday for their campaigning in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2024

Ishiba and Koizumi speed ahead as LDP presidential race kicks off

Despite a decline in the LDP’s image due to a large-scale political funds scandal, Ishiba and Koizumi have remained surprisingly popular with the public.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito responds to questioning in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024

LDP and other parties demand Hyogo governor's resignation

All 86 members of the prefectural assembly have now called for Saito's resignation.f
A vendor attends to a customer at the secondhand books section of Panjiayuan antiques market in Beijing
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 13, 2024

China wants academic exchanges, but censorship could stand in the way

The Chinese Communist Party has exerted control over all publications since establishing the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Palestinians search for survivors of an Israeli strike in the Shejaiya suburb east of Gaza City on Thursday. A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development described the economy of the Gaza Strip as being "in ruins" more than 11 months after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 13, 2024

Gaza economy shrinks to less than a sixth of its pre-war size, U.N. says

A document from the U.N.'s trade agency also describes "a rapid and alarming economic decline" in the occupied West Bank.
A firefighter sprays water to fight a forest fire in the city of Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, on Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 13, 2024

A continent ablaze: South America surpasses record for fires

Satellite data has registered 346,112 fire hot spots so far this year, topping the earlier 2007 record of 345,322.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tours a facility for producing weapons-grade nuclear materials at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this photo released Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 13, 2024

North Korea unveils images of uranium enrichment facility for first time

The pictures could give outside experts a better understanding of how many and what types of nuclear weapons the North has produced.
A Tokyo Star Bank branch in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Tiny Japan bank looks to grow by lending to offshore homebuyers

Japan’s weak yen and low interest rates have drawn overseas interest in Japanese property and boosted prices.
An MUFG Bank branch in Tokyo. The bank is stepping up its electronic trading capabilities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

MUFG pushes to bring its trading into electronic age, except JGBs

MUFG is catching up to rivals, vying to become more competitive across fixed income and equities where electronic trading has taken hold.
A supermarket in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, operated by Aeon. Shares of Aeon have extended their gains to 25% this year and reached a record high this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seven & I proposal fuels rally in Japanese retailers like Aeon

An increase in Japan’s consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Asia’s second-biggest gross economy, is also supporting retailers.
Aiko Kato (left) touches the stump of a sacred tree at Sakataru Shrine in June in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was cut off after it fell down due to the Jan. 1 earthquake
JAPAN / Society
Sep 13, 2024

Crowdfunding for damaged Noto shrine raises 10 times target

The shrine offered gifts to donors, including a special soda infused with the essence of its fallen sacred tree.
An event to support Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures is held in Sendai in March, with booths offering local specialties.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 30, 2024

Nearly 40% of Fukushima municipalities want hometown tax system revised

Some want the central government to implement measures to establish a system that narrows disparities among municipalities.
Japanese media's lack of critical engagement and depth in covering debates can be attributed to Japan's Broadcasting Law, which mandates political impartiality in news coverage.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 12, 2024

How Japanese and U.S. election coverage differs

Japanese media's coverage of U.S. debates tends to be more superficial and uniform, often merely reflecting U.S. media content.
Activists hold up symbolic eye masks during a protest against deepfake porn in Seoul on Aug. 30.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2024

South Korea is facing deepfake porn crisis

The industry creating AI technology must develop safeguards to address this epidemic.
Seven & I Holdings, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, was designated as a "core" company. The government requires any foreign entity to give prior notification of share purchases in a core company of more than 10%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seven & I gets new designation, a potential hurdle for takeover

The new "core" category requires any foreign entity to give prior notification of share purchases in a core company of more than 10%.
Ayuko Kato (center), state minister in charge of building an inclusive society, and government officials bow their heads in apology to victims of forced sterilization, at a meeting to sign a compensation agreement in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 13, 2024

Forced sterilization victims to receive ¥15 million in compensation

The agreement covers those involved in 13 ongoing lawsuits at courts across Japan.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speak to the media outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington on Friday following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 14, 2024

Biden hasn’t let Ukraine strike deep into Russia. Could Britain change that?

A trip to Washington by Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, came after President Vladimir Putin of Russia warned that the allies’ next step could mean war for NATO.
Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back to Rome after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, on Friday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 14, 2024

Pope says Trump and Harris 'against life' as Asia tour ends

The comments on the U.S. presidential hopefuls came as he defied health concerns to connect with believers from Papua New Guinea to Singapore.
"Nightbitch," which premiered at the Toronto film festival on Sept. 7, stars Amy Adams (center) as Mother, an artist who becomes a harried stay-at-home mom caring for a boisterous toddler.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 14, 2024

Amy Adams gets real about motherhood in 'Nightbitch'

The film explores various facets of motherhood — the wonder and joy, but also the darkness and exhaustion — using equal doses of comedy, drama and magical realism.
Candidates for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidential election stand together onstage at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 15, 2024

LDP presidential hopefuls outline approach to U.S. and China concerns

The nine candidates jostled over the best way to resolve Nippon Steel's contentious bid for U.S. Steel, while also grappling with the Chinese military challenge.
Urawa celebrates after winning the Asian Champions League final at Saitama Stadium on May 6, 2023.
SOCCER
Sep 15, 2024

New Asian Champions League format highlights quality over quantity

The tournament features a new format, trophy and logo as well as three times more cash for the new champion.
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system drives past an honor guard during a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in Moscow's Red Square in May 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2024

Putin's options for Ukraine missiles response include nuclear test

In his clearest warning yet, Putin said the West's next possible move could be seen as directly fighting Russia, altering the nature of the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Saint Petersburg on Friday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2024

Russia sharing nuclear secrets with Iran fuels U.S.-U.K. worries

The nuclear information and technology may be in exchange for Tehran providing Moscow with ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine.
Pep Guardiola has guided Manchester City to six Premier League titles.
SOCCER
Sep 15, 2024

Manchester City's Pep Guardiola says Premier League clubs keen for team to be punished

A long-awaited hearing into charges brought by the Premier League in February 2023 is finally set to get underway on Monday.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello speaks at a news conference Saturday in Caracas after three American citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were detained in the country on suspicion of plotting to destabilize it through "violent actions," the government in Caracas said.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2024

Americans and Spaniards held over alleged plot to 'destabilize' Venezuela

The arrests come during heightened tensions after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was accused of stealing the country's election.
Ai Tonomoto (second from left) and other members of a group of space enthusiasts who developed a microsatellite pose outside a JAXA building in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2024

One small step for women: Microsatellite built by Japanese amateurs put into orbit

The team, which had no experience in space development and built their satellite from scratch, launched it into space last month.
The proportion of people aged 65 and over has risen since the 1950s and is expected to hit 34.8% by 2040, when the second baby boomers (born 1971-1974) will join that group.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 15, 2024

Japan's elderly population grows to record 36.25 million

The proportion of people aged 65 and over has been increasing since the 1950s.

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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