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A meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to take place in Lima on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on Friday and Saturday.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2024

Ishiba and Xi to affirm mutually beneficial strategic ties

In his meeting with Xi, Ishiba plans to demand China resume imports of Japanese fishery products at an early date.
Vivek Ramaswamy (left) and Elon Musk (right) will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency tasked to slashing government bureaucracy and waste, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Trump names Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead 'DOGE' efficiency department

The appointments to the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency reward two Trump supporters from the private sector.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev speaks at the Opening Ceremony of the United Nations climate change conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

COP29 host Azerbaijan hits out at West in defense of using oil and gas

Some observers of the COP29 negotiations said the president of Azerbaijan's remarks did not bode well for a strong result from the two-week summit.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington. The U.S. Constitution assigns to the Senate the power to confirm a president's nominees for life-tenured seats on the federal judiciary.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

U.S. Senate Democrats rush to confirm judges before Trump takes office

Democrats are on a crusade to confirm as many new federal judges nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden as possible.
Sakie Yokota, 88, speaks during a news conference in Kawasaki on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2024

Mother of North Korea abductee laments lack of progress over issue

"I wonder why this issue has dragged on so long," said 88-year-old Sakie Yokota. Her daughter, Megumi Yokota, went missing 47 years ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) meets with President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Moscow on Nov. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Russian sends 200 military instructors to Equatorial Guinea in West Africa push

The deployment fits into a wider pattern of waning Western influence in the region while offering Moscow funding opportunities.
Indonesia fans watch a livestream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification soccer match between China and Indonesia on screens outside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 13, 2024

Indonesia goes Dutch in pursuit of World Cup dreams

Indonesia is in the decisive third round of Asian qualifying as it attempts to reach the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Digital minister Masaaki Taira, who has jurisdiction over a bill to introduce an “active cyberdefense” system, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Government set to postpone submission of cyberdefense bill to next year

The delay in the bill to introduce an "active cyberdefense" system follows the ruling bloc's election drubbing, which drained the prime minister's political capital.
A bear sighting warning sign in a park at a residential area in the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture. Hanamaki has deployed along riverbanks artificial intelligence-equipped cameras that identify bears and alert city officials.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2024

Municipalities in Japan turn to AI and digital maps to prevent bear encounters

Akita Prefecture's online map consolidates reports of sightings and incidents while the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture has deployed cameras that identify bears.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said the latest incursion by Chinese research vessels into his country's exclusive economic zone took place earlier this week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

China is flouting Palau's ocean boundaries, president says

Chinese research vessels have been lurking "uninvited" within the Pacific nation's waters, newly reelected President Surangel Whipps Jr. says.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2024

Trump return leaves Japan’s leader with no time to snooze

The prime minister drew headlines for a moment after he was caught napping in parliament during proceedings for his own nomination as Japanese leader.
As the weather gets colder, we are seeing an uptick in cases of influenza as well as COVID-19.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 13, 2024

The Japanese you need to get vaccinated before winter comes

With strains of both COVID-19 and the flu circulating, learn the words that will help you navigate a visit to the clinic.
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024

As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action

Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Lula’s embrace of Xi sets up a clash over Trump’s China policy

Brazil’s geography and colonial history meant that it has traditionally looked to the Atlantic for commerce. Now it’s deepening ties with the Asia Pacific.
Rory McIlroy deemed 2024 as a success despite missing out on winning his fifth major.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 14, 2024

Rory McIlroy motivated to keep up with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele

McIlroy said will be more selective about the events he plays in the United States next year.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. He, 69, is a Politburo member and Beijing’s point person for U.S.-China economic and trade affairs.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Xi’s key players to lead China in another Trump trade fight

Donald Trump’s return to power makes Beijing’s potential negotiators some of the most important people in Xi Jinping’s government.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a meeting on political reform at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 14, 2024

Ishiba faces tightrope walk with minority government

As the opposition is seen ramping up pressure on the government, a single mistake could put the administration into jeopardy.
The government aims to finalize an economic package later this month to help households hit hard by rising prices.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024

Japan eyes ¥30,000 benefits for low-income households

The planned economic package includes a proposal of ¥20,000 per child to the benefits, which are designed to support households hit hard by soaring prices.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

‘Call anytime you want’: Trump roils G20 with disdain for rules

World leaders who didn’t experience Donald Trump’s first merry-go-round are quickly learning how he likes to operate.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu called up Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi for the first time in a year ahead of the team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2024

Japan looking to move closer to berth in 2026 World Cup

With the third Asian qualifying round nearing the halfway point, Japan is five points clear at the top of Group C.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is one of seven people running to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee.
OLYMPICS
Nov 14, 2024

Presidential hopeful Sebastian Coe says IOC needs clear stance on gender

Coe believes the IOC is a movement that needs modernizing.
Anduril Industries' Ghost-X unmanned aircraft is one of the systems included in the next tranche of the Pentagon's Replicator program that it plans to field from August next year.
WORLD
Nov 14, 2024

Pentagon unveils more Replicator drones to counter China

This is just the second time the U.S. has provided specifics on what it’s buying in its move to field thousands of cheap, smart and autonomous attack drones.
Don Kenny leaves behind a wealth of English translations of kyogen as well as work on other aspects of Japanese culture.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Nov 14, 2024

A bridge between kyogen and the world, Don Kenny dies at 88

He came here a soldier, stationed at Atsugi air base after the war, and soon fell in love with the world of Japanese theater.
Then-Chinese Vice Premier Liu He presents a letter from his boss, Xi Jinping, to then-U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House following trade negotiations in October 2019.
COMMENTARY
Nov 14, 2024

Trump’s tariffs and inflation fatigue are a toxic brew

Key to Trump's logic is the idea that the U.S. has all the leverage, and that just isn’t true in the current macroeconomic environment.
Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2024

Trump is right: Expat taxes are too complicated

Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
Mike Tyson (left) and Jake Paul faceoff during a news conference on Wednesday to promote their upcoming bout on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 14, 2024

Mike Tyson looking forward to fighting Youtuber Jake Paul as boxing world recoils

The Netflix-backed bout has drawn widespread condemnation from across the boxing world.
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Bolivia during their World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2024

Paraguayan Football Association bans Lionel Messi shirts before match with Argentina

Paraguayan Football Association manager Fernando Villasboa warned the home crowd to wear only Paraguayan shirts to the match.
Public support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet in November remained low at 28.7%, a Jiji survey shows.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024

Ishiba Cabinet approval inches up to 28.7%, poll shows

The result highlights the persisting lack of voters' support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration.
The Tokyo District Court has found Nagumi Osada, 27, guilty of sexually abusing seven girls between the ages of 3 and 6.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024

Former day care center worker given 14-year term for child sex abuse

The man was found guilty of abusing seven girls between the ages of 3 and 6 at day care centers where he worked and of filming the acts over a period of two years.
The Azerbaijan pavilion during the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 14, 2024

Hopes pinned on low-key COP29 to thrash out climate-finance details

The Baku summit aims to reach new agreement for climate-related transfers from rich to poor countries, intended to replace a $100 billion annual target set in 2009.

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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