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Green tea has the largest share of Japan's soft drink market.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 7, 2024

Major Japanese beverage-makers renewing green tea products

Green tea has the largest share of Japan's soft drink market.
Fawn Weaver's book “Love and Whiskey,” out this month, is an engrossing narrative tracking the author's discovery of the truth behind one of the most popular whiskey brands in the world.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 30, 2024

‘Love and Whiskey’: A tale of how an obsession delivered a woman from grief

Through Fawn Weaver’s efforts, bracketed within a personal tragedy, the true story of how Jack Daniel learned how to make whiskey from a Black slave comes to life.
Japan’s Coco Yoshizawa participates in a Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier. This summer’s Olympics will be the first in which half of athletes are female.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2024

Paris Olympics’ gender equality boast has an asterisk

Paris 2024 will be the first Olympics where half of all athletes are female. But the gender gap remains wide among the ranks of coaches and needs to be tackled.
Horror artist Junji Ito adds just a dash of comedy to his work, though he aims for it to be understated. “If it’s truly a horror story, the humor must be restrained and more veiled,” he says.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 29, 2024

Fear still matters to Junji Ito

Currently on view at Tokyo's Setagaya Literary Museum is an extensive collection of the horror master's work, the first large-scale exhibition of it's kind in Japan.
Health ministry officials enter Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's plant in the city of Osaka on March 30.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 28, 2024

Dozens more deaths may be linked to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's supplements

The ministry has instructed Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to create a plan to carry out a probe into the causal relationships between the deaths and their products.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks down as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with his predecessor and current Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, at CNN's studios in Atlanta on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

Here’s what it would take to replace Biden as nominee

Democrats have ways to replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket — but doing so without their standard-bearer’s acquiescence would be a daunting task.
An image of U.S. President Joe Biden is displayed as his Republican challenger, former U.S. President Donald Trump, holds a campaign event, in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Fearful and doubting Biden, Democrats face an uncertain path forward

Some began to reconsider their support after his rough debate showing, but there was no agreement on how, or whether, to urge him to step off the ticket.
Carlos Alcaraz takes part in a practice session at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London on Thursday ahead of the start of Wimbledon.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2024

Young guns Alcaraz and Sinner ready to fire as Wimbledon prepares for new era

If Djokovic struggles in his return from injury, all eyes would then be on Alcaraz and Sinner as they usher in a new era at Wimbledon.
Former Giants star Orlando Cepeda stands in front of his old No. 30 during a ceremony to retire his number, in San Francisco in 1999.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 29, 2024

Orlando Cepeda, baseball slugger known as the Baby Bull, dies at 86

Playing for 17 seasons in the major leagues, Cepeda hit 379 home runs, had 2,351 hits, drove in 1,365 runs and had a career batting average of .297.
Tourists in front of the restaurant and shopping area of Mount Fuji's 5th Station, which leads to the popular Yoshida trail for hikers climbing the mountain, in Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, on June 19.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 30, 2024

Mount Fuji begins charging entrance fees as overtourism prevention measure

The measure, which also includes capping the number of daily climbers at 4,000, marks the first time that climbing one of Japan's most enduring symbols will cost money.
Self-Defense Force troops take part in an amphibious landing exercise on Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture last November.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2024

Japan's SDF marks 70th anniversary as it faces change and challenges

The SDF is grappling with dramatic policy shifts while facing down challenges ranging from recruitment to rising Chinese military assertiveness.
As the 1924 Exclusion Act came into effect in the United States, people in Japan were not happy. It would define American immigration policy for near three decades.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jul 1, 2024

Japan Times 1924: Anti-America Day observed by all Japan

Two very different views of the United States from Japan, separated by 25 years and, more importantly, a war, define this month's look back at Japanese history.
Voters queue at to cast their ballots for Iran's presidential election outside a mosque in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Iran election shows declining voter support amid calls for change

Of the 61 million eligible voters in Iran, only about 40% cast ballots, marking a record low turnout.
The number of lawmakers with income of over ¥100 million totaled seven, all Liberal Democratic Party members, in 2023, up from two in the previous year.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Lawmakers' average income rises for the first time in 5 years

The number of lawmakers with an annual income of over ¥100 million increased to seven in 2023, up from two in the previous year.
Tiananmen Square in Beijing
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

What to expect from the Third Plenum, China’s big policy meeting

The Third Plenum gathers about 400 government bigwigs, military chiefs, provincial bosses and academics to steer China's political and economic course.
The yen’s depreciation is largely down to the gap in interest rates between the U.S. and Japan. Therefore, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is, to all intents and purposes, “Mr. Yen.”
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2024

There’s a new 'Mr. Yen' in town

No matter what the Bank of Japan or the Finance Ministry do, ultimate control over the yen's value lies in the hands of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike gives a speech before the start of Toden Pro Wrestling, the first-ever pro wrestling event inside a streetcar of the Toden Arakawa Line, in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Koike has small lead as Tokyo election campaign enters final week

The Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan and disaster resilience have emerged as key issues as the race enters the home stretch.
Supporters of the far-right National Rally wave French flags at the party's headquarters following voting during the first round of legislative elections in Henin-Beaumont, France, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

French left and Macron race to prevent far-right takeover

Analysts say the most likely outcome of the snap election is a hung parliament that could lead to months of political paralysis and chaos.
A makeshift squat-style toilet is still used at an evacuation center in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, six months after the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 2, 2024

Six months on from Noto quake, shelter toilets are still squat-style

Reports of health deterioration among evacuees, many of whom are elderly, due to the discomfort of having to use such toilets have emerged.
A Taliban spokesperson addresses a press conference in Kabul on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

Taliban told to 'include women' in public life at U.N. talks

Excluding civil rights groups from the talks was the price for the Taliban government's participation in them.
Demolition work underway in areas around the Asaichi-dori morning market in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2024

Only 4% of publicly funded demolitions in Ishikawa complete

Requests have been filed for over 20,000 residential buildings damaged by the Jan. 1 quake.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during the launch of the party's general election manifesto in Manchester, England, on June 13.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 2, 2024

Labour win in U.K. election would likely mean continuity for Asia

While the party has focused on domestic challenges in the run-up to Thursday's election, it maintains a deep interest in the region, experts say.
Under the light of a moon partially obscured by clouds, the eyes of a dozen deer glow uncannily in the dark on South Korea's island of Anma.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2024

Swelling deer herd overwhelms South Korean islanders

The government is weighing a petition to designate the deer as "harmful wildlife" to clear the way for hunting and other measures.
The focus on artificial intelligence comes as the Self-Defense Forces grapple with concerns about recruitment and its abilities to harness the power of new technologies.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2024

Japan’s Defense Ministry unveils first basic policy on use of AI

The new policy comes as Japan looks to stave off a manpower shortage and keep pace with China and the U.S. on the technology’s military applications.
No matter the outcome of the snap parliamentary elections in France, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist project has failed to convince voters.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2024

Why Macronism failed

With a second round of voting in the French parliamentary election this week, no matter the outcome, Macron hasn't convinced voters that centrism is the way forward.
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a panel meeting on economic security information at the Prime Minister's Office last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

Takaichi gearing up for LDP presidential election this autumn

The economic security minister is set to deliver a speech in Tokyo on July 16, followed by ones in Miyagi on July 21, Okinawa on July 28 and in Hyogo on Aug. 3.
A firefighter in the aftermath of an attack in the Starokostiantyniv, Khmelnytskyi Region, Ukraine, on Aug. 6, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

China can end Russia’s war in Ukraine with a phone call, Finland says

Finnish President Alexander Stubb's comments reflect growing frustration among Ukraine’s allies over China’s perceived support for Russia.
A Ukrainian serviceman waits for Russian drones next to a military vehicle with a anti-aircraft cannon at an undisclosed location in Donetsk region, Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

China is making and testing lethal attack drones for Russia

Beijing may be edging closer to providing Russia with the sort of lethal aid that western officials have warned against.
The Defense Ministry holds a lecture for military and police officials from Pacific island countries at the ministry on Friday as part of its security-related capacity-building support.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

Japan Defense Ministry boosting aid to Pacific island nations

Only three out of 14 Pacific island nations — Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga — have armed forces.
A demonstration of a clear-screen translation system is conducted at a counter at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2024

Clear-screen translation system is being tested at Tokyo's Haneda

The translation system is designed to rapidly provide information to foreign travelers and those with hearing difficulties.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo