Search - people

 
 
Beni kо̄ji has been widely used in Japan and elsewhere as a food additive, and features prominently in Okinawan cuisine, particularly in a dish called tо̄fuyо̄.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024

Beni kōji purveyors fear growing aversion following supplement scandal

The ingredient has long been used in Japan and elsewhere as a food additive, and features prominently in Okinawan cuisine.
Tsunami-hit houses in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sunday
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024

Noto quake-hit areas show signs of recovery three months on

The number of evacuees has decreased by about 3,000 to around 8,100.
A woman walks past a TV showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at the main railway station in Seoul on March 18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

North Korea launches intermediate-range missile as elections loom for South

The Defense Ministry said the weapon had traveled some 650 kilometers before splashing down in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
Daiya Seto in action during the men's 400m medley final at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha on Feb. 18.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Apr 2, 2024

Japanese swimming veteran ready to make waves at Paris Olympics

Daiya Seto wants to be a voice for meaningful change in the domestic sport.
Pearl Harbor survivor Lou Conter gestures to a fellow survivor during the wreath laying presentation for the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the World War II in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 2011.
WORLD
Apr 2, 2024

Last survivor of Pearl Harbor battleship sinking dies at 102

Lou Conter was a 20-year-old quartermaster at the time of the 1941 attack.
The moon rises behind the State Historical Museum, the Kremlin's towers and St. Basil's Cathedral in central Moscow on March 21. Russia has dismissed new allegations about its role in Havana syndrome as "groundless."
WORLD / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

'Havana Syndrome' linked to Russian intelligence unit, report says

The U.S. State Department has said it stands by its assessment that no foreign actor is responsible.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told dismayed supporters overnight that they "must not waste" the four years remaining before the next presidential vote.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

Opposition defeat of Erdogan redraws Turkey's political map

Opposition candidates and voters celebrated inflicting a stinging defeat on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party in municipal elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has a long-running feud with Qatar-based channel Al Jazeera.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

Israel's Netanyahu vows to ban Al Jazeera broadcasts

The Qatar-based broadcaster slammed the ban as "part of a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera."
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

New Indonesia leader visits China, promising close ties

Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto was also due to visit Japan for two days from Tuesday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made the call for the PBOC to gradually increase the buying and selling of government bonds in October but his remarks were publicized recently in a new book and newspaper article, hinting at a policy pivot for a central bank that hasn’t made a significant bond purchase since 2007.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 2, 2024

Xi’s cryptic bond comments hint at PBOC becoming more like Fed

PBOC could pivot toward strategies used by other central banks in heeding the call to "gradually increase the buying and selling of government bonds.”
Former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura attends a Lower House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 3, 2024

LDP eyes membership suspension for Shimomura and Nishimura

It also plans to ask Shionoya and Seko to leave the party over the slush funds scandal involving certain factions.
Workers at a factory in the town of Sriperumbudur, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on Jan. 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept India on its swift upward path among the world’s largest economies. Many Indians are better off, though wealth gaps have widened.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 3, 2024

What 10 years of Modi rule has meant for India’s economy

The value of India’s stock market has tripled since the prime minister took office and its economy has almost doubled — but gains have been widely unequal.
Leftover premium-brand chocolate, originally slated for disposal, is made available for purchase at a discount in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Feb. 15, the day after Valentine's Day.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024

Efforts to reduce food waste find support in Japan but still face challenges

Initiatives are being introduced to avoid the waste of seasonal delicacies, but challenges such as entrenched commercial customs persist.
Startup Genome officials speak to representatives from startups that will participate in the Global Hypergrowth Tokyo program during its kickoff event last week in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 3, 2024

New mentoring program aims to help later-stage Japan startups go overseas

While many acceleration programs target young startups, the new initiative focuses on later-stage firms that already have a certain degree of experience.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 3, 2024

In campaign speech, Trump calls illegal immigrants 'animals'

The Republican presidential candidate warned that violence and chaos would consume America if he did not win the Nov. 5 election.
Renegade director Koji Wakamatsu (Arata Iura, right) heads to Nagoya in the early 1980s to open his own cinema in “Hijacked Youth Dare to Stop Us 2.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 4, 2024

‘Hijacked Youth Dare to Stop Us 2’ captures origins of indie theater boom

Junji Inoue’s semi-autobiographical film is a love letter to independent cinemas — and their fans.
Shohei Ohtani's response, or lack thereof, to the gambling scandal sheds light on the cultural differences in crisis management between Japan and the West.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2024

Ohtani swings and misses at PR, but he’s not Japan’s first

Shohei Ohtani's response, or lack thereof, to a gambling scandal sheds light on the cultural differences in crisis management between Japan and the West.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu apologizes for his gaffe at a news conference in Shizuoka on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 3, 2024

Shizuoka governor's resignation may remove hurdle for maglev project

Heita Kawakatsu has long opposed the construction of a tunnel in the prefecture for the next-generation shinkansen, citing environmental concerns.
The "disaster" of Oct. 7 would have killed off any other politician. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hold over the ruling Likud party has been likened to Donald Trump's over U.S. Republicans.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 3, 2024

Bye, bye Bibi: Is the game up for Israel's great survivor Netanyahu?

With thousands of protesters on the streets every night this week demanding he resign, many wonder how long the veteran escapologist can survive.
A demonstrator holds flags of Taiwan and the United States in support of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during an stopover after her visit to Latin America, in Burlingame, California, in January 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 4, 2024

'Staunch friend' of Taiwan to become top U.S. envoy in Taipei: sources

Sources have said that Raymond Greene, currently deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, will take on the role.
Last December, Nintendo postponed the Splatoon Koshien finals and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship, as well as cancel Nintendo Live Tokyo, citing threats leveled at both attendees and personnel.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 4, 2024

Ibaraki man arrested over death threats sent to Nintendo

The man allegedly sent 39 messages through an inquiry form on Nintendo's official website, threatening to kill people at the gamemaker's events.
In an emergency move, Bob Iger returned to Disney in November 2022, just 11 months after retiring, to rescue the company from his hand-picked successor as CEO, Bob Chapek.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 4, 2024

Hunt for Disney CEO Bob Iger's successor kicks into high gear

Board members are seeking to reassure investors that they are taking the matter of succession seriously, having extended Iger's retirement date five times.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen in action during the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, on Sept. 24.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 4, 2024

Cherry blossoms greet F1 on eve of spring debut at Suzuka

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be looking to reestablish a pecking order that has him firmly on top.
The Osprey provides vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter but is also capable of flying at high speeds over long distances when operating as a conventional plane.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2024

The Japan-U.S. alliance needs the versatile Osprey

In Japan, there has been an outsized and lingering concern about the aircraft’s safety. That concern is, frankly, misplaced,
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Tokyo office. An investigation into the cause of the health issues is underway, with partner companies attempting to recall products that could include the batch of beni kōji said to have caused kidney problems.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 4, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma's wide supply chain complicates search for tainted products

Looking at the overall market, one study showed that around 33,000 companies have sold and distributed products using the firm's red yeast rice.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) attends a disciplinary panel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 4, 2024

LDP announces formal punishment for scandal-tainted lawmakers

An LDP disciplinary panel handed down the reprimands following weeks of debate among the leadership and several rounds of internal investigations.
People visit to view cherry blossoms in full bloom at Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats around the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024

Tokyo crowds revel as cherry blossoms reach full bloom

The Meteorological Agency declared that Japan's most common and popular Somei Yoshino variety of cherry tree was in full bloom.
Since the original 2010 release, visual novel series Danganronpa has spawned eight mainline games (and several other titles) for a total 5 million copies sold worldwide.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Apr 6, 2024

Are visual novels ready for a great leap forward?

Where reaction time and manual reflexes are in other genres, visual novels prize critical thinking and the ability to interpret characters’ motivations.
Yogi’s absolute favorite thing is food, but he’s not crazy about other dogs, so he’d probably do best on his own.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Apr 8, 2024

Yogi is smarter than the average dog

This fluffy guy also has a super cute way of getting your attention — he’ll bring you his toys and invite you to join in on his favorite games.
Palestinians flee an area in central Gaza City after Israeli bombardment in March. U.S. President Joe Biden said an "immediate” cease-fire is necessary to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2024

Biden tells Netanyahu U.S. support hinges on protecting civilians

The comment marks a shift in position for the U.S. leader, who has faced increased pressure to take a harder line against Israel amid mounting deaths.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear