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Gustavo Caruso (second from right), director of the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, speaks with Japanese government and Tepco officials in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

IAEA confirms safety of Fukushima treated water again

The report is the second on the matter since Tepco began the water release operations at its power plant in northeastern Japan in August last year.
Shoko Miyata had been set to lead the Japanese women's gymnastics team at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jul 19, 2024

Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata leaves Olympic team over drinking and smoking

The decision to have Miyata leave the team appeared to strike some observers as being overly harsh.
Campaign posters for the Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 7.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2024

LDP eyes legal revision that would call for decency in campaign posters

The move comes after posters unrelated to the Tokyo gubernatorial election were displayed on official election billboards during the election campaign period.
“Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” incorporates six Murakami short stories from three books into a single intertwined narrative that centers on a trio of lonely Tokyoites.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jul 20, 2024

'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' is an immersive journey into Murakami's world

Pierre Foldes' beautiful adaptation of six Haruki Murakami stories features one of the author's most memorable characters, who injects the film with self-aware humor.
U.S. President Joe Biden takes part in a conversation with former U.S. President Barack Obama and late-night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel during a star-studded campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 20, 2024

Biden fundraisers on hold as July donations plummet, sources say

The move comes even as the Democratic Party planned to accelerate his nomination and he vowed to continue in the 2024 race.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention on Thursday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 20, 2024

Nippon Steel hires Mike Pompeo to help clinch purchase of U.S. Steel

Pompeo, who served as the U.S.’ top diplomat under Donald Trump, will be an adviser to the Japanese company for its $14.1 billion purchase.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a news conference near Oxford, England, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 20, 2024

U.K.'s Starmer sees Trump comeback as a warning about his own danger

The U.K. prime minister's overarching aim is to avoid the struggles other world leaders are facing at the hands of the populist right.
Japan defender Hikaru Kitagawa (13) competes in the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio, in April. Kitagawa is among the eight from JFA Academy Fukushima who will represent Japan at the Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS
Jul 21, 2024

Soccer players from Fukushima academy vow to give back in Paris

Eight players who trained at JFA Academy Fukushima have been selected for the men's and women's squads representing Japan in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Pedestrians walk past fences closing off access to the Trocadero in Paris on Friday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 21, 2024

The bickering and 'cold sweat' as Paris built its Games

Following the horse-trading to win the Games came the French infighting over how to host them.
A pedestrian walks past air conditioning units in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 21, 2024

Japan bakes as temperatures across the country rise above 35 C

In Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, the mercury hit 38.2 C, while Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, saw the temperature rise to 37.3 C.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, gives his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2024

Emerging narratives: Trump is 'a lion’ or he’s 'a lyin’

Is Donald Trump a "man of destiny," as some conservatives are now claiming or a "con man of destiny"? ("Napoleon in a golf cart,” The Free Press called him.)
A plastic bag carrying various objects including what appeared to be trash that crossed inter-Korean border with a balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea is pictured in Seoul, in this picture released by the South Korean Defense Ministry on June 2.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2024

South Korea steps up propaganda broadcasts after new trash balloons from North

South Korea will ramp up propaganda broadcasts to the North in response to Pyongyang sending more trash-carrying balloons across the border, Seoul's military said Sunday.
Workers engage in restoration work on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, where two maintenance trains had derailed on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024

Accident halts Tokaido Shinkansen services between Hamamatsu and Nagoya

JR Central said the resumption work is expected to continue until the evening and it is not clear when the services will be fully resumed.
A person holds a placard as people gather outside the White House after U.S. President Joe Biden announced he is stopping his bid for reelection in Washington on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2024

Shock — and relief — as Americans digest Biden's election exit

U.S. President Joe Biden's shock decision Sunday to end his re-election bid drew an outpouring of heartfelt reactions from American voters.
The 2024 presidential race throws another curveball at the markets with U.S. President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024

How investors are reacting to Biden dropping reelection bid

Many investors are waiting to see who the new Democratic nominee will be, with some uncomfortable about the uncertainty.
The grounded Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, where marines are stationed to assert Manila's territorial claims at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea's Spratly Island chain, is seen in April last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 22, 2024

Philippines and China reach 'arrangement' for reef resupply missions

Manila did not provide details of the arrangement, but said Monday that here will be no prior notification from it to China for the routine missions.
Members of Taiwan's Navy on board a special operation boat during a demonstration for the media on the waters near a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 22, 2024

Taiwan starts annual war games, aiming to closely mimic actual combat

Taiwan's drills this year have intensified nighttime exercises and practicing how to operate with severed command lines.
A record 219 people were attacked by bears across Japan in fiscal 2023.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024

Hokkaido city deploys drones for bear management

The city of Nayoro will use drones — equipped with cameras and speakers — to locate bears when sightings are reported and help direct residents to safety.
A Maruti Suzuki India showroom in New Delhi. Suzuki hopes to grab 50% share of the Indian market by 2030, targeting 15% of its sales in India to be electric vehicles by that time.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 22, 2024

Suzuki sees India’s automobile market growing fivefold by 2047

Promising growth in the electric vehicles segment is putting the South Asian country's car market on track to reach 20 million units by 2047.
The People's Bank of China building in Beijing on May 29
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024

China cuts key rate after Xi’s big meeting disappoints investors

The People’s Bank of China cut the seven-day reverse repo rate, a key short-term policy rate, in the first reduction in almost a year.
A demonstrator shows appreciation for U.S. President Joe Biden near the White House after Biden announced his exit from the election and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2024

Biden finally shows true leadership by passing the torch

Better late than never. By dropping out of the November election, Biden has crowned five decades of public service and put the Democrats in a better position to win.
Foreign exchange rates are shown in a shop window in Tehran. Iran's newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, faces the tough challenge of reviving Iran's beleaguered, sanctions-hit economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2024

Iran’s economy needs a new deal with the West, badly

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's new president, inherits high inflation and deteriorating public services. His only way out is cutting a deal with the West to lift sanctions.
Homes are surrounded by flood waters after Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Sargent, Texas, on July 8.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2024

The great climate change wealth transfer is here

Fossil fuel profits are sky-high, as are the costs of climate change. By subsidizing oil and gas while putting tariffs on green tech, governments are making things worst.
Elderly people dance in a park in Beijing on Jan. 16.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 22, 2024

China to allow delayed retirement to combat population woes

The country is struggling to relieve soaring pressure on pension budgets, with many provinces already facing deficits.
Ama female free divers, who fish in the ocean, lead volunteers as they swim with torches during Shirahama Ama festival in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024

Short of ama female free divers, Chiba festival turns to volunteers

Age and disinterest have reduced the number of women willing to make a livelihood out of this type of diving.
Scientists drive their snowmobiles cross the arctic during dawn near Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway, on April 10, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Pentagon to bolster response to China and Russia in Arctic

Measures are needed "to ensure the Arctic does not become a strategic blind spot,” the Defense Department said in its 2024 Arctic Strategy released Monday.
Japanese badminton players participate in one of Ajinomoto's Kachimeshi Kai gatherings.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024

Ajinomoto offering food-related support to Japan athletes in Paris

Ajinomoto has been offering athletes light traditional Japanese meals at an on-site nutrition support base set up for every Summer and Winter Olympics.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters in Tokyo Monday following news of U.S. President Joe Biden's exit from the presidential race.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Kishida aides wary of impact from Biden's withdrawal

Many expect Kishida to make a decision on his approach to the LDP's leadership race after the summer holiday period in mid-August.
Blackstone's private equity fund says Japanese individual investors are highly interested in alternatives and their understanding of the asset class is deepening.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024

Blackstone Japan fund exceeds $1B as investors warm up to private equity

As inflation takes hold in the country, investors are exploring more alternative assets on government encouragement to invest more of their cash.
A lone tree stands near a water trough on the outskirts of Walgett, in New South Wales, Australia, in 2018. Energy analysts said high construction costs, plus Australia's lack of nuclear expertise and abundant land and sunshine, make nuclear a less logical choice in the country.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Nuclear wildcard reignites Australia's climate wars

Ahead of expected polls, the country's federal opposition has unveiled plans to slow the roll-out of renewable energy and build a network for nuclear reactors.

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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